Kate Peabody MBA, CMC, PCC-ICF

Coach & Culture Consultant Looking to Take Best Practices In-House

Kate@KaptivateMe.com  |  720-290-4983  |  Lakewood, Colorado  |  KaptivateMe.com  |   Kate's LinkedIn

An International Coaching Federation Professional Certified Coach with 15 years experience driving strategic transformation and managing change through client and employee-centered communication, training, engagement and culture programs, and one-on-one coaching.

FOCUS   Executive & Leadership Coaching. Career/Talent Development & Succession Planning. Human Capital. Transformation & Change Management. Life Vision & Enhancement. Employee Engagement & Company Culture.

VIA STRENGTHS  Creativity.   Judgment.   Perspective.   Love.   Social Intelligence.   Forgiveness.

VALUES  Empowerment.   Authenticity.   Agility.   Earn Gratitude Daily.

SKILLS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Culture Transformation through Employee Engagement & Change Management

  • Co-led the CH2M Brand and Culture Program, achieving executive support by positioning the work as a catalyst and guide for strategic decisions and unifying force for organizational behavior.

  • Managed multi-million dollar budget and cross-disciplinary team while influencing global executives, HR, IT and business line communicators to deliver an award-winning digital transformation, re-brand and culture program.

  • Developed an integrated metric system to demonstrate brand and culture impact on recruitment, retention, growth (top-line), and efficiency (bottom-line).

  • Achieved 2% YOY decrease in voluntary attrition despite major organizational restructuring following delivery of an award-winning employee engagement communications strategy, ambassadorship program, and brand and culture refresh for a global company of 25,000 employees.

  • Confidently worked across brand and culture interfaces with global marketing & sales, M&A/finance (amortization of acquired brands), HR (visas and employee contracts), legal (trademarks, licenses, and legal entities) in highly complex regulatory environments (e.g., UK and the Middle East).

  • Designed a strategic roadmap and communications plan for a national design company’s brand refresh rollout to: be centered around a culture of care; promote employee engagement and ownership; and support an already exhausted workforce through even more change management.

  • Created and led interactive culture workshops, as well as train-the-trainer sessions, to give existing and newly acquired employees a voice in exploring and co-creating values and behaviors at team, company and community levels.

  • Supported the development and analysis of a culture of wellbeing survey for 1,500 employees to identify gaps, opportunities, quick wins, and benchmarks to be used in strategic program planning and KPI check-ins.

Individual, Team & Group Coaching

  • Coached individuals and organizations from a breadth of nations and industries, including engineering and construction, medical, technology, advertising, education, non-profit, government and management consulting.

  • Common coaching topics include confidence, mindset, boundaries, life purpose, leadership, leading through change, work/life balance, goal-setting & attainment, time management, relationships and career development.

  • Life coaching clients report feeling more authentic, capable, clear, confident, empowered, energized, grateful, happy, hopeful, positive, powerful….and taking passion- and value-aligned action to make their dreams happen.

  • Helped more than 60 individuals make major career transitions by coaching them through a detailed yet creative process to identify, explore and determine potential career paths that will help them bring to life their unique expertise in a way that inspires AND helps them create the full life they desire.

  • Acted as a grounding sounding board and perspective-builder for those leading strategic growth and business transformation amidst organizational, societal and personal volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

  • Coached newly formed leadership team to: reimagine how they communicate with each other & the extended team; unify how decisions are made & identify accountability leaders; and set goals for themselves & their teams.

  • Coached leaders through fast-tracking integration and formal organization of a growing team, enhancing camaraderie, collaboration and knowledge-sharing for well-resourced, best-in-class campaign and project delivery.

  • Helped executive teams coalesce around a unified mission, vision and purpose with strategically-aligned goals and shared prioritization methodology for clear and effective project management and service delivery.

  • Coached quickly-growing, hybrid teams to co-cultivate a trusting, healthy, innovative, engaged, productive culture based on company values to maintain relevance and competitive edge with talent, market and clients.

  • Worked with Bask+Being to develop and deliver a 10-week group coaching program for workplace wellbeing, with survey data reporting that 87% of participants agreed that it positively impacted their energy AND their life; and 93% agreed that it positively impacted their stress AND improved their understanding of stress and burnout.

Training & Development

  • More than 120 individuals have “graduated” with a fresh growth mindset and five-year plan after working through KaptivateMe’s “curriculum-based” coaching program based on positive-psychology research, creative confidence skills and human-centered design that includes 1:1 or group coaching and a workbook of DIY exercises.

  • Designed a group coaching and education program with Bask+Being to help corporate leaders tackle burnout at the team and individual level, providing facilitator taking points, dynamic presentations integrating life participant feedback and take-away tools or worksheets to maintain momentum and learning between sessions.

  • Before/after survey data of Bask+Being burnout program participants showed improved confidence in setting boundaries, having difficult conversations, asking for help and being self-compassionate.

  • Acted as a teaching assistant and mentor for new coaches at MentorCoach, focused on integrating positive psychology and ICF coaching competencies while also providing business and marketing advice.

  • Integrated into the Denver/Boulder startup community by bringing together people thriving with brain conditions to create actionable programming and meaningful conversations on mental health in the startup world.

  • Organized, managed, coached speakers (including tech leaders) and spoke at six TechStars’ Startup Week events in Denver, Boulder and Fort Collins focused on being human at work.

  • Developed and led educational workshops and community events with tech startup leaders and staff that measurably increased attendees pride in, and willingness to be open about, brain health.

  • Worked with CH2M University Manager and Director of Innovation to co-develop and participate in a multi-day employee workshop around how to bring innovation into the learning and career development process.

  • Conducted national focus groups at ARCADIS and subsequently co-created and led a Frontline Leadership Training series, to which an operations leader responded, “just the kind of tips I need to be a successful leader, not just a manager.”

  • Co-initiated, planned and facilitated ARCADIS’s first ever Women’s Network Conference after being a member of CH2M’s Young Professionals and Women’s networks, presenting on personal branding and leadership skills.

Expert, Influential Communication

  • Led, developed and implemented award-winning Fortune 500 brand campaigns for more than a decade, leveraging paid and earned media, strategic thought leadership, community investment, award programs and more.

  • Focus groups with employees of newly acquired and merging organization reported greater trust in leadership, understanding of the strategic growth plan, and their role in changes being made after coaching executive and middle management on formal and informal communication and producing a targeted and tailored multi-media communications campaign and talking points.

  • Increased the velocity at which challenge turns into opportunity through the user experience process, reinventing how and why CH2M uses digital internally and externally to connect with clients, recruits, communities and each other.

  • Oversaw the design and delivery of a new website (ch2m.com now jacobs.com) built-in open-source technology as website product owner and project manager, with visitors staying two times longer and viewing two times more pages after launch, using it as a tool to broaden their understanding of the organization and its people.

  • Collaborated with IT, HR, sales, business lines and corporate strategy to find alignment on a content hierarchy, what would be presented; managing relationships and conflicts in opinion (and ego).

  • Led, educated, and collaborated with Veolia’s marketing, communications, and sales teams to develop their persona (audience) toolkit for increased engagement and sales, through client and employee interviews, market research, data analysis, workshop design, and strategic facilitation application.

CAREER PROGRESSION

  • KaptivateMe, LLC, Founder and Coach (1/2016 - ongoing)

  • Bask + Being, Senior Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist (consultant) (4/2020 - ongoing)

  • CH2M (now Jacobs), Global Digital Media Strategy Manager & U.S. Communications Director (4/2014 - 1/2016)

  • ARCADIS U.S., Communications Director, U.S. Water (8/2013 - 4/2014)

  • CH2M (now Jacobs), Communications Strategist, Global Water (6/2008 - 8/2013)

  • Breathe California, Communications & PR Intern (5/2007 - 5/2008)

  • Dr. Laura Ellingson, Santa Clara University, Research Assistant & Editor (8/2006 - 5/2008)

  • Santa Clara University Library, Media Center Manager and Technology Trainer (8/2005 - 5/2008)

EDUCATION

M.B.A. Environmental Policy & Management, University of Denver, Daniels College of Business, CO (2010)

B.A. Communication, Graphic & Web Design, Santa Clara University, CA (2008)

CERTIFICATIONS

CURRENT MEMBERSHIPS

  • Global & Colorado Chapter, International Coaching Federation  (2019 - present)

RECENT PRESENTATIONS

  • “Women Empowerment in Tech - Panel for International Women's Day”, General Assembly (2021)

  • “Brain Crawl” Storyteller & Panel Member, Denver, Boulder & Fort Collins StartUp Weeks (2017 - 2020)

  • “Creative Confidence” Panel Member, General Assembly (2017)

VOLUNTEER

  • Teaching Assistant - Foundations, Positive Potentials and Positivity Intelligence Courses, MentorCoach (2019 - 2020)

  • Storytelling Experiment Lead & Coach, Open Labs (now part of Project Helping)  (2016 - 2020)

  • Volunteer - Welcome, Registration, Guide,Denver Startup Week (2017 - 2019)

A Quick Note

While I provide 1:1, team and group coaching and culture consulting services through KaptivateMe, my business partner and I are also interested in taking our learnings and best practices in-house to work with a collaborative team to solve tough challenges together.

Culture is queen -- something we've only become more convinced of in a post-pandemic, hybrid world. It's not only required to attract top talent in a competitive market place but also enhances diversity, collaboration, innovation, wellbeing, and overall business performance by fostering a sense of belonging, purpose, and shared values among your workforce.

And yet, most organizations are still leaving culture to consultants or cross-division collaborations without dedicated leadership. Which in our experience means budget freezes and heavy workloads that stop transformational engagement and progress just when people are getting excited; leaving them to feel disenfranchised again. 

But what if the culture team was in-house? We've all seen the impact of bringing sustainability, safety and diversity teams in-house -- why not hire a dedicated person or team to help orchestrate the company-wide cultural collaboration and implementation?

A dedicated culture team can work cross-functionally to strategically align your organization's goals, values and vision with the everyday experiences, wellbeing and growth of your employees. A supporting in-house coach demonstrates a commitment to employee development and provides the extra 1:1, team and group support existing and up-and-coming leaders need to live and work at their best.

By creating an in-house team, we could develop deep understanding, long-term relationships, and seamless integration to support employees' growth and ability to walk the talk of the culture. It also means we're there exactly when you need us, and won't disappear mid-year.

In essence, you're investing in the heart and soul of your company, paving the way for long-term growth, success, and a thriving workforce. It's the chance to prove that compassionate, human-centered organizations not only exist, but are also financially successful.

What do you think? Want to learn more? Let's jump on a call. 

FUN FACTS

  •  When employees' wellness needs are met, they experience greater work-life balance, reduced stress, and improved overall satisfaction. This positive impact on their well-being translates into increased engagement,  productivity, higher levels of commitment, and a willingness to go the extra mile for the organization's success.

  • While hiring a Director of Culture & Wellbeing is an investment, the potential cost savings resulting from improved employee health, reduced turnover, and increased productivity can outweigh the initial expenditure.

  • A Director of Wellbeing can implement strategies to enhance employee engagement, motivation, and work-life balance. They can also introduce wellness initiatives that boost energy levels, reduce burnout, and improve overall job performance.

  • With a culture of coaching, you can foster open communication, a growth mindset, continuous learning, and accountability, leading to higher engagement, improved individual and team performance, and ultimately, greater success for your organization.

  • A meta-analysis of 18 studies of coaching in organizational settings showed that coaching has a relatively large effect on clients’ coping capacities and resilience, subjective well-being, attitudes, performance, and goal-attainment. (The Journal of Positive Psychology)

  • 51% of organizations with strong coaching cultures report a higher revenue than similar companies. 62% of employees in those organizations rate themselves as highly engaged. (Human Capital Institute)

  • Coaching clients report that they improve relationships (73%), communication skills (72%), interpersonal skills (71%), work performance (70%), work/life balance (67%), and wellness (63%) thanks to coaching. (2009 ICF Global Coaching Study)

  • 62% of employees at companies with strong coaching cultures rate as highly engaged. (Human Capital Institute)

  • 80% of coaching clients say that they improved their self-esteem or self-confidence thanks to coaching. (2009 ICF Global Coaching Study)

  • The median company return on investment was 700%, or seven times the initial investment. (ICF 2009)

  • There’s a 50% chance a new executive will fail or leave the organization within their first 18 months. The cause of most transition failures is not poor selection or gaps in competence, but rather what happens during onboarding and assimilation. (HBR 2017)