Angie Burwell Kerr

meet angie

Clients and their colleagues tell me that conversations are different when I’m in the room, whether they be in 1:1 coaching, team meetings, or training events.

I’m doing the work I’m meant to do - helping passionate leaders achieve their visions of change in organizations, for people and causes that matter. 

I ask my clients to be fully human and authentic in their lives and at work, and be the leaders they want to be, living the lives they want to live. I believe being human will have a big impact in the world when more leaders show up in this way. 

 I challenge my clients to venture into what’s next for them. I encourage them to take off their masks of how they think they “should” be and find their authentic human selves, their voice and the courage to use it. Often this is hardest in the day-to-day situations and relationships that matter most, where leaders, team members and peers need to work through challenges, create and execute together.

I’ve learnt that no matter where we are and what we’re doing, that we’re all just people, doing the best we can, who can become better versions of ourselves. 

My work isn’t hit & run or transactional, it’s deeper – it’s relational and at its best, transformational, awakening change® one room and one conversation at a time.  

Starting Out

I worked with premiere Big 6 firm, Price Waterhouse, as an auditor. While auditing wasn’t my future, working with smart people and being exposed to interesting business issues was. I shifted careers in the firm to work in Learning & Development, and worked on award-winning programs in the US and globally. I was the PW US representative to create new hire training for the largest merger in history at the time: PW and C&L merged to form PricewaterhouseCoopers. We were building the bridge as we were crossing it – the training had to go live within a week of the merger date.

Global adventures

Post-merger, I was ready for something different and wanted to live and work overseas. London was calling. I worked in the Global L&D team on e-learning solutions and then in a significant change effort for the UK Assurance practice which went global. When I wasn’t working, I lived to experience things rather than accumulate them in my tiny flat. I travelled as much as I could, creating more memories than I could have imagined.   

Consulting

I left London and PwC, returned to Texas and worked as an independent consultant, but wanted to move out west to spend more time outdoors in the mountains. I chose Salt Lake City working for 3M as a Six Sigma Black Belt, doing internal consulting driving operational excellence, improving processes around customer service and retention. We applied Six Sigma concepts to people-centric processes in our healthcare software development division while most organizations focused on it for manufacturing.  

New ventures

In 2004, it was time to be independent again. I made time for both my consulting practice and teaching skiing at Park City Mountain Resort, obtaining my PSIA instructor certification. I bought my first house in Park City and met Stu, my awesome Aussie husband, a fellow ski instructor. We adopted our little four-legged child, Roxy, a lab-pittie mix with an attitude. When I found myself saying yes to any projects that came along, I began craving more intentionality in my work. I also missed the world class learning and development opportunities at PwC and 3M. So, I attended the Hudson Institute of Coaching and obtained my certification in leadership and executive coaching. You can’t become a coach without doing the same work on yourself that you ask your clients to do, and I worked hard to become a better me. 

continuing education

I knew I wanted more – and I obtained my Master in Organization Development (MSOD) at Pepperdine University, where I was fortunate enough to study with the inventors of our field, many of whom are no longer with us. I learned the theories and models behind the work I’d been doing, and why what I did intuitively worked. I became more aware of my talents and gifts, and the unique perspective I bring my clients. I created my model/ mantra to be human, courageous, and patient now called awakening change®. I became more myself.  

these days

When I’m not at work, I’m hitting the ski slopes, being inspired by filmmakers at the annual Sundance Film Festival, listening to live music, cooking and eating delicious food, drinking great wine, dancing at Zumba or funk classes, traveling for business and fun, and just enjoying the great Park City outdoors with Stu and our new “quarantine” puppy, Asali (which means honey in Swahili).

I aim to practice what I preach, to be the best human I can be, at work and in life. I’m working on more patience, self-compassion and kindness. I’m continuing to develop myself through learning programs and communities, and being grateful for and taking life one day at a time, because that’s all we’ve got: the moment we’re in. I love my clients and my colleagues and am living into the goal I set for myself when I was unhappy in my work: create more that I like and less that I don’t. My greatest joys are seeing and hearing my client’s successes. You give me energy.  I’ve started to write a blog, am considering a book, and I’m always dreaming of being back in Masai Mara, Kenya.