Karen brought a whole new perspective of what it means to be a leader to our Fox Valley SHRM group! She guided us through defining our own leadership vision statements and helped create an environment where we felt comfortable expressing our true thoughts and experiences. Karen’s passion for connecting with and coaching others shines through. I appreciated every moment collaborating with her!

Thanks for relating content to home and PTI.

I participated in the Center for Exceptional Leadership – Senior Cohort, with Karen serving as our cohort facilitator.  I can say that this is the most beneficial leadership group I’ve ever been a part of, and Karen was a main contributor to the impact it had on me.  Karen is a wealth of knowledge on many leadership topics and concepts, and has a tremendous ability to initiate and guide healthy discussion.  Karen helped me consider different and unique perspectives on how I show up as a leader at work and a family member at home.  I have felt more confidence and less anxiety in many situations since Karen has helped me on my leadership journey.  I look forward to any opportunity to work with Karen again and would highly recommend anyone to reach out to her.

Karen led our staff in a debrief of the DiSC assessment. She fostered a fun and safe space for our team to learn about ourselves and each other. We are grateful for Karen's guidance and expertise, and we left our time with Karen with renewed energy and enthusiasm. 

I've had the privilege to see Karen in action at the Women's Leadership Conference. She is an engaging speaker with amazing content and perspective. The audience walked away with energy, knowledge and encouragement. We only continue to learn and grow when we have the right people around us and Karen is that person. She will make you laugh, challenge you and help you learn and grow. 

Relationships drive results! This helped supply knowledge in understanding what needs people have, and the impact a leader can have. I am actually going to implement some of the questions and statements into my one-on-ones. I also want to invite my team to give ME feedback. This program puts you in a spot to be more transparent and fully evaluate how you handle all situations: work and personal. I loved learning the psychology behind behaviors and how to use that to build a stronger, more successful team.

The best thing that happened to me in my leadership journey at the Center for Exceptional Leadership is to cross paths with Karen.  If I can use one word to describe Karen is CARE, she truly cares about making us better leaders and gave us meaningful examples to do that.  I was so impressed with Karen’s abilities that we hired her as a consultant to lead a culture initiative that we have at the company I work for.   Karen has a gift for bringing the best out of people and she is not afraid of being vulnerable.  Her advice and her recommendations have put me on my way to become the best version of myself.

This class really gets you thinking about what you may be doing as a leader now, and evaluate if it is working or not. Empathy! Loved the dialogue! Lots of nuggets to take back and instill. Great session - allowing time to self-reflect. Great material! The program allows you to think and dive into what makes you "you" and how to build off of that. Loved this one!

I enjoyed the presentation a lot! It will definitely be in the front of my mind moving forward with interpersonal interactions.

The strategies are actionable not theoretical. I have already used them! Mrs. Lemke is a consummate professional!

Incorporating better communication skills into personal and professional relationships doesn't come naturally to most. This program breaks it down into easily understood/implemented steps.

I was blessed to cross paths with Karen during my journey at the Center for Exceptional Leadership.  Karen’s passion for helping leaders grow personally and professionally is incredible.  Her energy, vulnerability and insight helped me find my voice and develop a confidence that I never knew I had.  Her advice is inspirational, thought-provoking and actionable – always encouraging you to find the best version of yourself. 

The Holistic Leadership program helped me realize now how much I have relied on my head. I need to be open to my gut and heart, too. Taking 45 minutes to put my dreams on paper was eye-opening. Now I want to follow through. I want to help my kids take action to overcome some of their fears. Seeing circumstances from a different perspective will help me understand why co-workers act the way they do sometimes… heart, gut, head… not that one is more right than the other, just different perspectives that can all add value.

Karen is a deep listener; as a coach she was able to stretch me and  get me out of my comfort zone and into ACTION!

Karen really facilitates interaction and learning well. Creates a comfortable, engaging environment. Program does a great job of turning on some lights. Yeah, I'm doing that real well. And oh, I should be more aware of this.

This was a deep dive into things we're all aware of, but don't spend time learning about or improving on. Very informative. Really makes you look at yourself. Find areas you need to work on, and provides assistance in doing so. Provides a different perspective on communication and how it's perceived by your audience. Beneficial both professionally and personally. Karen was wonderful and engaging!

We all need to be aware of oneself and those around us to perpetuate good working relationships. Love EQ - would like more. A++

I was apprehensive about what it meant to be mentored and coached, but Karen quickly put my concerns to rest. Because of this positive experience, I was able to have thought provoking discussions and personal breakthroughs that I haven’t experienced before.

Through my work with Karen, I’ve identified and improved upon skills I didn’t know I had. I’ve expanded my ability to motivate, influence, and lead for results—all without compromising my high expectations. I will always be appreciative of Karen’s belief in me. Karen has been a great partner in my development.

I have had the privilege to work with Karen over the past year in the Center for Exceptional Leadership (CEL) at St. Norbert College. Karen is blessed with strengths and skillsets that contribute to her ability to build relationships and provide a genuine desire to enrich, encourage and inspire leaders. I learned a great deal from Karen.  The gifts of leadership she gave me, will be gifted to others for years to come. Karen is someone who comes into your life to help you complete a program (CEL) and in the end, you hope she stays in your life even when the program is done.

Karen it was really great to see you and I really appreciate you sharing this wonderful message (Recalibrate Your Resilience) with our company. Thank you for enriching our lives.

The Holistic Leadership program gave me the opportunity to think deep about my dreams. I intend to take this back to my staff and talk about dreams, and help them fulfill their dreams. We’re also going to develop a dream list as a family. This program provided me the opportunity to reflect on what is important to me, and will be my guiding compass for years to come.

Great life examples that anyone can relate to.

All levels and communication types can be benefitted from this fun, truth-based training. The real life examples make it relatable and more likely to retain the information. I love how personal Karen got. I look forward to learning more from her.

THANK YOU Karen, for speaking to our group yesterday (November 1). Your presentation was truly impactful and inspiring! I'm speaking for myself but also for the many members that I spoke with afterwards. So much positive feedback. You shine!

Truly inspirational! I highly recommend Karen Lemke. Her ability to connect with our audience and share valuable lessons and powerful messages was wonderful!

Leadership coaching is not Karen’s job, it is her life’s calling. She truly puts her whole self into the individuals she is mentoring bringing forth love, empathy, guidance and perspective to any situation. Leadership challenges us with twists and turns on our journey, but with Karen’s mentorship I felt prepared to take on these hurdles with confidence and resiliency. My most meaningful lessons from Karen were to “meet people where they are” and that “leadership is about being vulnerable”, both which have had a transformational shift in my leadership effectiveness.

During the past year, I had opportunity to participate in a CEL Senior Leadership cohort that was led by Karen Lemke.  Karen’s warm and caring nature was on full display in all cohort activities throughout the entire program.   While leading our cohort—which was quite unique, energetic and often-times eccentric—Karen consistently allowed cohort members to openly communicate their thoughts and opinions on the topics at hand, always in non-judgmental fashion.  Karen’s ability to ask thought-provoking and challenging questions ultimately led to cohort members’ important self-reflection, learning and leadership development.  It was a pleasure to work with and learn from Karen during my journey though the CEL.

Working with Karen helped me to take my career to a new level. She has an amazing ability to quickly realize what your professional and personal goals are and to guide your thinking and actions to assist you in achieving them. Her professional knowledge and experience were evident from the moment we started working together. Karen has been very influential in my professional development over the last year, I will look for every opportunity I can to work with her in the future.

I have known Karen in multiple roles over the last several years - as Leader of my Executive Agenda Group, Guest Lecturer in my classes at UWGB and as a trusted mentor and most importantly a dear friend.  Karen challenged me to follow my talent and pursue my passions in life.  Through her Holistic Communications she has taught my students to effectively connect with others through their Head, Heart and Gut.  Her teaching style is professional, thoughtful and empathic.  She has given me the gift of invaluable leadership and enriched my communications while becoming a trusted and very special friend.  

Karen’s Holistic Leadership program offers you an opportunity to reflect and rethink your natural behaviors. It forces you to look at your life and the impact you have on others from a different perspective. The exercises we walked through provide a great template to make adjustments after the session. Being able to walk through the dream exercise was rewarding and eye opening. Great course, engaging, well thought out and valuable.

After several weeks of this course I think that this leadership course is different from anything I've ever been a part of because it's approachable and digestible. This has given me such a refreshing way to approach leadership and makes me excited to lead again.

The major benefit to me is that I can rethink how I approach tough calls. Self reflection into day by day actions can lead to adjustments and improvements. Interpersonal relationships are incredibly crucial in the workplace. These classes help you manage that.

It has been great to take time away from the busy day-to-day work, and understand some of the feelings and situations we encounter daily at work and at home.

Karen brings a kindness to her coaching that makes it very easy to open up and work through development opportunities with her. I value her guidance and input as I do the hard work to land in a better place.

Karen is very friendly and engaging. I was not bored once.

A good overview of what you say and how you listen matters. Engaging session that didn't rely on PowerPoint slides. Great presentations.

Karen really puts a different perspective on communication and makes it easier to understand. She really takes the time to make sure you understand the course. Karen sheds light on things you don't normally think about, and gives examples of how to use new-found skills in everyday scenarios. Karen has drastically changed my outlook on conflict and made me feel safe to be vulnerable. Karen is amazing and I really learned so much from her.

I think this offers a great perspective without making anyone feel guilty about how they already do/understand communication. It's a great opportunity to have a deeper understanding and real world application.

I have long admired Karen’s professional competency and organizational contributions as both an industry peer and then as a consulting colleague. Her ability to blend her many varied talents to achieve client-first results is impressive, and frankly, quite unusual.   Above that, Karen is simply an incredible human. 

In the Holistic Leadership program, I got a great start on my dream plan. Having something that is actionable is invaluable. The dream exercise was powerful and something actionable that we can take away from today’s session. I am genuinely excited to share the content with my family and team. We are going to create a family dream plan (all members) and review it regularly for progress. Doing this will help us encourage each other and give ideas on adjusting our own plans to help each other achieve theirs. Karen was awesome presenting this program content. She demonstrated vulnerability and let us inside her personal world, which helped us learn the concepts of holistic leadership. Way to be courageous!

I attended Karen’s unique Holistic Leadership training. It was a remarkable awakening that did not end there. Karen has graciously and compassionately been a guiding force in my very recent professional leaps and personal growth. Karen has an impeccable ability to balance much needed gentle support along with reassuring nudges. Then there are those few moments where you really need someone to hold the flashlight for you while you look down the dark tunnel; Karen is there again and has likely brought extra batteries.

I really enjoyed her presentation. It all resonated with me, and I could identify immediately when I get stuck in the imposter syndrome.

I loved her presentation, very motivating and shed light into many aspects of work and life.  She reminded us to go after our dreams as life is short and we all worry about not being good enough.

I have had the great pleasure and privilege of working with Karen both as an Executive Agenda Chair and as a Coach and Facilitator at the Center for Exceptional Leadership. Her in-depth experience and skill as a business leader, as well as her passion for developing people and organizations, gives her the ability to be a great speaker, coach and mentor. I fully endorse Karen and Lemke Leadership, Inc. for their mission and the great work they do.

Great session! This changed my perspective on several topics - especially those with negative aspects. This program is so impactful and thought provoking. There is something for everyone to take away. Karen, thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge with us! I hope our paths cross again.

Karen’s Dream Exercise was an assignment for our corporate retreat. Seriously, it felt like an intrusion on my privacy to share dreams in a group setting. Felt like a trap to label an idea as “this is my dream.” After vacillating for a week, I decided to trust the exercise. After all I trusted Karen! Once the mental barriers were removed, jotting down inner-most wishes and passions was easy. Fast forward one month later, this exercise has catapulted me into a different sphere of energy, motivation and bliss. Putting action to two of the dreams immediately, has been anything but a trap. It’s been genuinely fun and liberating. Karen’s facilitation with our group flowed naturally and felt safe.

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom and energy with us this afternoon (at the Recalibrate Your Resilience program).  Here are some comments from those I spoke with or that were in the chat:

“It was great to pause and think about what I really want and learn how I can make what I want happen.”

“Great session, well worth my time this afternoon.”

“Most important lesson I learned today, give myself grace and compassion.”

Wishing you the best week and weekend ahead!  I’m sure I’ll be in touch!

I’ve gotten to know Karen quite well over the past eight years through our EA group. Through the years I’ve admired her ability to listen, ask great questions and offer meaningful and insightful coaching to fellow members. Her engaging style puts people at ease and allows her to connect with her audience when speaking.

"Working with Karen was a life changing experience. Her guidance has been amazing. She is trustworthy and encouraging. I am at a loss of words as I come to the end of my year long journey, as to how much Karen has impacted my life, career, and relationships. After our sessions I would feel as though I had just been through the best therapeutic massage. Just knowing we had a session coming up would help me calm, and get the SABOTEURS to stop, and get the SAGE in and help me relax. I so would look forward to our conversations Karen, that I am having a hard time saying good-bye.  However, I do know that this was just the start of a deep and meaningful relationship."

This training can help in everyday situations, personal and work. Great job Karen.

Karen, I can't thank you enough for sharing your leadership expertise with fellow UWO women alumni recently. Your presentation was so inspiring and your passion for helping others believe in themselves is contagious. With appreciation, Chris.

Karen is truly a gem and has absolutely found her calling helping leaders grow both personally and professionally.   Karen’s caring nature, inspirational advice, genuine care and concern, and whole-hearted encouragement are just some of her wonderful gifts that she shares with you.  I consider myself fortunate to have learned so much from Karen during our time spent together.

Karen Lemke is absolutely amazing. She is knowledgeable, and extraordinarily insightful. She helped me unpack my assessments, and my work environment (which she has limited data inputs for) so beautifully and on-point. I felt so grateful for her and her willingness to bestow her gifts upon my experience. She is truly a blessing.

This class takes the time to understand why you're feeling the way you do, and how to overcome that.

I have known Karen for several years now both as my Executive Agenda chair and personal coach.  I tremendously value her insight and ability to help me see all sides of an issue. She has helped me become a better and more well-rounded leader and person.

Karen Lemke is a dynamic and engaging facilitator and speaker. Her varied background gives her not only the knowledge, but the experience, to lead any individual or organization to be more forward thinking and in-tune with their corporate culture.

In the Holistic Leadership program, I learned the importance of using your gut and heart to lead. I’m going to share my dreams for my kids with them, and work on a family dream list. Karen leads with her heart. She is passionate and knowledgeable on the Holistic Leadership topic. It’s apparent that this material is near and dear to who Karen is, and therefore she does a great job presenting this material.

Karen engages her audience. She creates live examples that help us understand and make sense of her lessons. This is a great program for anyone who interacts with others. It allows an individual to think about how to be the most effective listener/speaker. Thank you. These practices are things I will use to help myself be BETTER in and out of the workplace.

Karen has a unique ability to identify and assess leadership skill gaps, provide effective insight and coaching, and drive leadership growth. I had the pleasure of participating in Executive Agenda with Karen for several years. Karen was an extremely valuable member of our group. Our executive members regularly sought out her expertise in evaluating leadership challenges and creating practical solutions and development plans tailored to the particular needs of the individuals and their businesses.

Karen’s Holistic Leadership program forces you to think in ways you normally would not. It shows you how to approach situations differently. I will make a point to pay more attention to the gut and heart. My biggest take-away is recognizing the need to incorporate all 3 aspects (head, gut, heart) to be the best possible leader, person, father, etc. Excellent and insightful session.

Karen is an energetic, passionate coach that uses her vast experiences to inspire and bring out the best in people. She is an exceptional listener, and asks just the right questions to challenge and motivate others. Karen has a genuine kindness about her that allows her to form a bond with those she works with, and her leadership insights have a positive impact on anyone she works with.

She sets you at ease and breaks the components of communication very accessible to understand. This program is wonderful. Karen makes all of this info very user-friendly and accessible. Would recommend for any associate looking to better communication/inter-personal skills. Thank you, Karen! You made this room a safe place and the training fun!

Great insight to the different ways people think/communicate.

I recently graduated from St. Norbert College’s Center for Exceptional Leadership.  The lead facilitator for my program was Karen Lemke.  The program challenges the participants on a leadership level that is unlike any other.  The success of that level of leadership depth in my cohort was largely due to Karen.  Karen is a humble leader, so she would tell you that it was the cohort as a whole; but what is also true is that it was her compassion, drive, and expertise that made it possible. Karen creates an environment that is safe.  Safe seems like such a simple word, but her ability to create that safe space allowed the participants to show their authentic selves, to challenge the process, and to break through as exceptional leaders. It was Karen’s experience, guidance, and leadership that ushered the participants through the program to graduation. It is her continued support and commitment to each one of us that will truly allow us to continue on the path to exceptional leadership. 

I feel fortunate for my opportunity to work with Karen, who was a helpful mentor during my journey through the Center for Exceptional Leadership. She uses an unassuming approach to encouraging others to be their best, pointing out positives while kindly challenging to keep looking for ways to be better. Karen is also an excellent facilitator who uses her personal experiences mixed with a little humor to bring her topics to life. Any interaction with Karen will make you better!

I was fortunate enough to meet and work with Karen Lemke through the CEL Senior Leadership cohort. Karen has an incredible ability to bring the entire team together to participate in thought provoking discussions allowing all opinions and observations to be brought to light. She was able to draw from experiences and learnings on her own leadership journey which gave her authentic credibility. Her open and honest approach to all the topics covered allowed me to let my guard down and to grow in my personal leadership journey. I truly appreciate the opportunity to work with Karen for over a year throughout the program.

Thank you for the great session on Recalibrating Your Resilience!

Karen stands out as the most exceptional executive coach I've had the privilege of knowing and learning from. I'm overjoyed that our paths have crossed. To me, she transcends the role of "just" an executive coach; she is so much more than that. She's simply extraordinary. Karen has provided me with insights I couldn't have gained alone. She's been my strongest supporter while also offering constructive criticism to help me reach my full potential. That's Karen's essence – she strives for your best and spares no effort in aiding you to achieve it. Isn't that remarkable? I am forever thankful for her guidance, time, companionship, and unwavering support. I wholeheartedly endorse Karen to anyone seeking transformative coaching.

Thank you for a wonderful class! Personable, comfortable, relatable. I enjoyed learning about where I am in my leadership journey. I would recommend to anyone! This doesn't just apply to work. I have been struggling in some life changing decisions and this has helped me feel good about my decisions. Karen - you have made an impact on me. I have never enjoyed classes like this, but I would attend all of your classes!! Thank you!

I wanted to express my sincere gratitude for your invaluable contribution to our strategy meeting last week. Your presentation, "It's Your Time to Shine," was an absolute highlight, and I speak for everyone when I say that it truly resonated with many of us.  Once again, thank you for your time, dedication, and the wealth of knowledge you shared with us. We are grateful to have had you as our guest speaker, and your impact will undoubtedly have a positive ripple effect on our future endeavors.  Looking forward to the possibility of collaborating again in the future.

Having the ability to recognize what is leading us (head, gut, or heart) makes us better understand the importance of all three. My biggest take-aways are understanding how fear can impact our daily lives, and making sure we address the root cause of that fear. I will share my take-aways with my family.

I participated in a group "I Have a Dream" exercise with Karen. The pre-work and process of developing our "dreams" were thought and emotion-provoking. Putting my dreams on paper and then sharing my dreams with others, who shared their dreams with me was stirring. Karen's facilitation -- including her reading her dreams first was awesome and inspiring. This was a very important experience for me and I believe the rest of my life. The transparency and openness that seems to naturally happen during the facilitated session I believe will improve our group dynamic because we could experience how much we had in common. The values alignment with our group was astonishing and was revealed throughout the day. Thank you, Karen.

As a leader, I always felt the imposter syndrome. The part that I liked the best was "what else could be true?" The "yes, and..." really hit home and I know I'll be saying it in my personal life as well as my professional.

Karen facilitated the “I Have a Dream” exercise on July 29, 2019 for a group of executive mentors (Chairs) from Executive Agenda. It was humbling and inspiring to listen to the dreams of almost thirty people who have dedicated a large portion of their work to helping other leaders be the best they can be. Stephen Covey said “Begin with the end in mind” and Karen’s dream workshop helps people put their past, present and future into succinct perspective.

While working through a job transition, a business colleague suggested that I connect with Karen for suggestions and advice on my job search. Karen and I met, and she was wonderfully supportive. What stood out to me was her care and compassion for others. Knowing that job transitions are emotional, she gave me a copy of a book that she knew would be helpful for the emotional journey that I have been on. I was very appreciative of that gift, and her willingness to meet with me periodically as I navigate through this life changing experience. Her humanistic qualities set her apart as a leader, and I am happy to call her my friend.

Karen’s genuineness and listening skills are at the heart of her excellent coaching.  Working with her over several months helped me understand how my communication skills needed some polishing up.  I saw some real improvements at home and at work with some new tools and new thinking.  Karen’s enormous positivity is so appealing, it’s hard not to soak some of it up!

Karen will ask you challenging and important career development questions and has such a genuinely caring approach. No matter what, you will grow as a person and leader after spending just 30 minutes with Karen. She is truly passionate about her work and understands what makes both small and large companies tick.

Karen is inspirational, intelligent, refreshing, energetic and humorous.  Karen provides leadership coaching at Moraine Park Technical College, individually and as a collective leadership group.  In both capacities she greatly invests in her audience and in turn captivates them, encouraging people to apply her message to their life and leadership.  Her message centers around the head, heart and gut, and she challenges leaders to listen to all three.  Each time you meet with Karen you walk away with a feeling of gratitude and an understanding of how to make each day better than the previous day. 

This program helped me to become more self aware. And I learned the ability to coach through the experience of delegating. Karen engages with stories and experiences, to help her content become more relatable. This past couple of weeks has been fantastic. I really appreciate everything Karen does. She always does a great job engaging with the group. I feel that it's awesome how she presents the information.

A good mentor is hard to find.  When I first started Executive Agenda, I wasn’t sure of many things as a young leader.  It wasn’t long before Karen and I were sitting down talking about leadership over coffee.  She was always willing to make herself available to support and advise me.  She made me feel that I was not alone in this crazy, fast-paced world of business and that she genuinely cared about my own professional development.  She would ask tough questions that made me dig deeper.  Her advice was focused and motivating.  Karen always gave more than I asked for and for that she was a trusted advisor.

We all want to feel comfortable when talking to someone else. This program gives you the tools to unlock your personality, locked behind fear. Makes you think before acting; use emotion and thought.

When I reached out to Karen with an opportunity to serve as the keynote speaker at our women’s leadership workshop, I was coming with a challenging ask: Can you come in as an external speaker to close out an event that will otherwise feature and celebrate internal talent? Can you help us pivot from highlighting our uniquely shared past and present successes and give us a new and renewed commitment to innovate our future impact? It wasn’t a situation that would work with any recycled presentation. Karen’s “Yes!” led to a collaboration in which she proved herself to be the caring and talented professional the testimonials on her website say she is. Her 90-minute keynote was thoughtfully tailored for our event and our audience. Her expertise and engaging presentation style brought it all together, inspired our audience, and helped ensure the success of our event. I would work with Karen again in any capacity at any time.

Karen is an amazing coach who is extremely knowledgeable on a vast array of leadership topics. She easily combines her formal training with her real world work experience which allows her to present her influence in an authentic, easy to understand and applicable manner. Karen has the ability to connect with others on a very personal level making her a very effective coach. She challenges those she coaches to think about situations differently and gently pushes each of us to become the best version of ourselves.

I have had the pleasure of working with Karen as my coach for nearly a year and I can say that I’ve not only learned a great deal from Karen but she has positively influenced both my professional and personal life.

If you're struggling with communication or relationships, this is the class for you. It's great to be in these classes and learn so much from Karen. Great tools to obtain in work life and personal life. (Leadership class) really makes you think and gives you so many resources to be a great leader. I love Karen's training! She is an amazing teacher and mentor and really gets me thinking. Karen does a great job at making sure the content she is presenting is understood by her audience. She really cares about building skills in people, making them successful leaders.

Very informative and conversational. Karen makes everyone feel comfortable and important.