We had the good fortune of connecting with Kim Carpenter and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kim, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
If you had told me in my late 20’s that I’d have my own business someday, I would have said you were nuts. I was quickly climbing the corporate ladder in New York City’s Silicon Alley. In my black suit and heels, I’d clip-clop up and down the subway steps multiple times a day until collapsing on the couch at my Park Slope brownstone with a glass of wine (or two). Everything was great. Until it wasn’t.

I was going through a not-so-nice divorce and had hired a stellar executive coach to help me get over the sense of failure in my personal life, and catapult my career forward in my professional life. Through experiencing the transformation possible in working with a coach first-hand, I fell in love with it, and started using coaching strategies with my direct reports.

Somehow I innately knew that every person has incredible strengths and gifts. My job as a leader was to help them unleash those gifts and find roles that aligned with them. So, I put in extra time to work with my team members and figure out what they needed to feel successful. It made a difference. We turned around a multi-million dollar engagement that we were about to lose. Team members started showing up in support of one another in powerful, new ways. People put in extra effort to hit deadlines and targets..

I thought we were doing well, so I was surprised when my boss said to me, “You’re spending too much time helping them. You need to fire (so-and-so) and move on.”

“Were we having too much fun at work?” I wondered. That day, I respectfully disagreed with my boss and also promised myself that I’d have some part to play in changing work environments to be more people-centric.

I knew that I wanted to be a coach, to help people unleash their fullest potential and dare to dream bigger with their career and life. I took a year-long sabbatical and studied Advanced Coaching and the Science of Motivation during my travels through India, Italy and Germany. I unplugged from the corporate world and designed my dream job vision.

Since that time I’ve founded World Changing Women™, a support ecosystem for women leaders, where I’ve mentored women to stand in their power, get paid well, elevate their leadership position and make an impact. My clients transform their limiting beliefs, recreate their lives and careers, and step into making their greatest contribution.

I am also the founder of People at the Center™, a boutique coaching and consulting firm dedicated to amplifying human-centric business practices while increasing revenue. I work with executives and entrepreneurs around the globe to help them become better leaders, communicators and change agents, with an emphasis on transforming the workplace into an empowering space for all.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
We are dedicated to amplifying human-centric business practices while helping companies increase their revenue. We strongly believe that businesses today can create a win-win with their employees when they help people become better leaders, communicators and change agents, with an emphasis on transforming the workplace into an empowering space for all. We do this through one-on-one coaching and leadership programs, group coaching, training, team offsites and retreats. We’ve also created the www.yourpathtopromotion.com free assessment where individuals can assess where they are strong and what they may need to develop in order to get the promotion or raise they are after.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I love Austin and Central Texas. There are so many fun and exciting things going on here. I’d start with downtown Austin and South Congress area, which we call SoCo. If you’re a member you can visit SoHo House and then catch a delectable meal downstairs at Aba Austin, which serves mediterranean fare on a shady deck. Then we’d walk up Congress avenue and take in a view of the Texas Capitol. We’d definitely take a swim in Barton Springs, or rent a SUP on Ladybird Lake that runs through the middle of the city. Our next stop would be to some galleries, restaurants and shops on Austin’s East Side. Topping it all off with a day trip to Fredricksburg or Dripping Springs to visit some of the wineries or distilleries dotted along the hillsides would wrap up our tour!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to give a big shout out to all of the amazing, powerful women who have learned, laughed, cried, struggled and overcome obstacles alongside of me. There are too many to name, but I know deep in my heart that without the support of other women, I would not be where I am today.

Website: https://www.peopleatthecenter.com

Instagram: instagram.com/the.kim.carpenter

Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kimcarpenter

Facebook: facebook.com/peopleatthecenter

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@peopleatthecenter

Image Credits
Jordi Blanc, Tara Welch

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.