Today we’d like to introduce you to Kelly Knowles.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
For several years my husband and I were raising grandchildren. When they returned to their mother, we found ourselves empty nesters and I found I was lost. As someone who loves to coach and speak, I did what a lot of people do, I began to think about what I wanted for my NEXT. I joined Toastmasters and worked on a certification in Color Code Personality. Kelly K Consulting grew out of that and I began to build my speaking and coaching reputation and network.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I am a doer. I am also someone who does not like reading the instructions first (grin) if I think I can figure it out. Because of that, I missed setting up some systems and being more intentional with my marketing. While it keeps me from analysis paralysis and never getting anything done, it also sometimes slows me down on other items. I also would make sure to be consistent with my activities and remember that Rome wasn’t built in a day, as the saying goes.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Kelly K. Consulting specializes in helping people find their NEXT – their inner leadership and how to move forward. I am not a “programmatic” coach or speaker or even facilitator! It is important to me that I meet people where they are, and help them to Discover, Develop and Dig-in. Sometimes that is an organized program of activity. Sometimes it is trial and error.
What sets me apart is that when I work with a group or individual, I take a very consultative approach. I don’t immediately offer a solution until I have an understanding of what the PAIN points are. What the end goal is. Then, I work collaboratively to provide a presentation or program or plan that will move to that. No one wants to hear someone pontificate on their program – they want results. I want people to leave whatever it is we do together with actionable items and a sense that this was absolutely worth their time. Then and now.
What I am recently most proud of is finishing a book I started 20+ years ago: Chin Hairs and Other Things Mama Didn’t Tell You: From Surviving to Thriving in your 20s and 30s. This book was a labor of love and a local Nashville graphic artist designed the cover and all of the illustrations. I love that I have something that I believe is a resource for women who are in all stages of life and that the stories resonate for all women. It is part “guidebook” and part “humor” and I’m super proud of it. Is it perfect? Of course not. But I am incredibly excited to have it out there in the world.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Oh my goodness. This could go back decades! But, I will always credit my parents with the tools they put in my toolbox and allowing me to be the individual that I am. I have had a couple of much older friends that continue to be cheerleaders for me and remind me that I am moving forward – despite the valleys. Friends such as Samantha Pointer-Foxx who is a system and technological guru have listened to all my madness for more than 20 years! Friends who remember I started writing my book in my 20s and let me use their stories from then in the contents!
Finally, I am grateful for a peaceful and “low-maintenance” husband who tolerates all the nights I eat at my desk and he does the cooking!
It’s amazing who will become your advocate and who will support you. Sometimes it’s simply a group of ladies you know from church that may not be your target market but are true friends and supporters of your work. Sometimes it’s a former boss who sends an occasional “I’m proud of you”. And sometimes, it’s those people who see what you are doing and replicate it in their own way. I work to remember that we are better together – even when there is competition!
Pricing:
- Paperback book – Amazon – 9.99
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kellyknowles.net
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/kellykconsult
- Facebook: https://www.amazon.com/Chin-Hairs-Other-Things-Didnt/dp/B0BBJLLLF5
- Youtube: @kellykconsult
- Instagram: https://www.linkedin.com/company/kellykconsulting
Image Credits
Kelly Knowles
