Good Neighbor Podcast: Auburn and Opelika

Ep.#57: Following Her Calling: Kristen Reeder's Journey from HR Director to Leadership Coach with Legacy Leadership Coaching

• Susannah Hodges at Village Centre Press

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Ever wondered what it takes to leave a secure job and follow your passion? This episode features an inspiring conversation with Kristen Reeder from Legacy Leadership Coaching, who did just that. Kristen shares her remarkable journey from her role as HR Director for the city of Auburn to launching her own leadership and HR consulting business. Driven by faith and a commitment to community needs, Kristen's story will resonate deeply with entrepreneurs and anyone contemplating a significant career change. Learn about her extensive HR background, her valuable John Maxwell certification, and the array of services she offers to small businesses. Kristen's experience underscores the importance of support and community when making life-altering decisions.

Think leadership is just for those with fancy titles? Think again. Kristen and I debunk common myths about leadership, emphasizing that it's about influence, not position. Even introverts can impact thousands through their daily interactions. You'll also hear personal stories, including a nostalgic trip to Universal Studios that fulfilled a childhood dream, and a pivotal moment in my career when I took on a leadership role without formal qualifications. This episode highlights the transformative power of leadership coaching for everyone, not just those at the top, and encourages listeners to overcome self-limiting beliefs to unlock their true potential. Don't miss this enlightening and motivating discussion!

Speaker 1:

This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Susanna Hodges.

Speaker 2:

Welcome and with me today is Kristen Reeder. She is with Legacy Leadership Coaching. Welcome, kristen.

Speaker 3:

Thank you so much for having me, susanna, I'm so excited.

Speaker 2:

Kristen. Thank you so much for having me. Suzanne, I'm so excited. Well, this is a fun thing that I do to help people tell their stories about their business and who they are, and I'm excited to have you with us today. So tell me about legacy leadership coaching.

Speaker 3:

Oh, I would love to tell you about it. So it has been such a blessing for me, and so I have a lot of people say they love leadership, and they absolutely do. I love to study it, though, too, and it's just a natural part of my HR background because it's about people, and so, over the years I've studied it, I've got my John Maxwell certification. I don't know if you've heard of him before.

Speaker 2:

I have Absolutely.

Speaker 3:

Yes, most people have, so through him, I get access to a lot of his content as well as can develop my own.

Speaker 3:

So one of the things I do is provide leadership development for opportunities, and so, whether you're a supervisor and you want to do a staff development thing, or you're having a conference and you need a speaker, I love to be able to do those, and through that I've found the niche for coaching as well, because it's interesting, susanna, and we've all been there. Right, you feel like you're on that wheel. Yes, you know you need to change something, but have no idea how to do it, and so I have benefited so many times from people coming alongside me and just asking me questions that made me realize things that were right in front of my face the whole time, and so, as a coach, I get to do that for people, and so, whether it's a young leader starting out or somebody looking how to prepare themselves for a job, any of those things I love to do. And then, of course, the final pillar of my company is the HR consulting piece. I've had the privilege of being in HR for about 25 years now, and boy have I learned a thing, or?

Speaker 3:

two about it, because it's people.

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

And I have spent the last 10 years in the HR department for the city of Auburn and it was interesting because I think, because of the nature of working at the city, small businesses sometimes would ask me questions about it. Right, because you're a small business owner, did you go into business wanting to do HR?

Speaker 2:

Not necessarily no, but it's part of your life, isn't it?

Speaker 3:

It is because it's people, and as your business grows, you add people to it, and so they would call and ask me questions, and I loved being able to serve them in that way. Because, let me tell you, if there's one thing I know, small businesses are the heartbeat of this community. Like we are, a lot of what we are because of people like you who take time to serve and love and bring awareness, and so if I can help them navigate those HR things, then what an honor to be able to do that, and so that's what I do. They can contact me hiring separations, the really not fun part of things, you know just anything culture, questions that they need.

Speaker 2:

So, you know, small businesses, especially the owners, tend to wear several hats, you know, and so sometimes we do need some help in those areas when we don't necessarily have someone in place to handle it for us and it ends up, you know, landing in our lap. So, yeah, absolutely so. You talked about being in the HR. You know world with the city. What brought you to start your own business? What is your background and your journey to legacy leadership coaching?

Speaker 3:

So I am a person of faith, so my faith is part of the journey story and it's just one of those things that God kept showing me needs, right, and I looked around our community and I talked to the chambers and at the time there wasn't anybody that had that mix of like the leadership development part and the HR hat, because they so often go hand in hand. Right, you want to develop your people, you've got to develop their leadership skills, and so I can. It's a funny story. I can remember my sweet husband and I were in church and our pastor was just saying I never want to get to heaven and have God look at me and say I had so much more for you. If only you had.

Speaker 3:

Because, susanna, my job. I loved being HR director for the city of Auburn. I had worked my entire career to get to that position, but it just was something that I began to feel, a calling to do something else. And so we're in church that day so that I don't digress too much. And I remember him saying that and I remember just thinking this is it Like I'm? I just turned 50. Now's the time to do this.

Speaker 3:

And so I reached over and started, squeezed my sweet husband's case, casey's hand, and you know I can remember him smiling and I thought to myself he has no idea, I'm about to tell him that I'm going to put my well-paying job yes, yay. But that is what I did. And look, I could not have made the transition without amazing supportive people in my life that had just poured into me, and it is only because of my time and the network that I've been able to build in the community that I was able to take the step to do it. But it's been. It's you know, other than my family. It's the joy of my life because it brought me to meet somebody like you that I may never have met otherwise.

Speaker 2:

That's right, and your story is so true for a lot of people and it's true for me, you know, having coming from a corporate world, jumping off that cliff to do something that was just me and that I generated. It is very scary, but there's, it seems to be, in most people's lives. There is that that time, and it really is like you said you just make the decision one day, just boop, I am done with this, I am going to do something else, and and I'm going to work for myself. And it's an amazing process that most people go through.

Speaker 3:

It. You are so right, and it's so. You know, one of the things I teach about in with leadership is that, in order to grow, sometimes that means changing your environment. And so it's not that I loved my job. There was nothing wrong, nobody did Right. Yes, it's just a direction change. But to your point? Fear, fear.

Speaker 3:

Oh yeah, and do you remember like what it was? Did you just have to decide to do it, or was there something that caused you to be like all right, well, there's yeah, there's something that gets, grabs your attention and makes you start to think in that direction and then you start.

Speaker 2:

you know the research. Can I do it? What would happen if I did do it? You said a little bit. I mean, it doesn't happen one day to the next, but there is like a pivotal moment when you decide I am going to work toward this change, and it's usually a desire to have more control over your life, really more ability, really you're, you're. You're moving from someone over you to you being the one in control, and that is a massive change. In the corporate world, there tends to be a lot of negativity, so I was trying to escape negativity. So now the only negativity I experienced comes from my own head, right, no one else. And it's amazing what you learn about yourself, isn't it? When you make those changes. You're like you know, I've learned so much about myself, moving into business for myself, and that's one of the reasons I do this podcast is to encourage other people who have stepped out from working for someone else to working for yourself and give them some encouragement in the process, right?

Speaker 3:

It's all about. That is what it's all about. In fact, Eloise design company did my branding and everything.

Speaker 2:

Love her. She helps me with mine too.

Speaker 3:

Yes, Look the audience. If you, they are your people, they are fabulous and it's just. It's like she got me.

Speaker 3:

But I remember when we were talking, we just kept coming back to that phrase. I just want to be the person. I want to be that person that somebody turns to when they're debating. To your point, do I take this leap? If I take it, what does it look like? Because we tend to, especially with social media now, we tend to just like turn inward when we have these decisions or things, but it's our community that you actually need to reach out to. So to help you figure out the time of it.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 3:

One of my favorite things to teach, too, is reflection right, Because when you make these things and I'm sure did it go exactly according to plan when you thought about doing it.

Speaker 2:

No, it doesn't, it never does it, kind of you have to be flexible and move with the things that make you move. You have to plan you absolutely do but you also have to be flexible and make the changes that you need to make, that that just pop up out of nowhere, yeah and so, yeah, absolutely, it doesn't go according to plan, but you do have a plan, right.

Speaker 3:

I love that. That is so good, and so I teach too right that you can. It's my three favorite reflection questions what went right, what went wrong and what would you do differently? Because you, when you take leaps like this and let me be clear you've got to do them in your life. Now to your point plan for them. You know, I didn't just decide that one day and then the next day do it.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 3:

Exactly. Yes, You've got to be smart about it, but it is to your point. And it doesn't always work out for everyone, but you know I've been fortunate.

Speaker 2:

So tell me a little bit about you've started your business here and you have a background in what you're doing. Have you run across any myths or misconceptions that people have about leadership coaching in general?

Speaker 3:

So one of my. So if you study John Maxwell at all, the way that he defines leadership is leadership is influence, it's not some title or position. And I think in this world today we're so driven to succeed right, and you look at things and what's the next step? And I'm a product of that. In my career I went from this to this till I hit this title.

Speaker 2:

Uh huh.

Speaker 3:

But the truth of the matter is I, that everyone is a leader. We all influence people. There's a stat that I ran across that even introverts so the most reserved, most non-social tend to impact 10,000 people, I think, in a year or two years.

Speaker 2:

it was oh my goodness.

Speaker 3:

Susanna, think about it. It's you at the grocery store when you greet or smile at somebody, and so there's this myth.

Speaker 2:

All those interactions.

Speaker 3:

Yes, yeah, I'm sorry.

Speaker 3:

I get so excited about this because I just would love for people to understand Leadership. Is not that somebody that's way high up. I would argue that most people have more influence in their circle than leaders. Do you know of big companies? That's true, because it's the interact. People are going to receive it more from them than they necessarily will people with some title, and so that to me has been when people say, oh, what you're doing isn't for me, well it is. Are you on a PTO board and you're trying to get them to go in the same direction, be unified rather than divided? Well, sometimes you need a coach to help you do that.

Speaker 2:

Right.

Speaker 3:

Okay.

Speaker 2:

So let's turn the conversation a little bit to you personally. What do you do for fun when you're not working on your business?

Speaker 3:

Oh my gosh. So I, I'm such a geek, I love Transformers. Everybody loves, so you know, I know right. So not what you expect me to say in business, but I do. I love watching the Transformer movies. In fact, we went for my 50th birthday. My family and I went to Universal Studios, and so I don't know, susanna, are you familiar with the Transformers at all? Oh yeah, my son.

Speaker 2:

when he was growing up, we watched all the Transformer stuff.

Speaker 3:

Yes, and so they have now at Universal Studios a whole Transformers world, including Shut the Front Door, real, live ones.

Speaker 2:

Oh, wow.

Speaker 3:

So they're huge. So I have been looking forward to this. It's like my dream come true. Right, I'm going to be in the presence of Optimus Prime and he was like that big, and so we go up there and you can get your picture made with them. And we walk up there and it's get your picture made with them. And we walk up there and it's my kids and my husband and I, and I couldn't help myself and I just looked at him and I'm like will you marry me? They just started dying, laughing and he has programmed answers.

Speaker 3:

He did not have an answer for that one, but just any kind of. I love to just spend time with my family. My son plays on the high school football team, so we're doing that on Friday nights, but just for me, recharging is being at home. I have goats, so I love I love goats.

Speaker 2:

Oh, I think that's great. Yes, love them. So when you're? You know I said part of the reason I do this podcast to encourage others and especially if they're thinking about going into entrepreneurship. Do you have any kind of personal or maybe business challenge that you overcame or that you continue to overcome that has made your business or yourself a stronger person?

Speaker 3:

You know, the one thing that comes to mind is when it was early in my career and you almost. We hit on it a little bit earlier when, remember, you said now the only negative you have is your own negative thoughts. So it amazes me, people, people, how much people limit themselves because of what they believe their own value is. That's true, and whatever you value it you think your value is, that's all the world's going to see you at. They're not going to raise the price. And so early on in my career I was an HR or a payroll coordinator. The HR director quit. It was when I worked for a mortgage company. She just left one day and didn't come back and, suzanne, I had not even had my degree at that point. Wow, and I don't know what possessed me. But I went to the controller and the owner and I said I think I can do both. I mean, I'm in my early twenties.

Speaker 3:

I said let me do the HR director job and what I'm doing, and they did, and I would not be where I was today if I didn't take the chance and just believe I can do it.

Speaker 2:

Right and make have the. Have the confidence in yourself to go at 20 and ask and say, hey, I think I can do this. It's amazing, absolutely amazing. Well, what's one thing you wish that people knew about? Your leadership coaching, business legacy leadership coaching that you wish they knew about.

Speaker 3:

That it's for everybody. Like we all, we all need somebody to speak life into us, because so many times we encounter things in this world that don't, and so it doesn't. It's not some fancy, scary thing. It is literally spending time with someone or a group of people and helping them develop what's already within them, and so if you're at a point where you need somebody, just walk alongside you.

Speaker 2:

That's what you're here for Perfect, absolutely, and we all need that, especially if you're trying to navigate a business and your home life and your own personal personality and the things that you limit yourself with.

Speaker 3:

So I love it Absolutely, oh my gosh, you said it better than I did, thank you.

Speaker 2:

Well, you know, I know what I need as a business owner, so, and I know what you are talking about. That's awesome. So how could someone get in touch with you to learn more about you and maybe get some of your services?

Speaker 3:

Absolutely so. My website is leadthroughlegacycom, or you can always email me at kristin at leadthroughlegacycom, or call me on my cell phone, which is 678-852-3025.

Speaker 2:

Well, it was a pleasure talking with you today, Kristen. Thanks so much for being my guest.

Speaker 3:

Oh, thank you.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, Auburn. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpauburncom. That's gnpauburncom. Gnpauburncom. That's gnpauburncom. Or call 334-429-7404.