Kimberley Stokes

United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom

Kim is a Personal Leadership Coach who helps ambitious professionals think clearly, trust themselves and lead with intention. She has a special passion for working with parents to navigate the tricky task of balancing both the role of professional and of the parent, especially through times of transition which often brings with it unexpected questions and challenges.

Background

Kim started her career in 2003 in the Canadian finance industry, on Suncor Energy’s Trading Floor and later, as an Analyst in ARC Financial, an energy-focused private equity firm.

She then spent 6 years working as a Management Consultant with the Boston Consulting Group, initially in London and then in Dubai. During this time, she focused mainly on BCG’s Public Sector, Social Impact and Organisation practice areas, supporting clients on strategy and structure topics. Internally, she also managed the Women’s Initiative programme and led the Student Summer Intern programme.

In 2013, she left consulting to launch Urban Yoga Dubai – a soulful studio for Dubai’s modern yogis to move, reflect and reconnect in their busy urban life. She ran this business for 7 years end-to-end – which included business planning, launch and ongoing management and growth of the business.

Experience and qualifications

Associate Certified Coach (ACC) by the International
Coaching Federation (ICF)
Certified Professional Co-Active Coach (CPCC) by
the Co-Active Training Institute
Certified Leadership Circle Profile (LCP) Practitioner
Certificate in Embodied Transformation by the
Strozzi Instutute for Somatics
MBA from INSEAD
Bachelor of Commerce in Finance
Bachelor of Arts in International Relations

Approach to coaching

She started coaching in 2022 as a way to blend her passion for wellbeing, personal growth and expansion with her desire to support ambitious professionals and entrepreneurs, just as she herself was supported throughout her career. Her focus in coaching is to bring all the key aspects of a client to the discussion to get clear on what really matters to you, how it all fits together and how to lead your life from that place with confidence and conviction.

Kim lives at home with Dubai with her husband and 4 kids. Life in her house is busy and often chaotic – a mishmash of opinions, emotions, needs, wants and as always, schedules and logistics! Through the experience of managing her own career, relationships and balancing her desire to be a present parent, Kim often feels the tension that comes up when you have big ambition while navigating other responsibilities – so she also lives the daily juggle. When Kim is not coaching or driving her kids to their sports, she loves to move – running, walking or yoga, read fiction, connecting with friends and she also loves to just sit outside and soak up the great outdoors.

“Kim helped me in a way no one else ever has. I loved the way she used such refined, thoughtful vocabulary to empathise with me and gather my messy feelings into the most beautiful pearls of insight. And her gentle demeanour, which was free of judgment, ill will or pressure, held nothing but patience, empathy and understanding. Her presence felt delicate, steady and deeply kind. I grew more than I ever thought I could, and it’s truly astonishing to reflect on the accomplishments I’ve achieved during this time. Being vulnerable had an incredibly high payoff, far beyond anything I could have imagined. I went into coaching with low expectations, but it turned out to be valuable beyond words. I would recommend Kim’s sessions to anyone who feels even slightly overwhelmed in life.”
Coachee

“Kim is incredibly professional, warm and has a very grounding presence. Kim has a talent for helping someone go deep and creating opportunities for self-discovery. With many different tools at her disposal each session can be a new experience all the while focused on what’s best for the client. I truly enjoyed my sessions with Kim and found them very rewarding.”
Coachee

“Coaching with Kim has been one of the best investments I’ve made in years. The assistance in reassessing my values and priorities, which I had become quite out of touch with over the years, allowed me to establish meaningful goals for myself both professionally and personally. Additionally, I gained a better understanding and appreciation of my strengths and tools to navigate through areas and situations where I felt overwhelmed. I am now on track to shoot for some of my best accomplishments with a genuine and notable increase in core confidence.”
Coachee