Legacy Rising

Kelli Williams speaking about authentic leadership, personal storytelling, and building a professional brand rooted in lived experience.

How Your Personal Story Shapes Your Professional Brand

08/06/2026

For a long time, I misunderstood what an authentic professional brand actually was. I thought keeping my personal story separate from my work was the professional thing to do. It turned out to be the most limiting thing I ever…

Read More
Featured image for I've Sat at Many Tables: Here's What I've Learned About Who Actually Belongs There by Kelli Williams

I’ve Sat at Many Tables. Here’s What I’ve Learned About Who Actually Belongs There.

07/09/2026

Lessons on leadership, belonging, and the value of lived experience in executive coaching and strategic consulting. In the the first article in this series, I talked about the difference between a coach, a consultant, and a trusted advisor, and how…

Read More
Featured image for Why Your Story Is a Leadership Tool, Not a Liability by Kelli Williams

Why Your Story Is a Leadership Tool, Not a Liability

06/02/2026

The leaders who move people are not the ones with the most polished presentations.  They are the ones willing to tell the truth. I almost did not write my book. Not because I did not have a story. I had…

Read More
Featured image for The Difference Between a Leadership Coach, a Business Consultant, and a Trusted Advisor by Kelli Williams

The Difference Between a Leadership Coach, a Business Consultant, and a Trusted Advisor 

05/08/2026

What’s the difference between a leadership coach, a business consultant, and a trusted advisor you ask? Well, I have a conversation fairly regularly that goes something like this.  A leader reaches out. She is smart, accomplished, navigating something real. A…

Read More
Featured image for What Healing-Informed Coaching Is Not by Kelli Williams

What Healing-Centered Coaching Is Not

04/17/2026

A myth-busting perspective for leaders who have outgrown traditional definitions of growth Let me tell you what I hear most often when I introduce myself as a healing-centered executive coach. There is usually a pause. Sometimes a polite nod. Occasionally…

Read More
Featured image for Two Stages, One Powerful Reminder About Joy by Kelli Williams

Two Stages, One Powerful Reminder About Joy

03/12/2026

Last Thursday was one of those days I will never forget. In the morning, I had the honor of taking the stage at the TechSHEroes event to deliver my keynote, Joy in Life’s Journey. Sitting in the audience was someone…

Read More
Featured image for What Two Keynotes Taught Me About Building Inclusive and Resilient Workplaces by Kelli Williams

What Two Keynotes Taught Me About Inclusive Leadership

03/03/2026

Over the past six months, I had the opportunity to deliver two keynote presentations for the same organization. The first focused on building inclusive workplaces. The second focused on resilience during challenging times. On the surface, those topics might seem…

Read More
Featured image for The Day Before I Tell the Truth by Kelli Williams

The Day Before I Tell the Truth

02/24/2026

I haven’t written an article for myself in a while. But today feels like the right day to begin writing my life story honestly.Partially because I’m procrastinating.Partially because I’m thinking. A lot. I leave tomorrow for a writing retreat. My…

Read More
Featured image for Leadership with Heart, Strategy, and Purpose by Kelli Williams

Leadership with Heart, Strategy, and Purpose

07/09/2025

After more than two decades leading brands, organizations, and teams, I’ve come to believe that authentic leadership isn’t about choosing between heart and strategy. The strongest leaders build both. They lead with clarity, purpose, and the courage to remain true…

Read More
Kelli Williams, founder of Legacy Rising and healing-informed executive coach

The Journey to Legacy Rising: Why Kelli Williams Became an Healing-informed Coach

05/30/2025

Kelli Williams is no stranger to leadership. With over two decades of experience across sectors, including roles as Chief Marketing Officer, award-winning consultant, and CEO of a nationally recognized nonprofit, she now brings her lived experience into her work as…

Read More