Meet Kim, Founder of Kindness For Success
Feb 23, 2025Tell us about your business
I am a coach and former HR leader with 15 years in the corporate world. I specialise in supporting overwhelmed working mums to find balance and fulfilment in both their professional and personal lives.
As the founder of Kindness for Success, I partner with clients who feel like they're constantly smashing plates instead of spinning them. Whether it's the mental load keeping you awake at night or the pressure of "having it all! (which I do not subscribe to), I help you to flip the notion to define and live YOUR all – success on your own terms. A key enabler of this is extending ourselves the same kindness we do to others and in my practical 1:1 coaching, working with small groups or within corporate, I empower individuals to take intentional steps toward a balanced, fulfilled, and present life.
Whatever stage you’re at - whether it's returning from maternity leave, managing career growth alongside parenting, or leading teams with working parents, why not extend yourself some kindness and reach out to book a complimentary ‘Kindness Kickstarter’.
What made you want to start your own business?Always thought I would when I was a 'grown up'! After a redundancy & some toxic experiences in a previous role, now felt the time to do something for ME, that also enables me to show up as the mum, wife, friend, daughter (all that hats!) that I want to be.
Tell us about your kids?
2 kids - My 9 year old son is football & Minecraft mad and my daughter is 6 and essentially hates pink & unicorns & wants to be her brother!
How do you manage the juggle of running your business around being a mum?
9 months in & I can honestly say the juggle is now the fun circus act it should be versus the 'hanging on by a thread' / pure 'survival' and depths of exhaustion it was. Am I busy? Yes! Do I sometimes work longer hours than I did as an employee - some weeks yes! Mainly though I have the healthiest balance across all areas of my life than I ever have before. With self kindness a key philosophy of my business, if I can't 'walk my talk', how can I expect clients to?!
What have been the high points of your business journey so far?
SO many! Speaking at the HR Tech Conference just 2 weeks into starting Kindness For Success! Launching my website, speaking at the Business & Babies resilience summit, my 15 hour live stream (#15forkindness) raising almost £2k for Mind mental health and being invited onto my first podcast. All achieved through so many amazing new networks & connections I've made (Founder Mums being the top of this!) AND showing up for everything I wanted to for my kids & everyone most important to me.
What has been or is the biggest challenge in your journey as a Founder so far?
I had my first 'wobble' about 7 months in. It came out of nowhere and hit my HARD. I felt like I was a joke, I didn't know what I was doing, the classic "going to be found out" and zero confidence. In terms of overcoming, part of it was knowing (& believing) that it would pass, focusing on my wellbeing (especially running for me) and talking - it was a chat with Tracey and one with an old boss of mine that gave me the boost I needed to move ahead with #15forkindness.
Are you interested in collaborating with other Founder Mums?
YES! 2025 I am certainly up for collaborations - thinking others in the broader wellbeing space to run half day / day retreats. Though background in L&D and HR so up for discussions around out of the box things too!
What are your core values when it comes to your business?
KINDNESS is my number 1 value & is what I aim to live by in everything I do, day in & day out. From a Kindness For Success pov, another key value in authenticity. I never want to come across as though I have 'MY all' 100% of the time - as a) it's not true and b) it's not helpful! A third would be knowing when to ask for help & remembering that I don't need to do it all alone!
What marketing tactics have worked best for you?
2024 has all been about trial & error! To be fair, I have always enjoyed writing & think I have a bit of creative gene buried somewhere so I have really embraced the marketing side of it & on the whole, found it fulfilling. That said, it IS time consuming & I know that this is something I need to get more effective with next year as well as ways to really increase my reach.
And finally, what has been the biggest lesson for you since you started your business and what's your best bit of advice for other Founder Mums?
Extend yourself kindness in the same way you do to others - always. When it feels tough, it's even more critical, remember that even a micro moment of kindness, just for YOU can make all the difference.
FOUNDER MUM PROFILE:
Name: Kim Stokes
Business: Kindness for Success
Instagram: @kindness.for.success
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/
Website: www.kindnessforsuccess.co.uk (visit Kim's website to sign up for the Kindness Chronicles to be first to hear about what's coming up, alongside stories of kindness and tips build kindness into your every day!)
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