Hello, I’m Kimberley Young

I am an Executive and Leadership Coach, trainer, facilitator, and mentor who helps individuals and teams find clarity, purpose, and courage in times of growth and transition. With over 22 years of federal civil service, including 19 years in leadership, I bring both practical experience and deep empathy to my coaching and consulting work. My clients come from the government, education, healthcare, and private sectors, and share a common desire to lead with authenticity, compassion, and confidence.

My work is grounded in emotional intelligence, Positive Intelligence®, change management, and organizational health, supported by tools such as Motivators®, Everything DiSC®, and The Five Behaviors®. I specialize in helping leaders and teams strengthen relationships, navigate challenges, and prepare for what’s next, whether that’s a new role, a major shift, or a thoughtful succession.

In addition to my leadership work, I serve as a hospice volunteer, end-of-life planning coach, and death doula. These experiences have deeply shaped how I view leadership, legacy, and life itself as interconnected parts of the same human journey. My end-of-life and legacy coaching invites people to live with intention, plan with care, and align who they are with what they leave behind.

At my core, I believe that growth begins when we face what feels unclear or uncomfortable. I help people embrace the muck to get unstuck, to live their best life now, with clarity, confidence, and compassion.

The Heart Behind Three Ponds

I grew up as a middle child, learning early how to listen, adapt, and bring people together. Helping others has always come naturally to me. From a young age, I found purpose in supporting people through their challenges, offering perspective and encouragement when life felt uncertain. Those early experiences became the foundation of my life’s work: helping others find clarity, courage, and confidence in their own stories.

I’ve been happily married for 29 years to a wonderful man, and after 15 years together, we intentionally chose to welcome a child into our lives. This decision has continued to remind me of the importance of patience, perspective, and purposeful living. Across every season of life, I’ve learned that growth isn’t always neat or easy, but it’s always possible.

Service and connection are at the core of who I am. I volunteer with veteran support projects and in hospice care, experiences that continually ground me in empathy, gratitude, and the power of presence.

Each day offers a new opportunity to live fully and with intention. When I’m not working, you’ll often find me spending time with family and friends, reading, learning, exploring new places, or “ponding,” reflecting by the water, where calm and creativity meet. That quiet time keeps me grounded and reminds me of what matters most: connection, curiosity, and gratitude for the life we have right now.

Why all the muck and mud?

Several years ago, my family and I bought 12 acres of land, an outdated house, and three hidden gems: three spring-fed ponds. I did not know then that these ponds would teach me so much about myself and life and inspire my coaching practice. 

After we closed on the home, I decided to take a trip to see these hidden gems. Thoughts of beautiful ponds danced in my head. As I walked down the hill and saw the ponds, I was met with trash, debris, and lots and lots and lots of muck. Muck is a foul-smelling sludge that forms from decaying organic matter. It had accumulated over fifteen years, and I had no experience with ponds or muck, but I was determined to clean them up. 

I watched YouTube videos, bought tools, and attempted to research the proper methods to clean out spring-fed ponds. I got my waders on and dove into the ponds, removing the sticks, trash, leaves, and muck. I used pumps, hay walls, buckets, shovels, rakes, nets, and anything I could get my hands on. It took me over two years to get the ponds in good enough shape. 

You may wonder what ponding has to do with coaching.

For nearly two decades as a government leader, I thought I’d stay the course, moving steadily toward the Senior Executive Service. I had worked hard, built a good life, and taken pride in leading others. But over time, I began to feel something was missing. I loved developing people and the coaching I was authorized to do, yet I longed for more freedom to create, connect, and help others in a deeper way.

What I didn’t realize then was that my own muck, the expectations, responsibilities, and stories I carried, was keeping me stuck.

What if, for you, the muck represents the many layers of your life?
The experiences, relationships, losses, and lessons that shape you.
What if the muck isn’t something to avoid or clean away, but something to explore?

We often try to discard the messy parts of our stories, but what if we simply paused to reflect? What if we sat with the muck, the disappointments, the doubts, the parts of ourselves we’d rather hide and saw them as part of our becoming? The muck is not the problem; it’s the path.

Each pond is unique, just like every person. Its depth, history, and what lies beneath make it what it is. When tended with care, the muck that once weighed the pond down can become fertile fuel for new growth and transformation.

So I invite you to explore your own pond. To look beneath the surface and find what’s waiting to emerge. Because when you embrace the muck to get unstuck, you create the space to live and lead with clarity, confidence, and compassion.

My Credentials

Previous Work

I spent over 22 years working in the personnel security field, primarily for the same organization. Although I enjoyed being a leader for 19 years and held positions such as Special Agent, Supervisory Agent in Charge, Deputy Program Manager, Branch Chief, Deputy Assistant Inspector General, and Deputy Inspector General, I left before the typical 30-year retirement. My decision to leave federal service was due to my desire to prioritize my life over my job. For the last 14 years, I worked within the Integrity Assurance / Inspector General field. However, I eventually left that role because it did not allow me to pursue my passion despite having a respected and prestigious title.

Education

  • MJA / Norwich University/ Master’s in Justice Administration

  • BS / UMUC  (Now UMGC) / Behavioral Studies/Psychology  

  • Federal Internal Coach, Federal Internal Coach Training Program

  • PCC Coach / 1000 plus hours

  • Registered ICF Mentor Coach

  • ICF PCC Marker Trained  

  • Reconnecting Workspaces Certified Coach

  • Advanced Group & Team Coach

  • Group Coaching Essential Coach

  • From Grief to Gratitude Certified Coach

  • Trauma-Informed Certified Coach

  • Positive Intelligence Coach

  • Certified Everything DiSC® Practitioner

  • Certified Five Behaviors® Practitioner

  • Certified ADHD Career Strategist

  • Certified Confidence Coach

  • Certified Motivator Assessment Coach

  • Going with Grace Death Doula and End of Life Planner

Testimonial

“Kimberley is a fantastic coach that always knows the right questions to ask to open my eyes to a new way of looking a problem. She’s coached me through some very difficult times at work when I was tempted to give up and settle for mediocrity, but, I didn’t want to let her or myself down and pushed through. Now, when faced with a tough situation, I ask myself “what questions would Kimberley ask”, and it helps lead me down the right path.”