Brandi Keiser: Helping People ‘Rise Again’

Brandi Keiser is an accomplished executive coach and business consultant who brings her experience as a two-time startup Chief Operating Officer and entrepreneurial expert to her work. She supports individuals and businesses to overcome the challenges of transitions or feeling stuck to achieve growth and engagement with a more rewarding future. Brandi is an empathetic motivator who is ardent about helping others to ‘rise again’ in fierce pursuit of their goals.

From startup to the operational maturity of the companies, Brandi has worked with numerous CEOs to help them develop and implement corporate strategies, tools, and resources to foster scalability, quality delivery, and thriving culture at every growth phase.

Brandi has also supported many high-profile government clients as a Big-5 management consultant. She facilitates the communication and analysis required for effective change management for these government clients, including business process improvement and complete organizational redesign.

Venturing into business

Having spent her entire career in management and consulting, Brandi launched two businesses: Brandi Keiser International LLC and Clear Lotus Consulting, during the COVID-19 pandemic. She aims to help people overcome their challenges by transforming them through her coaching. According to Brandi, despite the devastation wrought by the pandemic, it has had positive impacts as well. As people stayed at home for longer periods, they had the time to introspect and find a balance in their careers. Like many others seeking to know what they wanted to do, Brandi also discovered her calling. She learned that she could share her life experiences with people and help them ‘rise again.’

The experiences and the challenges she faced in her life often made her feel exhausted and mentally disturbed. However, she always believed she could get up and do something new. With that intention in mind, she founded Brandi Keiser International and Clear Lotus Consulting. She ensures that she remains in good mental health to help others because “unless you can help yourself, you cannot help others.”

Brandi begins her day every morning with a walk. “This is not about physical exercise, but more about maintaining my mental agility,” she says. These morning walks invoke good feelings in her, helping her plan the day better. At the same time, she loves to write a lot. She writes diaries to capture her dreams that she is passionate about and ends up with different game plans. According to her, this is “rising” and getting going again.

Quitting Corporate America

She benefited a lot from Corporate America but decided to leave her job because she had another journey in store for her and eventually started her business. However, starting a business did not come without the initial hiccups. Brandi experienced imposter syndrome and was afraid of failing. Nevertheless, her experience in the corporate world strengthened her belief that she had a lot to give to society. “I knew many things and could not let them go waste,” she says. In a lighter vein, she adds that she has never quit Corporate America altogether as she continues to coach many wonderful people from the industry every day.

“Be committed to your dreams and goals, and take the first step. We only have one life, so do it now.”   ―Brandi Keiser

Clear Lotus Consulting

When Brandi launched her second business venture, she looked for an appropriate name that would mirror her mission. That is when the word ‘Lotus’ struck her, and she named her company Clear Lotus Consulting after the flower because it grows in the mud, away from the sun, but eventually reaches the light. 

“The lotus is a beautiful flower that floats above murky waters. Lotus has been a symbol of enlightenment, self-regeneration, and rebirth. The same things are seen in the journey and transformations of individuals and organizations as they overcome challenges and achieve goals. The colors of the lotus also has deep symbolism,” Brandi comments.

She chose the word “clear” to represent the clarity and transparency necessary to lead and achieve big things.

Brandi’s coaching methods

Talking about the methods she uses to coach individuals, Brandi believes coaching is a very personal experience, and every individual has a different talent, style, and call. So, coaching has different methodologies. Individuals have challenges and difficulties, so she asks them to put themselves in her shoes and say how they would solve the problem. She is a great listener and pays attention to her clients to get to the root of their problems. When people speak from their hearts, she scratches a little deeper. Often it is found that the client has been experiencing the issue due to something that happened three or four years back.

“Most people know the right answer to their problems but lack confidence or awareness. Many also know what they need to do but do not have the right perspective,” Brandi adds. “They need some confidence, and I give them that confidence to do what they love the most. After all, people need to have ownership over their journey.”

 The BK Community & Gold Circle

The BK Community comprises people who take personal development coaching from Brandi. Individual or one-on-one coaching may be isolated, even with a coach but a personal development journey with others can be helpful. When you share your problems with a community, others can share their ideas too. When we are challenged and do not know what to do, others’ experiences may often be helpful.

The BK Gold Circle is like the BK Community in many ways, with the sole difference being that the members here are executives seeking business development. It is an effort to bring various executives on a common platform and solve their business challenges.

Self-belief as powerful tools

Brandi propagates self-belief for emergence after a period of darkness. Often, people feel disconnected from their goals or lose confidence in their abilities. They may be clouded or exhausted owing to medical problems, family issues, or even death. In such circumstances, negative thoughts creep into the mind. Experience has taught Brandi that if people are confident while re-emerging, they can reach their goals. Instead of having a negative idea like ‘why this does not happen to me,’ they can turn their thoughts to ‘this can happen to me’. “A cheerful voice in our head helps us overcome the problems and rise again,” says Brandi.

Juggling home and business

Brandi has overcome numerous challenges in her life, including divorce and the death of close ones, which have had a devastating effect on her. But today, she listens to her body and mind. She has learned the hard way to balance her priorities and ensure her daily goals by being mindful and supporting people in their challenging times. This has also helped her connect with them on a deeper level and subsequently become an efficient coach.  Brandi is a happy mother and a wife who manages two successful businesses.

The road ahead

She has lots of plans including devising a few courses to help women who want to make it big in the business world. Her lessons will guide aspiring women entrepreneurs on how to start a business, grow, maintain their success, and attain many other things. Brandi is creating various resources to help women. 

Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

Describing entrepreneurship as having a baby and early motherhood, Brandi says that it is an overwhelming and isolating experience that kindles one’s abilities. She advises women planning to start new businesses to tap into online resources and hire a coach. “At the same time, it is essential to follow people on the same journey, as this will help them learn a few things,” she adds.