Hi, my name is Kristen, but most people call me Kiki.
Leadership coach, strategist, and thought partner. Here's how I got here, and how I work.
Why I Do This Work
Before founding Thrive Mind Leadership, I spent nearly a decade at Airbnb building and scaling global leadership and Learning & Development programs inside one of the fastest-moving companies in the world. That work taught me how people actually learn and change behavior, not in theory, but at scale and under real pressure. I also learned how leaders actually perform under pressure, because I was living it too.
I experienced burnout multiple times before I understood what sustainable performance really takes. That chapter rebuilt how I think about leadership, ambition, and the conditions people need to thrive, in ways no certification ever could.
It's also why I do this work.
How We Work Together
I'm not a typical coach or consultant. I won't just ask questions, and I won't just hand you answers. The real work happens in between, where we co-create the right solutions and turn them into action.
I ask the questions that surface what's actually true, name the patterns that are hard to see from the inside, and hold frameworks loosely, customizing everything to you. We work both levels at once: the internal (mindset, nervous system, beliefs) and the external (decisions, conversations, execution). And we build on the real challenge in front of you, the decision you're sitting with, the conversation you're dreading, the problem keeping you up, so you don't just solve it once, you build the capacity to solve the next one too.
Outside of Work
I'm based on California's Central Coast with my husband (a serial entrepreneur), our two boys (who remind me of the importance of play and awe in life), eight chickens, and our rescue pup, Midge, (my Chief Joy Officer).
I love nature, yoga, karaoke, neuroscience, and helping people reconnect with themselves underneath the noise. I'm deeply curious, a little neuro-spicy, and genuinely energized by the kind of honest conversations that make people feel seen, heard, and like they belong.
Because leadership is human work. And humans do their best work when they don't have to navigate it alone.