Testimonials

Kathleen helped me to understand how I could turn my passions into a career. In the past, my career was only about my interest in politics. It never occurred to me that I could blend my passion for youth and athletics with my political interests to create a career, I truly love.

–Leadership Connection Coaching Client

There are some people that just “get it.” Kathleen gets it, she knows she gets it, and she chooses to help other people figure themselves out. I love that about her, and respect her knowledge in human development.

– Leadership Connection Coaching Client

Kathleen’s speaking is very enlightening. Her content is very effective in developing exceptional team work. I love Kathleen’s style!

-Participant in the Program for Excellence in Municipal Management

Kathleen ‘s session is extremely useful, helpful and gives [me] breath! For our team it brought focus and clarity to past, while encouraging future prosperity.

-Washington DC Government Employee

Kathleen is an excellent speaker! I wished I could have spent more time with her!

–Recent Audience Member

Kathleen brings an excellent energy level-very knowledgeable and motivational. Her message was to the point. She is fantastic!

–Participant at speech to the Metropolitan Regional Council of Governments

Coaching

Kathleen has a unique ability to help people understand their leadership skills and how to use them effectively in the political process. Whether in the classroom, or one-one, everyone can benefit from working with her.   

-Christopher Arterton, Dean The Graduate School of Political Management at The George Washington University

Coaching helped me to reconnect with myself. It also helped me embrace who I am. I realized that I am unique and that if I allow my talents and passion to lead me, I can be very successful and happy.

-Leadership Connection Coaching Client

Coaching is a great opportunity to be selfish, to take a break from your everyday life and spend some time stepping back to look at the big picture. Everyone faces challenges in their career at some point.

Coaching is an opportunity to rediscover your passions and redirect your goals – whether they are a career change, finding more work/life balance, or learning how to be more successful in your current circumstances.

I learned a lot about myself, allowed myself to explore a few different career scenarios, and become clear about my true path. I also learned methods about how to deal with my day to day struggles at work.

Teaching

The Washington Health Foundation and its Healthiest State in the Nation Campaign greatly benefited from Kathleen’s advice and assistance. Our Campaign is aimed at fixing our flawed health system through public engagement, and we needed people who could think outside box. Kathleen nurtures and deepens innovation and helped us launch what is now the largest civic engagement project for health in our state’s history. As a somewhat introverted leader, she helped me find my leadership voice in this quest and I am personally grateful.

-Greg Vigdor, Executive Director, The Washington Health Foundation

Often people are too close to their own organizations, their own lives and their communities to see some of the blockages in front of their progress. Kathleen brings experience to see what’s really going on, and offers you choices in how to get out of the ruts and move on with the leadership that you know lives beneath these ruts in which you are stuck.

-  Cathy Allen, President, The Connections Group

I learned a lot about myself, allowed myself to explore a few different career scenarios, and become clear about my true path. I also learned methods about how to deal with my day-to-day struggles at work.

Speaking

Kathleen Schafer brings passion and holistic solutions to her clients, and challenges her clients to resist the status-quo. Her leadership training and focus on work-life balance are the next big frontier for leaders in politics, corporate America, and non-profit executives.

- Richard P. Virgin, Fundraising Executive, Washington, DC.

What’s special about Kathleen

Kathleen has great insight about people. She is very good at reading people and helping individuals find the tools to reveal things that they may not realize about themselves. She doesn’t tell you what to do. She guides you and provides you with methods for introspection and better self-awareness. I believe that’s what a good coach should do.

Kathleen’s style is very organic. She has an eye for what you’re trying to hide – she draws out from you the goals you didn’t know were there. She is so familiar with her indicators that she can identify strengths, penchants, hardships, challenges, etc. all from how you’ve been adjudicated.

Kathleen’s style is warm, welcoming, and personal. First she makes you feel comfortable and is open to any ideas or thoughts that you would like to share. However, more importantly, her coaching is personal. You never feel like what she is telling you or the activities that she asks you to do are the same for the other individuals that she is coaching. She really takes the time to listen and to understand the goals that you have and helps you strategize ways to accomplish them.

I have found a new job that combines both my interest in politics as well as my interest in community organizing and working with youth. Prof. Schafer definitely helped me to get where I am today. She taught me how to present my strengths and my passions in a way that would be appealing to potential employers but also in a way that would stay true to myself and truly illustrate my strengths. She also helped me to see that even though I would be entering a new industry where I had no or very little experience that did not mean that I would necessarily have to start at the bottom of the organization and work my way up. Instead, she taught me how to find a position within an organization that would allow me to use my strengths and that would maximize my contributions to the organization.