top of page


Sneak Peek: Inspiration for my next book
Behind the scenes: I’m writing a new book! If you've ever felt stuck between being the go-to performer and becoming a true strategic leader, this one’s for you. Here’s the big idea—and how you can follow along on Substack as I shape it.

Kelli Thompson
Jun 234 min read


How “over-coaching” your employees hurts potential
You can’t work harder on someone’s development than they will. If you’re carrying the full weight of your team’s growth, it’s time to shift. Learn how to lead with empathy—without overfunctioning—and return career ownership to where it belongs.

Kelli Thompson
Jun 163 min read


How to design your next promotion
If you're waiting for a job posting to take your next career step—you might already be behind. Learn how to identify growth opportunities, think strategically, and position yourself for a role that doesn’t exist yet (but soon will).

Kelli Thompson
Jun 93 min read


4 reasons you aren't getting promoted
If you’ve ever wondered “Why am I not advancing when I’m doing everything right?”—you’re not alone. In this sneak peek of my upcoming book, I reveal four common traps that keep smart, hardworking women stuck in roles they’ve outgrown—and how to get unstuck.

Kelli Thompson
Jun 25 min read


Why "just rest" isn't the best for burnout
Feeling burned out as a high-achieving woman leader? Discover the critical difference between rest and recovery—and how to reclaim your energy, clarity, and confidence this summer.

Kelli Thompson
May 264 min read


How to manage up at work
Struggling with a boss who constantly puts out fires but never invests in your growth? Learn how to manage up with clarity, compassion, and curiosity—and take back control of your career.

Kelli Thompson
May 193 min read


Are you too loyal to get promoted?
Are your commitments helping or holding you back? Explore how high-performing women leaders can evaluate when loyalty to a boss, team, or company turns into self-sabotage — and how to lead with both heart and clarity.

Kelli Thompson
May 124 min read


Try My Confidence Pep Talk
Struggling with anxiety, imposter syndrome, or procrastination? You're not alone. In this honest post, I reveal how avoidance held me back—and the 3 mindset shifts that helped me get back on track. Learn how to overcome self-doubt, stop catastrophizing, and take confident action on the big projects that matter.

Kelli Thompson
May 53 min read


4 tips for when you're uncertain and not in control
Many companies are cutting back on women's leadership programs—and it's impacting more than just budgets. In this post, I share how the shift has affected my business and how I'm navigating the messy, uncertain space of change. If you’re in a career transition or feeling stuck, you’re not alone. Here’s how to move forward with clarity and confidence.

Kelli Thompson
Apr 285 min read


4 ways to rebrand yourself from an achiever to a leader at work
Discover 4 strategies to rebrand yourself from a high achiever to a recognized leader at work. Learn how to shift perceptions, advocate for yourself, and build lasting influence.

Kelli Thompson
Apr 224 min read


Expert strategies for transitioning into a new leadership role
Newly promoted? Learn how to avoid 4 common traps that keep managers stuck as doers instead of emerging as influential leaders. Shift from expert to empowered leader today.

Kelli Thompson
Apr 142 min read


How to communicate your value at work
Struggling to advocate for yourself at work? Learn why it’s critical to own your accomplishments and discover practical strategies to stop selling yourself short and boost your career.

Kelli Thompson
Apr 74 min read


Are you in a status quo spiral?
Feeling stuck in your career or life? Learn how to break free from the Status Quo Spiral, overcome fear-driven decisions, and create new opportunities with flexible, empowering strategies.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 314 min read


Are you stuck in an advancement trap?
This spiral of doubt is an advancement trap that keeps us in our roles for far too long and not fully advancing to our full potential.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 214 min read


The most underrated confidence coaching tool
Feeling overwhelmed in a new leadership role? Discover how naming your emotions can help you reclaim confidence, set boundaries, and lead with clarity instead of anxiety.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 174 min read


Try this leadership energy audit
Is your expertise keeping you stuck? Learn how conducting a leadership energy audit can help you shift from high achiever to influential leader—and unlock your next level of impact.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 103 min read


6 leadership lessons from 6 years in business
Six years in business, countless lessons learned. Discover six powerful leadership and career lessons from an entrepreneur’s journey—and how you can apply them to your own path.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 44 min read


Why being “easygoing” can backfire
As you conform to what you believe others want from you, you cancel out your unique ideas, your need for support, and even the perception you desire to advance.

Kelli Thompson
Feb 253 min read


How to know if you're the bottleneck
Being too good of an expert keeps you, and the organization, in an advancement trap. You can't grow because people need you too much.

Kelli Thompson
Feb 183 min read


Are you a hidden gem?
Hard work alone isn't enough—visibility, influence, and relationships matter just as much. Trusted Impact Makers build relationships, take on high-profile projects, and ensure their contributions are recognized.

Kelli Thompson
Feb 114 min read
Feeling Advancement Anxiety
You can advance while also feeling fear. You can interview while also feeling nervous. You can take the next step while also feeling worried.

Kelli Thompson
Feb 44 min read


Are you stuck in the advancement trap?
We don't change until the discomfort of our current situation outweighs the fear of the unknown.

Kelli Thompson
Jan 284 min read
How to build a pipeline of women leaders
Myth: The biggest barrier to women’s advancement is the ‘glass ceiling.’
Reality: The ‘broken rung’ is the greatest obstacle on the path to senior leadership.

Kelli Thompson
Jan 222 min read


How to use ChatGPT to inspire your year ahead
We don't need more resolutions. We need intentions that anchor us through change. For 2024, my word is courage—not to take risks, but to endure criticism in service of meaningful impact.

Kelli Thompson
Jan 74 min read


Ted Talk Reflections Part 3: Deliver high-stakes presentations with confidence
I was putting so much pressure on myself to nail my talk on my first try when SO MANY speakers have a slip up that is edited out.

Kelli Thompson
Dec 17, 20245 min read


Ted Talk Reflections Part 2: Deliver A Compelling Message
As it became clear that my Tedx Talk would be about what I call the “pedestal problem," I had to figure out how to tell the compelling story

Kelli Thompson
Dec 16, 20246 min read
Ted Talk Reflections Part 1: Finding Your Big Idea
Why do we we put others on a pedestal and assume they are smarter than us, and therefore, we silence our ideas?

Kelli Thompson
Dec 9, 20247 min read


How to present with confidence
People value connection over perfection. Nervous about presenting? Shift your focus from your fear to your audience: What do they need to know—and how do you want them to feel?

Kelli Thompson
Nov 19, 20242 min read


A different approach to work/life balance
Sometimes we say yes to everything and then try to find balance—instead of finding balance by not saying yes to everything.

Kelli Thompson
Nov 12, 20243 min read


Lead your team well beyond this Election Day
We can remain in firm alignment with our values and what we stand for WHILE ALSO finding the common humanity in us all.

Kelli Thompson
Nov 5, 20243 min read


How to make hard feedback easier to give
Early in my career as a leader, I knew in my head that I would have to learn to give critical feedback, but my heart just couldn't take...

Kelli Thompson
Aug 13, 20244 min read


How to Break the Overwhelm Cycle
As we approach back-to-school time, I always feel like this is the season of overwhelm for me and my clients, even if they don't have...

Kelli Thompson
Aug 6, 20243 min read


3 Ways Leaders Can Improve Coaching Skills
A client recently began her session with me saying that she wanted to talk about onboarding her newly hired employee. This new employee...

Kelli Thompson
Jul 30, 20244 min read


How do you know when it's time to quit?
Full transparency, this topic wasn't on plan for my newsletter today. However, given the news on the political sphere that erupted over...

Kelli Thompson
Jul 22, 20243 min read


What are you willing to be criticized for?
One of my clients recently had to make a hard employee hiring decision. She was faced with managing the politics of interviewing a...

Kelli Thompson
Jul 15, 20243 min read


How to be a leader who changes policy
Learn how to be a leader who changes policy.

Kelli Thompson
Jul 8, 20243 min read
My favorite mid-year planning & goal setting activity
We are officially halfway through the year! It's the time of year where most people begin to panic that they only have six months left to...

Kelli Thompson
Jul 1, 20242 min read


Rest v Recovery: Why it matters for you as a leader
One of my clients had recently come off a streak of intense work projects - ones that consumed her mind, heart and energy for far too...

Kelli Thompson
Jun 23, 20243 min read


Are you talking? Or truly contributing?
Okay be honest, how comfortable are you with silence? That uncomfortable, awkward silence that just hangs in the room (live or virtual)...

Kelli Thompson
Jun 10, 20243 min read


Counterintuitive approach to lead change & results
How do you hardwire new behaviors into your team to support a thriving culture? That was the question we worked to answer in an afternoon...

Kelli Thompson
Jun 3, 20243 min read
5 money conversations every woman needs to have
Don't talk about your salary. I'm not sure where the origins of the don't talk about your salary rule started, but it has fostered a...

Kelli Thompson
May 27, 20243 min read


What 3 female CEOs say is key to success
Last week I had the opportunity to moderate a panel of powerhouse CEOs in my hometown (Omaha, NE). In preparation for this panel, I met...

Kelli Thompson
May 20, 20243 min read


Real Talk About "Imposter Syndrome"
I was recently interviewed for Chief Executive Magazine, and thought the editor, Emily DeNitto, did a wonderful write up. So, I wanted to...

Kelli Thompson
May 14, 20243 min read


Gender norms hurt men, too (why this matters for women)
While I am a women's leadership and executive coach on a mission to help women advance to the rooms where decisions are made, in specific...

Kelli Thompson
Apr 29, 20243 min read


Closing the leadership development gap for women
When I left corporate for entrepreneurship, my father in law asked me, So what do you do? In the simplest terms, I explained to him that...

Kelli Thompson
Apr 22, 20243 min read


What is the Enneagram and Why Care?
This week, the women in my Clarity & Confidence Women's Leadership program are diving deep into their Enneagram types and it's always so...

Kelli Thompson
Apr 15, 20243 min read


Get out of your head with this simple tip
A quick note:) I am geeking out today because I am a guest on my favorite podcast, Hello Monday. Hello Monday is (in my opinion) the...

Kelli Thompson
Apr 8, 20243 min read


How simplifying can make you a more impactful leader
This Women's History Month, I am committed to sharing stories of women leaders who don't “fit the mold” in their industries, but because...

Kelli Thompson
Mar 18, 20243 min read


How To Find Your Unique Leadership Talents
How can you find that unique leadership skill is that only YOU can offer your team and your organization? Ask yourself these questions.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 12, 20243 min read


10 Questions To Build Your Leadership Legacy
All of us have the power to break a barrier and create a legacy with our leadership. You don't have to “fit the mold” to break a barrier.

Kelli Thompson
Mar 5, 20243 min read
bottom of page