Kirsten Blakemore is a leadership coach and author who turned personal pain into purpose. After leaving toxic corporate environments and losing a colleague to work-related stress, she pivoted from corporate leadership to coaching, helping individuals and teams build healthier cultures. Her work—spanning sectors from nuclear energy to tech—centers on human-first leadership and practical tools for women navigating workplaces. We’re featuring Kirsten for her deep commitment to creating mentally and emotionally sustainable leadership practices that can inspire our 5M+ Humans of Fuzia community.
Q: What inspired you to start your journey into coaching and leadership?
Kirsten: I was shaped by early exposure to chaotic workplace cultures and later by a personal tragedy: a friend in my company took his life, citing work stress. That experience revealed how little companies sometimes do to support people. I wanted to change that—help people and cultures be healthier and more functional so others don’t suffer the same fate. That pushed me to pursue coaching, and eventually to support leaders across industries in building healthier environments.
Q: How did your career path evolve after that turning point?
Kirsten: I started in a talent agency in Hollywood, then moved through sales and into clinical affairs. I eventually left corporate and focused on coaching—working with everyone from frontline staff to C-suite executives across sectors like banking and beauty. I’ve been a solo practitioner and now work with a team of coaches. My writing—Unleash Your Power for Women and The Intentional Leader—grew from the real challenges I faced and saw in others.
Q: You’ve worked with many types of organisations. What common patterns did you notice?
Kirsten: Regardless of industry complexity, the common denominator is human: how people cope, the patterns of behavior, and the mental load we carry. Whether it’s mergers, regulatory pressure, or growth, the human condition shows up the same way. Helping people develop skills to cope, communicate, and lead well is what moves the needle.
Q: What led you to write Unleash Your Power for Women?
Kirsten: I struggled in leadership teams that often didn’t see women’s value—sometimes I felt like a token hire. As a single mom who needed to keep working, I had to figure out how to survive and thrive in less-than-ideal environments. I wrote tools for women to cope and navigate those realities—practical strategies for how to get through tough situations without losing yourself.
Q: Tell us about The Intentional Leader and why it resonated with people.
Kirsten: The Intentional Leader is geared to new people leaders—those who are promoted for their skills but suddenly must manage people. It became a LinkedIn Learning course because there’s a real need for a playbook: how to align, communicate, and collaborate so teams move together in the same direction. The uptake showed me that many leaders want guidance on how to lead with intention.
Q: What are your thoughts on women in leadership today?
Kirsten: Women bring essential perspectives and we miss out when they’re absent. Mimicking male styles isn’t the answer—authentic leadership matters. Women should lead from their own strengths: lead with grace and strength. That authenticity is what creates lasting, effective leadership.
Q: What is your message to future women leaders and entrepreneurs?
Kirsten: We’re in a unique moment after the pandemic; expectations and work models have shifted. Don’t be afraid to ask for help—coaching, therapy, mentors, friends—so you can process what’s working and what’s draining you. Learn to ask for what you want and need. Keep showing up and find what resonates with your energy. We need your voice.
Q: What does success look like to you—professionally and personally?
Kirsten: Success is leaving a legacy of what it means to be a healthy leader. That isn’t about title; it’s about modeling mental, physical, and emotional health—doing the inner work so future generations see what a healthy person in business looks like.
“Lead with grace and strength—do the inner work so you can be the healthy leader the next generation needs.”
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