Kim Meninger: Making It Easier to Be Human at Work

Keynote speaker, leadership coach, podcast host and consultant Kim Meninger is on a mission to make it easier to be human at work. She uses her LEADS framework to help leaders recognize when they’re operating reactively and quickly shift into more intentional, values-driven action. You can find her at her website and on Instagram, or listen to her podcast The Impostor Syndrome Files.

Tell us about yourself and your business.

My mission is to make it easier to be human at work. Based on my own former high-tech career and the years I’ve spent coaching others, I believe that what makes work hard is rarely the work itself. What makes it more challenging than it needs to be are the doubts and insecurities we bring to our interactions with each other.

So much of the conflict and friction we experience at work is rooted in fear. We fear things like rejection, humiliation, failure, judgment and loss. This leads to perfectionism, unwillingness to take risks, micromanagement, procrastination, defensiveness and countless other self-protective yet unproductive behaviors.

I often joke that we think we’re engaging with each other at a rational level when, in actuality, we’re triggering each other in invisible ways all day long. My work is designed to reveal and address this messy human side of the workplace. I provide professionals with actionable strategies they can use to manage these fears/doubts/insecurities and show up more confidently at work.

What inspired you to start your business?

My work is rooted in my experience with chronic impostor syndrome throughout my 10+ years as a non-technical leader in the high-tech industry. Throughout that time, I struggled with intense self-doubt and anxiety that I now know many others experience as well. I started my business to be the resource to others I wish I had during my own corporate career.

What was the first step to starting your business?

My first step was reaching out to my existing network to announce my new venture. I sent almost 1,000 individual messages to my LinkedIn network, letting them know about my new business. This led to new clients and referrals, which jump-started my business.

What’s one mistake you made early on in your business, and what did you learn from it?

One mistake I made early on was paying way too much for marketing and business coaching. Some people will make you believe that if you pay them thousands of dollars, you’ll make millions immediately. It’s a scam that often encourages you to do inauthentic, unethical things to grow your business.

I’ve successfully built a multi-six-figure business by leaning into my value around service. I’m not here to build an empire. I want to help others face their fears and grow their confidence. Delivering this message in my own authentic way has yielded far greater results than investing in people who claim to offer some secret recipe for success.

What excites you about your work?

I’m excited to see people step out of the shadows and confidently embrace their strengths. Each of us has a unique combination of skills, capabilities and experiences. These serve as the raw materials that enable us to make a meaningful impact in our organizations, communities and families. When we play small, we deprive the world of what only we can offer. I am honored to be on the journey with my clients as they learn to believe in themselves, build their self-trust and take risks that help them become the best version of themselves.

What’s your proudest business milestone so far?

One of my proudest moments was the opportunity to partner with the United States Energy Association to develop and facilitate a leadership development program for women leaders in the energy sector in Southeast Asia. It made me realize that the resources we take for granted in the U.S. are not available to women in other parts of the world. I was proud and honored to support this remarkable group of women. This work reinforced for me that while we may speak different languages, have different religions or wear different clothing, we are far more alike than we are different.

What’s a business myth you’d love to bust?

When I started my business, I believed other business owners were following an invisible playbook I didn’t have access to. My confidence skyrocketed when I realized that everyone, including entrepreneurs and corporate leaders, were making it up as they went along. That freed me to use my own creativity to design a business rooted in my values and focused on the problems I wanted to solve. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to entrepreneurship. The real magic happens when you do it your way.

What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs?

My biggest advice to other female entrepreneurs is to not do it alone. Business ownership, especially if you’re transitioning out of a traditional workplace, can feel lonely and isolating. It can feel like you have to know and do everything yourself. But there are countless other entrepreneurs on similar journeys who would love to support you. Build your own community of fellow entrepreneurs, take advantage of the abundant free and low-cost resources available to small businesses and be willing to ask for help.

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