ABOUT SHANNA KENNEDY
I've sat in the rooms most people are trying
to get into.
For over two decades I worked inside complex organizations — leading programs, advising executives, and watching brilliant leaders get passed over, passed around, and passed out of rooms they had more than earned. I built Kennedy & Co. because I got tired of watching that happen. And because at one point, I had to reckon with the fact that it was happening to me too.
MY STORY
The moment that
changed everything
There was a season in my career where I was doing the work of a VP and being paid — and treated — like a Director. I was in every important room. I was writing the strategy, building the programs, managing the relationships. I was the person everyone came to when something needed to get done right.
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And I kept waiting for someone to name it. To say — we see what you're doing here, and we are going to make sure your title and your compensation reflect it. That moment never came. Not because the people around me were malicious. But because in most organizations, no one is watching out for you the way you assume they are. You have to advocate for yourself. And nobody had ever taught me how to do that at this level.
EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS
The work behind
the work
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UC Berkeley Executive Coaching Professional Certification
Rigorous coach training from one of the world's leading research universities — grounded in evidence-based methodology and real-world application.
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20+ Years Across Education, Nonprofit & Corporate Sectors
Senior leadership roles spanning higher education, workforce development, and national nonprofit organizations — including program design, executive advising, and organizational change.​
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95% Client Satisfaction in Non-Profit Leadership
Led leadership programming that supported 1,500+ senior leaders annually across a national alumni network — one of the most respected leadership development organizations in the country.
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$5M+ in Programs & Budgets Managed
Executive-level responsibility for program design, budget oversight, and strategic partnerships at the intersection of leadership and organizational change.
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250+ Senior Leaders Coached
Directors, VPs, Executive Directors, and C-suite leaders across education, nonprofit, workforce, and corporate sectors — at pivotal career moments that required both strategy and courage.
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Serving Leaders Nationally
All coaching engagements available virtually. In-person facilitation, retreats, and VIP days available in the Southeast and by arrangement nationally.
MY APPROACH
Coaching that starts
with the truth
Most leadership development asks you to perform a better version of yourself. I am not interested in that. I am interested in helping you become a more deliberate, grounded, and effective version of who you already are.
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That means the first thing we do is get honest. About what you want. About what has been holding you back. About the gap between how you are showing up and how you are capable of showing up. That honesty is not always comfortable — but it is the only starting point that leads somewhere real.
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From there we build. Strategy, positioning, communication, presence — all of it grounded in your actual experience and your actual goals. Not a template. Not a framework borrowed from a different industry. A plan that is built for you, by someone who has been where you are trying to go.
