Why do I coach?

I never planned to be a career coach. It started in early 2018 with a blank page, a pen, and an idea to start a career blog — a choice that would change everything. As someone who picked up a pen and loved to write from an early age, I felt a pull to share my experiences navigating the corporate world — how I overcame burnout, advocated for myself, and made my own career moves that aligned with my aspirations. That pull became The Lipstick & Ink® Blog: a space designed to empower women with honest career advice, practical resources, and real stories about the challenges and triumphs of corporate life. I shared the guidance I wished someone had handed me a clear roadmap for. I was doing that work while fully embedded in corporate, living the portfolio career while writing about it. Lipstick & Ink® began as a creative outlet, but it quickly grew into something more. Over time, the blog evolved into events, career resources, resume services, and eventually coaching. Each step felt like a natural extension of the one before it. I followed the nudges, thought bigger, and ultimately built a business rooted in the same belief that started it all: you deserve a career that feels aligned with who you are and how you hope to grow. Simultaneously, I continued to author my own story, my corporate background shaping everything I built. I shifted into workforce development and started to see up close the disconnect between organizational strategy and individual career reality. I became the person in my organization actively working to close that space, putting the focus on the individual career growth, which increased employee sentiment in measurable ways and reinforced that this problem is solvable. Today, Kelly Nash & Co. sits at the intersection of individual career coaching and organizational development. For individuals, I bring 15+ years of corporate experience that's equal parts coaching and strategy. I help mid-career high achievers get clear on who they are, rebuild their story from the inside out, and write their next chapter with intention. For organizations, I bring that same framework to workforce and employee development. When people understand their own career story, they show up differently. They engage more fully, advocate for themselves more clearly, and contribute more confidently. The throughline is Career Authorship™ — the belief that high-achieving professionals have both the right and the responsibility to take intentional ownership of their career story.

Work Experience

Career Coach

Supermums

April 2024 - August 2024

• Empowered over 150 Supermums trainees and community members to develop their careers within the Salesforce ecosystem • Led session for Supermums' Ambitious Women's Mindset Summit, speaking to over 50 attendees on the topic of imposter syndrome • Ideated, hosted, and co-led 5 group coaching sessions over 3 months, impacting up to 30 trainees per session • Provided 1:1 coaching clients with guidance and direction to achieving career clarity and boosting their personal brand Job Coaching, Career Development Coaching and +3 skills

Workforce Development Lead

Salesforce

January 2023 - May 2026

Led the design, development, and execution of global, organization-wide initiatives for 9K+ employees in Customer Success that cultivated a strong culture that inspired career growth and boosted overall engagement. • Ideated and led 4-part Career Development Learning Series (June–August 2025) to support the organization's workforce redeployment initiative, drawing 3,300+ attendees with 79% rating it 5/5 • Designed, launched, and scaled the AI Career Accelerator Series independently, reaching 1,600+ participants with a 97% satisfaction rating • Supported role rationalization and change management for a unified Customer Success Manager role, consulting on the career transition strategy and internal communications framework that guided 2K+ affected employees through the redesign, impacting 40%+ of the organization • Created and launched the Career Spotlight Series (April 2025), a video-based employee storytelling program that accrued 31,000+ views and a 24% engagement rate above industry benchmark, featured weekly in the company-wide newsletter reaching 75K+ employees and highlighted in an external company blog • Launched the first-ever Customer Success Recognition & Rewards program within the first two months in role, reaching 17K+ employees combined after replication across the Sales division, driving 9K+ FY25 Q4 submissions (34% YoY increase) and 95% of employees feeling valued • Scaled the Career Circles group mentorship program to its largest iteration, growing to 146 active circles (85% YoY increase), matching 1K+ mentees annually, and hosting quarterly leadership events • Constructed the Career Canvas, a centralized hub consolidating career resources and programs, successfully influencing its integration into onboarding materials for new hires • Served as a named point of contact for the organization’s annual strategic planning priorities, presenting program outcomes directly to the top executives and influencing the organizational career development agenda

Women's Network Talent Development Chair

Salesforce

March 2022 - February 2024

• Led SWN Chicago’s Talent Development, enabling over 800 women how to cultivate their careers in partnership with Salesforce’s Career Development leaders to ensure a positive culture and employee experience • Executed career pilot in partnership with Salesforce’s corporate Career Development Team, creating and presenting content to over 250 women on topics pertaining to personal branding and internal job searching in November 2022 Career Development, Leadership and +2 skills

Internal Coach

Salesforce

December 2021 - March 2026

• Provided 1:1 coaching to leaders and high-performing individual contributors as part of Salesforce's Talent Experience-sponsored internal coaching program • Grew inspired individuals and teams through the facilitation of key high-impact teaming activities, impacting over 5,000 employees

Career Alignment Coach

Kelly Nash & CO.

March 2020 - Present

Kelly Nash & Co. is a Chicago-based career alignment and workforce development practice serving two audiences: the mid-career high achievers building careers rooted in clarity and alignment, and the HR, L&D, and executive leaders building the workforce development infrastructure their organizations need to retain and grow them. The practice is built on Career Authorship™, a philosophy built on the belief that high achieving professionals have both the right and the responsibility to take intentional authorship of their career story — and that the strongest organizations are the ones actively supporting them to do it. My coaching engagements focus on career clarity, identity, and strategic transition. My consulting engagements are built in partnership with HR, L&D, and executive leaders. Together, we work on workforce development infrastructure, change management, and employee development programs. My work is grounded in organizational research, structured stakeholder interviews, and over a decade of watching careers unfold from the inside. My clients have landed roles at Google, LinkedIn, HubSpot, Boeing, and more. My work has been featured by General Assembly, the International Association of Women, and Thrive Global. I publish The Career Script, a weekly newsletter for mid-career professionals writing their next chapter.

#IamRemarkable Facilitator

#IamRemarkable

September 2019 - Present

#IamRemarkable is an initiative empowering women and underrepresented groups to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond. As a facilitator, I host workshops and am an ambassador for #IamRemarkable within my professional and personal networks. To learn more and join the initiative, head to g.co/IamRemarkable.

Founder & Writer

Lipstick & Ink

January 2018 - Present

Lipstick & Ink® LLC provides comprehensive career blog content and resources, dynamic events, and curated e-commerce offerings. L&I® guides women to own their power and make their mark so they unlock their potential, assert their influence, and leave a lasting impact. Its mission is to empower high-achieving early to mid-career female professionals to be their most authentic selves and best advocates in the workplace and beyond. • Thoughtfully create career content for a combined audience of 6K+ followers and 10K+ site visitors per year • Create and host branded events for female professionals to network and learn career development strategies • Pitch sponsorship opportunities and work with brands including Athleta, Tiesta Tea, & Boxed Water

Education

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Bachelor of Science, Advertising

2007 - 2011

Activities and societies: American Advertising Federation, National Student Advertising Competition, Chi Omega Sorority, Illini Media, Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society, Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society, National Society of Collegiate Scholars

Kelly was also personally admitted to

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  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

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  Augustana College (IL)

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  Illinois State University