"[She] took a load off my shoulders. She's really helped alleviate a lot of stress and has allowed our clients to have a better experience because of it. And when you trust someone and you don't have to think about it, it just gets done. It's a beautiful gift."
— Danielle Kennedy, Lead Consultant and Executive Coach
The Challenge
Danielle Kennedy, lead consultant and executive coach at Kadima Leadership, helps organizations close the gap between where they are culturally and where they want to be. As her client roster grew, so did the demands on her time — and a capacity-planning project made it impossible to ignore how stretched she had become.
With clients requiring frequent, often daily interaction, Danielle faced mounting anxiety about her ability to keep pace.
"There's no way I can make all of this happen alone,"she admitted to herself. She knew she needed support — but finding the right person proved harder than expected.
Danielle conducted three informal interviews. Within ten minutes of each, she knew none of the candidates was the right fit. They lacked both the skill set and the cultural mindset her work demanded. She needed someone who could authentically speak her language and be comfortable growing alongside her in the leadership development space. That search led her to BELAY.
The Solution
Danielle reached out to BELAY knowing that within a few short months, she would be traveling as many as three to four days a week, with countless details requiring attention while she was on the road and with clients. BELAY matched her with Brittany — and the partnership began.
Danielle committed fully to the onboarding process, establishing clear communication rhythms and meeting cadence as she gradually brought Brittany into her world. Trust didn't come instantly. Danielle was accustomed to being the keeper of her clients' confidence, and extending that same trust to someone new felt vulnerable.
"It's a lot of trust that (clients) give me. And sometimes, I have a hard time releasing that level of trust to someone else that they don't have that same relationship with."
But she did it — because she knew she had to. Over time, Brittany stepped into full ownership of client communication: managing reminder emails, handling follow-up correspondence, and ensuring nothing fell through the cracks before or after each client meeting. Simply put, Brittany owns it all.
"It's a lot of trust that (clients) give me. And sometimes, I have a hard time releasing that level of trust to someone else that they don't have that same relationship with."
— Danielle Kennedy, Lead Consultant and Executive CoachThe Impact
The results showed up in Danielle's daily routine almost immediately. At the end of each day, she and Brittany debrief together — Danielle talking through her day during her drive home while Brittany captures notes and asks clarifying questions. Every action item, every necessary follow-up gets addressed. Every idea Danielle floats gets tracked and implemented.
What that rhythm has given Danielle, above all else, is peace of mind.
"[She] took a load off my shoulders. She's really helped alleviate a lot of stress and has allowed our clients to have a better experience because of it. And when you trust someone and you don't have to think about it, it just gets done. It's a beautiful gift."
The impact didn't go unnoticed by those around her either. The biggest win came when one of Danielle's clients told her directly that he could "see the difference in her level of service since bringing Brittany on." For a leadership consultant whose reputation hinges on the quality of her client relationships, that kind of external validation speaks volumes.