Our approach yields results.
When you are self-aware, you can make decisions based on the information at hand – not on how you wish things were or on how things have gone in the past – but on your present reality. This leads to more successful business and career outcomes and a more joyful, fascinating life.
Results Snapshot: Entrepreneurial Confidence and Communication at MIT's delta v accelerator
In 2019, MIT's delta v became the first entrepreneurship accelerator to prioritize its entrepreneurs' individual well-being and measure the effects.
Over 12 weeks, 84 entrepreneurs (and subsequently 50+ entrepreneurs in 2020 and 2021), participated in our program, Entrepreneurial Confidence and Communication. They were taught tools for greater self-awareness – meditation and mindfulness – and were provided with an unbiased, confidential environment for venting and peer feedback.
At the end of the program, with their demo day pitches approaching, delta v entrepreneurs had developed greater self-understanding and were making better moment-to-moment choices for themselves.
The data affirms that understanding your thoughts, feelings, and biases is essential to managing stress – and it is a skill that can be taught. Integrating self-awareness into the entrepreneurial experience helps prevent burnout, encourages better mental and physical health, and creates better team dynamics. It's great for entrepreneurs, and it could be great for their startups' bottom line too.
88%
65% of the 84 delta v entrepreneurs had never meditated before ECC. By the end of the summer, 88% had independently established their own regular, weekly meditation or mindfulness practice.
40%
...were more aware of the emotions they were feeling, letting themselves feel them rather than pushing them away.
53%
...were more frequently using a deliberate technique to calm themselves when in the middle of a stressful situation.
"More than anything, this program gave our team a neutral, common language to build our relationships and culture. Just coming from one source or team member would not have gotten people on board."
"Verbalizing issues helped me understand the underlying reasons behind my co-founder's and my behavior."
"I focused more on my well-being and realized how crucial it is in my life."
"Just knowing that there was an unbiased and non-judgmental resource for me was powerful."
"My coach and peer group helped my team look objectively at what we were doing, dig deeper into what we were individually going through, and gain perspective. The entrepreneurial experience is lonely and can be overwhelming, and ECC was the only place where we could touch down in a space apart, and share the hard parts."
- MIT entrepreneurs participating in our ECC program
More Client Testimonials
“Kathleen did an extraordinary job guiding a strong group of ambitious, outspoken, strong-minded women with lofty goals and the chops to achieve them. She curated a beautiful experience that I looked forward to every time we met. The connection we all felt to each other had as much to do with her guidance as our natural chemistry from all being like-minded [people].
I really appreciated the perspective, encouragement, insights, compassion and joy we shared in this group and will really miss our regular check-ins. Thank you again for EVERYTHING!”
- Cristina, Branding Agency Founder
Kathleen's group "helped me get out of a mental and emotional rut in my career and clarify what my core values are. I came in believing I wanted one specific thing but realized how narrow my thinking become. Over the course of ten weeks, I was able to shift my perspective and focus. Now I have a solid understanding of what kind of work I want to do and why impact matters to me.”
Melissa Ryan, CEO, CARD Strategies
"I was going through an unusually stressful time at work, having taken on new responsibility for a team and project, and working 100+ hrs/week to meet a deadline. Had this happened even a year ago, I would have been paralyzed with anxiety. Instead, those close to me observed that they'd never seen me calmer. I realized that working with Kathleen was a large part of the reason why.
Working with Kathleen helped me build an even keel — one that embraces all the parts of me, including the parts I thought could or should be different. She approaches her coaching with buckets of empathy, humor, and gentle encouragement to embrace the journey, in addition to bringing to bear a variety of tools to work through tough situations without judgement or fear. My renewed sense of purpose and centeredness is due to our work together. I'm incredibly grateful that I was able to work with Kathleen."
- Kavita Baba, Business Development in the Biotech Industry
"I'm a big fan of coaching, because I learned I have a ton of blindspots (good and bad), and I had baggage from my past that influenced me more than I liked. When I sold my first startup, things were rocky - and I also lost my CEO coach (side effect of not being a CEO). I took a few months to clear my head and then jumped into the best thing, Soluna.
But all was not well. Those issues were still there. When I caught up with Kathleen and learned about her story post-startups and her transition to coaching, I was excited! I wanted to learn more! I signed up for a 3 month "tune-up" as I called it.
It was awesome. I learned how some of the stuff in my past was impacting my future. I also learned specific tools and mechanisms (routines, quickly writing my feelings, starting small for example) that really changed my life. Kathleen's program was fantastic, and truly transformative!!"
- Dipul Patel, CTO at Soluna
"Kathleen is one of the best listeners I’ve ever met. She doesn’t just project herself into your situation – she really thinks about what you’re saying and works to understand exactly where you are in your journey. Only when she “gets” it does she begin to bring her experience into the conversation. And once she does, make sure you’re taking notes!
Kathleen has an unusually wide and deep pool of experience to draw from, and she has the mental flexibility to make the most of it. Her insights are amazing! Several times, she has spared me years I would have spent learning something the 'hard way.'"
- Mandy, Beauty Industry Founder
"When I was straddling two possible paths, Kathleen was instrumental in helping me make the right decision for my career. She guided me through a line of questioning to help clarify my goals, and we came up with a plan that worked for me as an individual with contrasting interests and passions."
- Molly, Non-Profit Strategist
"I cannot say enough good things about my experience working with Kathleen over the past few months. I needed someone to help me figure out what I needed to build into my life in order to keep myself from burning myself out over my goals, projects, etc. Kathleen's coaching has been incredibly valuable in helping me redesign a more mindful approach to my plans and expectations."
- Rita, Media Entrepreneur
"I worked with Kathleen during a particularly busy time in my life, which turned out to be a blessing because she helped me re-frame how I understood myself in the context of my own life. We were able to tackle meditation and mindfulness, decision-making, and started work on developing a life philosophy. As an early-career professional, these tools will be vital to how I move forward in the world."
- Cynthia, Theater Producer
"Before embarking on my current transition, I spent time working with Kathleen, an accomplished, kind, and insightful life coach. Kathleen led me on a unique journey of self-discovery and confidence-building, ultimately helping me decide to pursue the current path I’m on.”
- Kristi, Software Engineer
"Kathleen has the rare right brain/left brain combination of empathy and concrete reasoning – she listens and digests the situation you're in without judgment and suggests actionable steps to take toward addressing the problem. She makes me feel understood, and I walk away with ideas and possibilities I hadn't considered before!"
- Annie, VR Industry Business Development Lead
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