I Abandoned Myself for 20 Years and Called It Leadership, With Kelli Reese

Kelli Reese spent 17 years in natural foods, eventually running a $34 million cooperative, before her body forced her to stop. In this episode, she shares why she left everything behind, what she discovered about the real roots of imposter syndrome, and how she built a purpose-driven coaching practice that sustains her the way she sustains her clients.Chapters:0:22 Kelli's career overview and health crisis4:20 From Bakery to Boardroom: the Brooklyn origin story9:57 The Seduction of Being Needed13:15 When the Body Shouts: tumors, kidney depletion, adrenal fatigue17:02 Dismantling Everything at Once27:01 The $150K Wrong Question Trap35:30 What's Really Under Imposter Syndrome40:06 Values-Aligned Pricing That Sustains49:59 Stillness as a Leadership Superpower53:07 What's next: Sacred Soul Journeys, retreats, and group programsKey TopicsLeaving high-achievement careers to reconnect with purposeSurvival patterns vs. soul alignment in leadershipWhy imposter syndrome is often unhealed childhood woundsBuilding accessible, values-aligned pricing modelsStillness and self-awareness as leadership skillsAbout Kelli:Kelli Reese is a coach and author who spent seventeen years in the natural foods industry holding senior management roles in retail organizations, including serving as CEO of a multimillion-dollar operation.After leaving her career and a long-term marriage, Kelli founded Lead With Soul, where she works with leaders, founders, and creatives navigating transitions that don’t come with clear answers. She is the author of The Destiny Roadmap and The Relationship Roadmap. Her work focuses on helping people who are caught between what they’ve built and what they actually want. Her approach isn’t about forcing clarity or hustling through doubt. It’s about slowing down, untangling the mess, and making decisions you can stand behind. She lives in the Sierra Nevada mountains with her partner and their rescue dog and spends her free time hiking, baking bread, and treasure hunting in second hand stores.Connect with Kelli Reese:https://www.instagram.com/kelli.reesehttps://www.facebook.com/kelli.reese.coachhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/kellireese/New Projects:- Ongoing, 1:1 mentorship through Lead With Soul- Digital offerings include The Breakup Roadmap: https://www.kellireese.com/the-breakup-roadmap/- Contributing author to the anthology Plot Twist: Stories of Unexpected TransformationResources Mentioned:Lead With Soul https://www.kellireese.comThe Destiny Roadmap (book)The Relationship Roadmap (book)The Breakup Roadmap (digital) https://www.kellireese.com/the-breakup-roadmap/Plot Twist anthology (upcoming)Follow the Host, Rachel Bernier-GreenLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelberniergreen/Website: https://www.instagram.com/jointhryvo/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jointhryvo/LinkedIn (Company): https://www.linkedin.com/company/jointhryvo/Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/jointhryvoFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/jointhryvoTiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jointhryvoListen on Your Favorite PlatformSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0kmrlBqo4QHftlfmqo2Q32?si=4bd2e0e655864a26&nd=1&dlsi=37cbc85018304f35Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-purpose-profit-shift/id1829627732YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PurposeProfitShiftIf this episode resonated with you, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a fellow business owner who needs to hear this.