Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Krystle Rogers. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Krystle, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents played a crucial role in shaping my entrepreneurial journey. My mother, June Perry-Stevens, instilled in me business acumen by involving me in her non-profit organization, New Concept Self Development Center. I grew up observing her work, and after college, I worked as a social worker for the organization. Her example, along with the deep-rooted entrepreneurial spirit from my maternal family history, empowered me to take risks and confidently pursue my ventures.

My father, with his long-standing career as an accountant and business economics teacher, taught me the importance of financial literacy, communication, and commitment. These lessons have been instrumental in my entrepreneurial success, providing me with the skills to manage resources effectively and communicate clearly.

Together, these influences from my parents have equipped me with the knowledge, confidence, and skills needed to co-own Best Ed Business with my mother and run Martin Perry, my coaching, consulting, and training firm.

Fun fact about the name of my parent company, Martin Perry Consulting and Training is that the name is my mother’s maiden name (Martin) and my maiden name from my father’s side (Perry).

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I’ve always been told that I’m easy to talk to, but it wasn’t until I was in my graduate program at Alverno College that I truly recognized the value of that compliment. Initially, I planned to become a therapist after earning my Bachelor of Science in Psychology. I spent about 10 years working—first as a program manager at New Concept Self Development Center, the non-profit my mother started, and later as a claims adjudicator for the United States Veterans Administration.

During that time, I finally found the confidence to return to school for a graduate degree. It wasn’t easy, especially after being told that my 2.9 GPA wasn’t good enough to even apply for a graduate program. I was actually discouraged by someone from the admissions office, which led me to pursue a well-paying job instead of continuing my education at that point. A friend helped me get a job that paid well, but it wasn’t aligned with my values, and after 7 years of frustration and a pending EEOC claim for discrimination, I quit.

The decision to leave wasn’t just about the job—it was my mother’s advice that truly pushed me forward. She saw how miserable I was and told me that if I hated my job, I essentially hated my life because of how much time I spent there. Her words were the support I needed to quit, even though it meant giving up great income and benefits.

I then took a job at Froedtert Hospital as an ER registrar, a role that paid significantly less but was life-changing. I witnessed countless life-altering events that made me realize the importance of how we spend our time. This experience shifted my perspective and eventually led me back to pursuing a meaningful career.

While working in the ER, I met someone who connected me to an opportunity at Northwestern Mutual, where I supported DE&I initiatives as a project manager. During this time, I decided to give my graduate degree another shot. However, a year into the program, I realized I didn’t want to be a therapist. I was more interested in helping people move forward, not just addressing the root causes of their issues. My guidance counselor helped me find a more aligned focus in adult learning and organizational development.

After completing my graduate program, I moved into learning and organizational development work for a non-profit, Community Care Inc. I also worked with a coach at Northwestern Mutual, who became my mentor and is still my coach today. I eventually earned my coaching certification, which aligned perfectly with my forward-thinking and goal-oriented approach.

My career took a sharp turn when I left the non-profit sector to join a small wealth management firm. Although I believed in their mission and values, the company was too new to fully embody them, and we parted ways. This allowed me to scale my consulting business, Martin Perry Consulting and Training, to include a coaching arm.

Today, I am a dual entrepreneur. I co-own Best Ed Business, the company my mother started, and run Martin Perry Consulting and Training. The latter includes Kinetic Coaching, where I primarily serve women who need support, structure, and facilitation to reach their full potential through my Accelerated Transformation Institute. For the past 6 years, I’ve had the privilege of coaching women to achieve more than they ever imagined, and I love every moment of it.

My story is one of resilience, continuous growth, and a deep commitment to helping others. What sets me apart is my ability to blend my personal experiences with professional expertise, offering clients not just solutions, but a partnership in their journey towards success. Whether through coaching, consulting, or training, my goal is to empower individuals and organizations to live, work, and play intentionally.

Any advice for managing a team?

Given my background in organizational leadership and development, this question resonates deeply with me. My personal experience as an employee across corporate, non-profit, and government sectors provides me with a unique perspective that I am fortunate to have, and it greatly contributes to how I support my clients today.

Reflecting on the words my mother shared with me before I decided to leave my government agency role—”If you hate your job, you hate your life”—I firmly believe that leaders must first look inward. They need to continuously discover and understand who they are and whether they align with the company they serve. For entrepreneurs, this is crucial because your company brand should closely align with your personal values. Having this awareness allows you to maintain authenticity when making decisions that will turn into initiatives your team will be asked to execute. If a leader’s attitude toward an initiative is perceived as contradictory to the mission of the organization, it can silently (or sometimes loudly) give permission to teams to disengage and ultimately fail to achieve success. Leaders must be seen as authentic champions of the organization’s goals.

Next, it’s vital to communicate clearly and consistently. Teams appreciate and need the information required to be part of the solutions they are expected to execute. I often share the phrase, “What you do for me, without including me, you do to me.” People are human, and remembering that is important. No one—whether it’s kids, spouses, or employees—likes to be told what to do. When you include people in the design process and ask for their help in building, even if you don’t go with their suggestion, they feel part of the creation, and people protect what they create.

Leaders should also set clear expectations. Employees need to know what they are being asked to do so they can fairly attempt to hit the mark. However, leaders must be careful to delegate and then trust their employees to do the job, even if it’s not done exactly as they would do it themselves. Stay focused on the outcomes. Leaders should be available to help with impediments, be informed of risks, or provide resources as needed—anything beyond that feels like micro-management.

Recognition and reward are also crucial. From a leadership perspective, your team should be better than you, and you should be proud of that and recognize it. If the leader is the smartest and best in the room, it means they have a weak team. Conflicts should be addressed and resolved quickly, but in a way that empowers employees to manage conflicts on their own when possible. Encourage innovation and creativity while keeping the expectations of outcomes at the forefront. When creativity risks missing the mark, communicate with the team and remind them of the vision. It’s easy to allow scope to creep and projects to evolve into something that could be great, but totally misses the intended target. Growth should be celebrated when we hit the target and achieve more, not when we miss the target and achieve something else great. Movement does not equal progress. Team leaders should be setting ambitious goals and monitoring whether progress is actually being made quarter after quarter.

Lastly, when building a team, a leader’s role is to know. Develop a rapport with your team that makes them feel comfortable to include you and share everything you need to know to support them in being successful. Know your team as individuals first so that you know who can help whom. One of the most difficult transitions I help leaders through is when emerging leaders are promoted—they are moving from being part of the water cooler conversations to no longer being included because they are seen as policing employee activities. Office gossip is no longer shared. As such, a leader, especially one who is moving from peer to leader, will have a difficult time impacting the culture in a way that doesn’t make them seem like a sellout, which can negatively impact morale.

My advice to those within organizations is to be intentional about how they see themselves within the company long-term. If leadership is your vision and you aspire to one day manage a team or maintain morale among those who are currently your peers, remember that when peers come to you to complain about work, act in a way that will make your transition into leadership smoother. Reinforce the desired culture being encouraged by leadership so that it is not seen as inauthentic when one day you are asked to lead the initiatives that those who feel comfortable enough to complain about to you today.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

I allocate a portion of my marketing budget to pay an assistant who manages my social media presence and creates eye-catching graphics to help people notice who I am, what I do, and where they can find me. However, the most effective strategy for growing my clientele as a coach and consultant has been building authentic and meaningful relationships. My first clients were friends and friends of those friends, who I charged $40.00 per session while I was earning my coaching certification. To this day, I maintain a strong relationship with my manager from Northwestern Mutual. The same goes for both of my managers from Community Care Inc., where I still do contract work.

As a coach, I don’t turn it off. I am constantly listening as a coach, and if asked, I offer my perspective from that point of view because that’s who I am. If the creator of Chick-fil-A made you a chicken sandwich at their home, and they said, “Hey, I really want lunch and have a taste for chicken,” I doubt they’d make a poorly tasting sandwich. Similarly, I don’t turn off my well-trained ears or choose a mediocre response when, as a certified coach, I could say something truly impactful—even if I’m not being paid for it at that moment.

Because of this, my strategy is to do things I already enjoy with new and old friends who eventually seek my services or, at the very least, refer me to someone they know who needs my services. Word of mouth and meaningful relationships have been the most effective strategies for growing my clientele.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://coachkrystle.com
• Instagram: @_kineticcoaching
• Facebook: Kinetic Coaching
• Linkedin: Krystle Rogers, M. Ed, ACC
• Twitter: @KrystleRog67517
• Youtube: @CoachKrystleRogers

Image Credits

MoGee Photography is who took my photos both professionally edited. the photo of my mother me was from the Bucks, when we were honored for their women’s empowerment night. We were honored by BMO and the Bucks.