“Kelly is exactly who you want in a leadership coach. Not only does she understand core components of leadership, she is incredibly skilled at applying them to your own situation. The strong empathetic connection Kelly creates is simply lacking in too many other coaching relationships. I can’t recommend Open Circle Coaching any more strongly.”

— Vice President, Renewable Energy

“Kelly is smart, knowledgeable, disciplined, focused and kind. She transformed how I view my job and my sense of what I have to offer the world. She opened up possibilities for what I can contribute and thus made my work more productive and my relationships more positive. The results have been terrific and extended to my personal life as well. She has flawless professionalism along with a wonderful sense of humor. I got so much working with her, as did my employer, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. I only wish I’d called her sooner!”

—  Director, University of Virginia

“I had the great fortune of being coached by Kelly Kienzle for several months. Having never been coached before, I was a little skeptical about what I could gain from the experience. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and hope to continue on with Kelly. She is very easy to work with and talk to, and guides you through the process of identifying your own sticking points and areas for growth.

I also appreciated her practical suggestions for change, including little changes that result in big rewards. After every session, I left feeling hopeful and that anything is possible in terms of making my good and rewarding life even better. I always felt like Kelly was able to relate to the pressures I feel and the environment in which I work. It made our communication and time together that much more productive and enjoyable. And, the things I learned about myself in the process of talking about my work have also helped me with my family.”

— Partner, DLA Piper Law Firm

“The coaching I had with Kelly truly enriched my life.  I appreciate how Kelly encouraged, challenged and supported me through the process.  In particular, her words and insights helped me give voice to things that I noticed but had been unable to clearly articulate to and about myself.  My time working with Kelly was transformational for me.

— Director of Administration, McKinsey & Co.

“What’s surprising and extraordinary about Kelly is what incredibly productive and insightful use she makes of an hour. In each session, she gets right to the heart of the matter, asking incisive questions and listening intently, gently offering suggestions along the way and probing for reaction, incorporating your response and looking for resonance, until you’ve somehow covered a lot of ground and find that you’ve arrived at a whole new place in your thinking, never to go back to your formerly confused state. When you string these productive hours together over the course of several weeks, Kelly deftly keeps track of all the threads and somehow helps you weave a brocade of authentic possibilities that keeps getting richer. She exceeded my expectations every week and helped me reframe a bewildering future into an inspiring and readily actionable pathway forward. Highly, highly recommended.”

– Steve Goldberg, Independent Social Investment Advisor

“My experience with Kelly Kienzle was terrific. Honestly, I expected the experience to be helpful, but Kelly exceeded expectations. She was patient and thoughtful, a wonderful listener, and also had timely advice and just the right questions to get me thinking.

I also found the homework thought-provoking and useful in keeping the work going between sessions. I highly recommend Kelly and am grateful for her work. I’ve gained a lot from the experience and you will, too.”

— Director, University of Virginia

“Kelly seems naturally suited to the role of coach. Her persistent but tactful questioning got to the core issues and revealed personal truths. From there she encouraged private introspection, recommended exercises and resources, and helped connect the learning to practical action for improved performance in the workplace.”

— Director, Youth Ventures/Ashoka, nonprofit organization

“Kelly was my first coach. Indeed, I was initially reluctant to have coaching sessions. Not only did Kelly completely change the way I view coaching, she herself is perhaps one of the best resources out there. I have been most impressed with her empathy, professionalism, command of tools and impeccable follow through.”

— CEO, nonprofit organization

“The hour that you and I shared on the phone was the most important thing I did last week. Your well thought out questions helped me to uncover three areas that I needed to address and I was excited to do so because I knew that it was going to help alleviate a small but growing hurdle in the relationship with my colleague. Our session together couldn’t have come at a better time!

— President, executive search firm

“I had the pleasure of working with Kelly for many years at McKinsey, and was thrilled to work with her again as a leadership coach. What made Kelly a tremendous mentor to me and leader at McKinsey translates so well into executive coaching… her strength as a listener, her willingness to push and challenge assumptions that often keep us stuck, and her ability to guide people towards greater self-awareness of their strengths, challenges and motivations.

“I really enjoyed my coaching sessions with Kelly. She assigned thoughtful homework, lead engaging one on one coaching sessions with me, and helped me work through some real-time leadership challenges and opportunities in both my corporate career and my role as a board member in the nonprofit sector. Working with Kelly is a great gift to yourself, and I highly recommend her.”

— Lily Rubin, Associate Director, Corporate Executive Board

“You have helped me to more clearly define my goals and offered valuable strategies for taking the steps necessary to realize them.  Our discussions brought a great deal of clarity to both my strengths and my weaknesses.  I value that I have that knowledge to work with going forward.  Most importantly, you have a professional and engaging style that lent a level of comfort to our discussions and allowed me to “roam about” a bit with my ideas.  One of your great strengths is  finding the essence of what I am expressing and offering it back in the form of an opportunity to grow.

— Founder, nonprofit organization

“Kelly has helped me understand and untangle really important issues that I had been wrestling with for months.  And she helped me come up with a very sensible and doable action plan to get me back on track. I highly recommend working with Kelly.”

— Manager of Partner Learning, management consulting firm

“As a relatively new small business owner now in a leadership role, Kelly’s years of expertise with leadership coaching and professional development helped me develop confidence in my new role and keep to my core business goals.

“My coaching sessions with Kelly are one of the most valuable investments I have made this year. I would highly recommend Kelly’s services to individuals looking to strengthen their self-awareness, and grow in their position as a leader. I will personally be using Kelly’s services for many years to come.”

Dave Hanas — Designer, David Hanas Design

“I was thinking about going back to work after spending several years at home with my child who has significant special needs.  My wheels were spinning, and no options felt quite right.  As I babbled on about all the things running through my head regarding this transition, Kelly asked some great, thought-provoking questions and then was somehow able to turn my mess of thoughts into a few clear and coherent themes.  She helped me articulate characteristics of potential opportunities that might be most fulfilling to me, and to let go of some preconceived notions that were holding me back.  After our session, I had so much more clarity on what the job/role would have to be to make it compelling enough to go back.  I also felt much more energized about making this decision, and when the right opportunity came my way a few weeks ago, I was ready to jump back in!  I truly did find that session to be a turning point in my thinking.”

– A mom, returning to the workforce (after receiving an initial complimentary coaching session)

“Kelly is a thoughtful listener who asks great questions.  She helped me to use my imagination to set personal priorities and make connections that hadn’t occurred to me.  Kelly has given me new tools to help separate the important things in life from the urgent.”

– Senior Research Analyst, research and strategy consultancy

“Kelly is an exceptional coach. She gets to the core issues quickly, and I feel really heard and understood. She asks truly powerful questions and gives me the opportunity to find my own path. It’s a gift to be coached by Kelly!”

Maryanne Honeycutt – Leadership Coach, The Acorn Group