Kelly Lord Kim

Executive + Leadership coach

Coaching

Kelly coaches senior leaders in technology, creative, and nonprofit organizations—typically Sr. Directors through C-Suite.
The work begins with practical leadership challenges: managing conflict, strengthening influence, navigating transition. Through direct conversation, leaders gain clarity on the patterns that constrain their effectiveness and discover more spacious ways of working.
Clients describe the coaching as relaxed, clear, and potent—a space to think clearly, lead with confidence, and meet complexity with calm precision.### What Clients Say> “I made more progress in one session with you than I did in the 10 years prior—on the hardest relationship of my life.”
> — Director, Apple> “Your insight and ability to see patterns really works. I'm moving forward with more confidence, clarity, and a greater sense of my own value. It's like you have X-ray vision—this must be what you came to earth with.”
> — Sr. Director, Airbnb> “Kelly-Kim was the best coach I've ever worked with. She listened deeply and gave me tools to communicate more effectively, grow with intention, and be more confident.”
> — Director, Stripe> “I'm astonished by the transformation. My doctor literally saw the change—she said the resignation I carried earlier in the year has been replaced by calm. My blood pressure has improved significantly, and now she spends part of our visits asking what I've been learning from coaching.”
> — Sr. Director, Stanford University

about

Kelly is an executive coach who helps leaders navigate complexity, lead through pressure, and drive meaningful progress in their organizations. Over the past twenty-five years, she has coached hundreds of senior leaders for thousands of hours at companies like Meta, Apple, Anthropic, LinkedIn, HP, Sony, Airbnb, and Amazon.
Her presence-based approach integrates decades of contemplative practice with proven coaching methods, helping accomplished leaders move from reactivity to clarity in high-stakes moments. Rather than focusing on narrow skill development, Kelly works with the deeper leadership capacities that evolve with the leader—the ability to stay grounded under pressure, see patterns others miss, and lead with authentic authority even through uncertainty and change.
Kelly's clients come to coaching at various inflection points in their leadership journey, from subtle restlessness despite outward success to major role transitions that demand a different type of leadership. Her work helps leaders connect their everyday leadership moments to what matters most, building the internal clarity that translates into organizational impact.
Beyond her executive coaching, Kelly writes about nonduality and the lived experience of awareness in everyday life.

Bay Area, California