Beyond Midwest Nice: My Journey Into Courageous Leadership

About Me

I’m Katrina, a leadership coach who helps people grow the skills and confidence to make a bigger impact in their work, teams, and organizations.

My path here hasn't been a straight line. I didn’t set out to become a leadership coach, although I've been a people leader in leadership roles starting with my first job after graduating from college. I guess you could say I was meant to be a leader, but I consider myself to be a student first. So each of my professional experiences has been an opportunity to teach me more about the art of leadership.

For nearly 20 years I worked in education and along the way I realized something important... you don’t become a more impactful leader by accident. It requires caring deeply about your people and being courageous enough to have meaningful, and often radically honest conversations with them to help them grow.

I found that the key to leading others is to first learn how to better lead myself. So I started working on increasing my own self awareness, understanding my underlying motivations for the things I was doing, noticing where I felt stuck and where I avoided difficult conversations, where I softened the truth to keep the peace, and where I let self-doubt or overthinking keep me from taking the next step. Through this I realized that the best way forward was to be radically honest with myself.

I began doing the work I now teach others to do.

I strengthened my self-awareness.

I clarified my goals.

I learned to ask for feedback and accept it as a tool for my growth.

I practiced giving honest feedback in ways that built trust, not tension.

I developed the courage to speak up, set boundaries, and make decisions even when I didn’t have all the answers.

I studied leadership, psychology, and communication.

I earned my Master’s degree in school counseling.

I coached leaders and became a trusted mentor in my district.

And slowly I started to understand what real leadership looks like, not the performative, title-driven version, but the grounded, human version that creates real change.

Leadership is being honest about where you’re strong and where you need to grow.

Leadership is being willing to look at your mindset, your blind spots, your fears and motivations, your habits, and your impact.

Leadership is creating a culture where people feel safe to strive, stretch, make mistakes, get feedback, try again, and succeed.

Leadership is choosing courage over comfort, again and again.

Leadership is showing up for people in ways that help them lead more boldly too.

These beliefs now shape how I coach.

Today, I help leaders develop the clarity, confidence, and communication skills to lead themselves and their teams with more impact. Whether you’re growing in your current role, preparing for what’s next, or trying to build a healthier culture on your team, leadership skills are the lever that moves everything forward.

My approach is practical, honest, and human-first. We focus on small, sustainable changes: the conversations you’ve been avoiding, the feedback you need to receive or give, the habits holding you back, the stories you believe that are getting in your way, and the small steps you need to take to strengthen your leadership presence.

Because when you communicate clearly, lead with courage, and support your people in meaningful ways, you don’t just do your job better, you make work better for everyone around you.

And that’s the kind of leadership your people and your organization are waiting for.

Let’s work together and help you become the leader you wish you had.