Member since January 2024
As an expert in building high-performing relationships with over 20 years of Marketing leading at top-tier companies like Apple, Kimberly now supports organizations, teams, and leaders to optimize their performance for unstoppable results. She supports very satisfied clients at well-known tech companies in the Bay Area. She is the CEO and founder of her company, O2U - from overwhelmed to unstoppable.
She is the author of the best-selling book, Meet Me on the Bridge, which details how employees and managers can create solid relationships at work to drive results. She enables teams and leaders to increase the trust, respect, and connection in the relationship. This drives engagement, talent retention, and innovation.
She has built high-performing, collaborative teams that drove 2x market growth through creative go-to-market campaigns as the Head of Marketing. She launched the iPhone 6 and 6s as well as creating the first-ever iPhone refurb program, which is now its own multimillion dollar business line.
She works with organizations as a strategic partner to elevate the skills to build healthy, high performing teams through individual coaching, team coaching, and her signature leadership development program, Results Through Relationships (from her book). She is a thought partner to Human Resources in creating strong organizations with workshops, speaking engagements, and bespoke programs. As a certified Executive and Leadership coach she helps elevate the talent of the organization based on their unique needs. She also leverages her Marketing background as a fractional CMO to startups.
Kimberly specializes in building high-performing relationships, which are the backbone for any organization to thrive.
Kimberly lives in the Bay Area with her two teen boys. She loves to travel and has been 6 of the 7 continents.
With his solid 6’ 3” frame, he looked every bit the part of a lumberjack – from his worn in levis to his button down long sleeve western wear shirt. And he always smelled like a combination of Old Spice and sawdust to me. His engaging smile was a tell tale sign of his charisma.
My grandfather, Gordon Wilson, was the General Manager of Hines Lumber Company.
One cool summer day as we strode through the mill, my small 8-year-old hand slipped inside his. At every station, he’d stop and chat with each person. I was amazed that he knew not only each of them by name – he knew their spouses and children. I remember being struck by his demeanor. I would hear him say things like
“Hi Cal, how is school going for Mary? Is she enjoying third grade?”
“Things are going well, Mr. Wilson. She’s really liking math this year.”
We continued our tour through the mill.
“How long does Raul need to be in the cast? Is it still just a few more weeks?”
“We go to the doctor to check at the end of the week.”
“Well, tell Andrea that our thoughts are with all of you. We want Raul to have a quick recovery so that he can go play ball again.”
What I didn’t realize was that I was getting master class in connection and building bridges. It wasn’t until years that I fully understood all of the lessons that he was teaching me – just by how he showed up.
He didn’t inspire people by giving big speeches. It was the way that he showed up and the way that he connected.
Gordon Wilson was an honest, forthright man who always kept his word.
They trusted him.
They respected his knowledge - as he knew everything about the mill.
It was this daily walk around (as he called it) where he connected with each of them individually, that created the foundation of the bridge he had with each of them.
Papa had taught me about the foundation of the bridge, which is trust, respect, and connection.
You see, every day when you show up and there is another person, you have the opportunity to build, strengthen, and maintain a bridge with that person – whether it be at work or at home. In my book, Meet Me on the Bridge, I talk about how to build bridges to create strong relationships at work.
The first part is building the bridge – with trust, respect, and connection. That is the foundation. You can’t go anywhere without that foundation.
Then you strengthen the bridge with setting expectations, gaining alignment, and exhibiting belief.
After this, as with any bridge, you maintain or repair the bridge. With people, it is through creating a culture of curiosity, actively listening, and ownership with consistency.
There are nine “bricks” to the bridge. With your relationships, as with the bridge, they atrophy a bit each day. They need some maintenance and care. So you are either maintaining or they are crumbling a bit each day.
Both sides need to come together and build the bridge. If only one side builds, it is a look out.
At the age of 8 I didn't have the words to name what my Papa was doing.
He always felt like home and safety to me.
He felt like safety to others as well. They would come to him with their challenges.
What I didn’t know was how much the mill had been struggling. I didn’t know that the mill had been in the red when they brought my Papa in. I didn’t know that these people’s jobs were on the line.
My grandfather was showing up the same way that he always did – connecting and caring. What he did in those next two years.
It was unbelievable.
I had no idea that he created until years later. In two short years, he moved the mill from being in the red to operating in the black. He created a strong sense of community within that mill.
Who do you know that are great bridge builders that can inspire people almost without even trying?
Nearly a decade ago, I was staring at the waves crashing along the shore in this beautiful resort by the ocean. Our executive team was at an offsite to create our strategy, vision, and mission. Nothing could get in the way of strategy. We were at a crucial inflection point for the business. How quickly I was proven wrong.
I was surprised that the VP couldn’t see what she was doing. I felt like the goodwill and excitement we had brought to the table just the morning before was being swept away just as the tide was going out to the ocean that very moment.
As I came back to present, I heard her say “No, Robert. That just doesn’t make sense. We can’t just wish things into existence. If that was true, I would have had a pony for my 10th birthday, not a backpack.” (Note: Names have been changed)
Watching Robert, I could see how deflated he was. It was in his eyes and his body language as he slumped back in his chair. He was there and a million miles away now. Not only did Robert deflate but he was done for the full weekend. I started thinking that if ideas are met with that much resistance at an offsite how are they going to be when we are back at work?
“Why aren’t you bringing ideas to the table? ANYONE?” She demanded after lunch, more than a little annoyed at all of us.
This moment reminded me of another when I had just begun my career with my first manager out of grad school at Clorox. I didn’t realize then how rare a manager like Stephen would be in my career.
For meetings, he would pull us all together and we’d brainstorm what our group should be like and how to build it. He was always collaborative and inclusive, leading with respect. He’d ask about our day and our families.
Stephen always built the bridge (what I now call a relationship) with trust. He was inspiring. Each day that trust grew, and we wanted to do more and better work for him. Trust creates that.
I remember contrasting their two styles at the offsite.
It was in that moment that I started paying much more attention to the dynamics of relationships, especially as I contrasted it with other high trust groups I had been in. Why did some groups thrive? Why did others not? What were the special ingredients for well bonded groups that drove incredible results?
I dove into this topic. It occurred to me that I’ve occasionally unintentionally damaged bridges and intentionally created strong bridges.
During Covid is when I started calling relationships bridges. I walked into my son’s room during lockdown and said “kachink, kachink, ding” while motioning like I was hammering. (go with me on this, I still don’t know where this came from and so many people have asked me)
“I’m here to build a bridge” I told him and then explained that I didn’t want to talk about grades or his messy room. I wanted to connect with him. I came in for several mornings doing this.
The following week he came into my office (technically my bedroom. During Covid that was my office since everyone was at home).
“Kachink, kachink, ding. I’m here to build a bridge, Mama” he said, motioning like a hammer. He then asked me questions about my day and work and friends.
It was then that I realized that both sides have to build a bridge. If only one side builds, then it is a look out.
With 20 years of marketing leadership experience and leading global launches like iPhone 6 at Apple, I now support leaders, teams, and organizations to reach their full potential and create solid relationships at work. Strong relationships drive results and create healthy, high-performing teams.
Building relationships is the key to thriving. Strong relationships enable great results, which are seen when there is a strong bridge between both sides. by building a solid bridge between you and your team (or your manager) you can achieve your goals. This is not just true for manager and employee. A bridge is built anytime you have a relationship.
Trust, Respect, and Connection are the cornerstones to build the foundation. After this, the bridge needs to be strengthened and maintained to be strong enough to withstand the inevitable bumps which can happen. We’ll look at how to not only create a solid and sturdy bridge but how to intentionally strengthen through small interactions each day.
Participants will walk away with
* Frameworks to build the foundation
* 3 magic words that can change how you rebuild a bridge with others
* Why it can be so challenging to build the bridge and how to get around that
With his solid 6’ 3” frame, he looked every bit the part of a lumberjack – from his worn in levis to his button down long sleeve western wear shirt. And he always smelled like a combination of Old Spice and sawdust to me. His engaging smile was a tell tale sign of his charisma.
My grandfather, Gordon Wilson, was the General Manager of Hines Lumber Company.
One cool summer day as we strode through the mill, my small 8-year-old hand slipped inside his. At every station, he’d stop and chat with each person. I was amazed that he knew not only each of them by name – he knew their spouses and children. I remember being struck by his demeanor. I would hear him say things like
“Hi Cal, how is school going for Mary? Is she enjoying third grade?”
“Things are going well, Mr. Wilson. She’s really liking math this year.”
We continued our tour through the mill.
“How long does Raul need to be in the cast? Is it still just a few more weeks?”
“We go to the doctor to check at the end of the week.”
“Well, tell Andrea that our thoughts are with all of you. We want Raul to have a quick recovery so that he can go play ball again.”
What I didn’t realize was that I was getting master class in connection and building bridges. It wasn’t until years that I fully understood all of the lessons that he was teaching me – just by how he showed up.
He didn’t inspire people by giving big speeches. It was the way that he showed up and the way that he connected.
Gordon Wilson was an honest, forthright man who always kept his word.
They trusted him.
They respected his knowledge - as he knew everything about the mill.
It was this daily walk around (as he called it) where he connected with each of them individually, that created the foundation of the bridge he had with each of them.
Papa had taught me about the foundation of the bridge, which is trust, respect, and connection.
You see, every day when you show up and there is another person, you have the opportunity to build, strengthen, and maintain a bridge with that person – whether it be at work or at home. In my book, Meet Me on the Bridge, I talk about how to build bridges to create strong relationships at work.
The first part is building the bridge – with trust, respect, and connection. That is the foundation. You can’t go anywhere without that foundation.
Then you strengthen the bridge with setting expectations, gaining alignment, and exhibiting belief.
After this, as with any bridge, you maintain or repair the bridge. With people, it is through creating a culture of curiosity, actively listening, and ownership with consistency.
There are nine “bricks” to the bridge. With your relationships, as with the bridge, they atrophy a bit each day. They need some maintenance and care. So you are either maintaining or they are crumbling a bit each day.
Both sides need to come together and build the bridge. If only one side builds, it is a look out.
At the age of 8 I didn't have the words to name what my Papa was doing.
He always felt like home and safety to me.
He felt like safety to others as well. They would come to him with their challenges.
What I didn’t know was how much the mill had been struggling. I didn’t know that the mill had been in the red when they brought my Papa in. I didn’t know that these people’s jobs were on the line.
My grandfather was showing up the same way that he always did – connecting and caring. What he did in those next two years.
It was unbelievable.
I had no idea that he created until years later. In two short years, he moved the mill from being in the red to operating in the black. He created a strong sense of community within that mill.
Who do you know that are great bridge builders that can inspire people almost without even trying?
Nearly a decade ago, I was staring at the waves crashing along the shore in this beautiful resort by the ocean. Our executive team was at an offsite to create our strategy, vision, and mission. Nothing could get in the way of strategy. We were at a crucial inflection point for the business. How quickly I was proven wrong.
I was surprised that the VP couldn’t see what she was doing. I felt like the goodwill and excitement we had brought to the table just the morning before was being swept away just as the tide was going out to the ocean that very moment.
As I came back to present, I heard her say “No, Robert. That just doesn’t make sense. We can’t just wish things into existence. If that was true, I would have had a pony for my 10th birthday, not a backpack.” (Note: Names have been changed)
Watching Robert, I could see how deflated he was. It was in his eyes and his body language as he slumped back in his chair. He was there and a million miles away now. Not only did Robert deflate but he was done for the full weekend. I started thinking that if ideas are met with that much resistance at an offsite how are they going to be when we are back at work?
“Why aren’t you bringing ideas to the table? ANYONE?” She demanded after lunch, more than a little annoyed at all of us.
This moment reminded me of another when I had just begun my career with my first manager out of grad school at Clorox. I didn’t realize then how rare a manager like Stephen would be in my career.
For meetings, he would pull us all together and we’d brainstorm what our group should be like and how to build it. He was always collaborative and inclusive, leading with respect. He’d ask about our day and our families.
Stephen always built the bridge (what I now call a relationship) with trust. He was inspiring. Each day that trust grew, and we wanted to do more and better work for him. Trust creates that.
I remember contrasting their two styles at the offsite.
It was in that moment that I started paying much more attention to the dynamics of relationships, especially as I contrasted it with other high trust groups I had been in. Why did some groups thrive? Why did others not? What were the special ingredients for well bonded groups that drove incredible results?
I dove into this topic. It occurred to me that I’ve occasionally unintentionally damaged bridges and intentionally created strong bridges.
During Covid is when I started calling relationships bridges. I walked into my son’s room during lockdown and said “kachink, kachink, ding” while motioning like I was hammering. (go with me on this, I still don’t know where this came from and so many people have asked me)
“I’m here to build a bridge” I told him and then explained that I didn’t want to talk about grades or his messy room. I wanted to connect with him. I came in for several mornings doing this.
The following week he came into my office (technically my bedroom. During Covid that was my office since everyone was at home).
“Kachink, kachink, ding. I’m here to build a bridge, Mama” he said, motioning like a hammer. He then asked me questions about my day and work and friends.
It was then that I realized that both sides have to build a bridge. If only one side builds, then it is a look out.
With 20 years of marketing leadership experience and leading global launches like iPhone 6 at Apple, I now support leaders, teams, and organizations to reach their full potential and create solid relationships at work. Strong relationships drive results and create healthy, high-performing teams.
Building relationships is the key to thriving. Strong relationships enable great results, which are seen when there is a strong bridge between both sides. by building a solid bridge between you and your team (or your manager) you can achieve your goals. This is not just true for manager and employee. A bridge is built anytime you have a relationship.
Trust, Respect, and Connection are the cornerstones to build the foundation. After this, the bridge needs to be strengthened and maintained to be strong enough to withstand the inevitable bumps which can happen. We’ll look at how to not only create a solid and sturdy bridge but how to intentionally strengthen through small interactions each day.
Participants will walk away with
* Frameworks to build the foundation
* 3 magic words that can change how you rebuild a bridge with others
* Why it can be so challenging to build the bridge and how to get around that