K Consulting

08/14/2026

🍑🏔️ Georgia Girl in a Utah World | Leadership Series

Three years ago, I left Mayor Erin Mendenhall and returned home to Georgia. Now life has brought this Georgia girl back to this amazing Utah world, back to public service, back to the Mayor’s Office, and into a new chapter as Chief Impact Officer.

Sometimes you have to leave to come back different.

I’m not returning as the same woman or the same leader who left three years ago.

I’m returning with more experience. More clarity. Stronger boundaries. Greater confidence. And an even deeper understanding of the responsibility that comes with leadership.

Sometimes returning to a familiar place gives you the clearest view of just how much you’ve grown.

I’m grateful to once again have the opportunity to serve in Mayor Erin Mendenhall’s administration and contribute to work that impacts the people and communities of Salt Lake City.

I didn’t come back to recreate my last chapter.

I came back to help build what’s next. 💛

📸 Pictured: Mayor Erin Mendenhall and me during my first week back in the Mayor’s Office.

Georgia made me. Utah grew me. And the journey continues. 🍑🏔️

08/14/2026

🍑🏔️ Georgia Girl in a Utah World | Leadership Lessons

Coming back as the new Chief Impact Officer in the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office, after three years, means some things feel familiar and a lot has changed.

New people. New challenges. New opportunities. New context.

And one of the people I’ve had the opportunity to reconnect with and work alongside in this new chapter is Rachel, our Chief of Staff.

This first week reminded me of two leadership lessons that really go hand in hand:

Listen before you lead and never underestimate the power of relationships.

Policies matter. Processes matter. Strategy matters.

But relationships are infrastructure too.

Trust determines how quickly teams can move, how honestly people communicate, how we navigate difficult conversations, and whether people believe in one another when things get hard.

Returning to a familiar organization can make it easy to assume you already know the landscape. But leadership requires enough humility to recognize that while you were away, people kept leading. Teams kept serving. The organization kept evolving.

So I always ask:

What happened while I was gone?

What has changed?

What have we learned?

What should we keep?

And where do we have an opportunity to grow together?

Experience may get you into the room, but curiosity and relationships help you understand the room you’re actually in.

Never get so focused on accomplishing the work that you forget to invest in the people doing it.

Because at the end of the day, some of the most important infrastructure we build as leaders will never appear on an organizational chart.

It’s trust.

📸 Pictured: Rachel, Chief of Staff, and me during my first week back in Mayor Erin Mendenhall office

08/14/2026

One of the highlights of attending the Sego Leadership Graduation this week was meeting Kanika.

I was immediately impressed by her brilliance in technology, her creativity, and the fresh perspective she brings to her work. Our conversation reminded me of something that is especially important for those of us working in leadership and public service:

We cannot build the future by being afraid to question the way things have always been done.

Kanika, it was a pleasure meeting you. Never be afraid to bring your ideas forward simply because a process, system, or organization has operated a certain way for years.

Public institutions need innovative thinkers. Our communities benefit when we create space for new voices, new technology, creative problem-solving, and people willing to imagine better ways to serve.

Your brilliance is necessary.
Your creativity is necessary.
Your perspective is necessary.

Keep bringing your ideas to the table. Leadership isn’t only about having a title, it’s also about having the courage to see what could be and helping others see it too.

You are a leader, Kanika. Keep using your gifts to make an impact on the people, organizations, and communities around you.

08/14/2026

🍑🏔️ Georgia Girl in a Utah World | Leadership Lessons

If you’re new here, I’m a Georgia girl who recently returned to Salt Lake City after three years away. I’m back in the Mayor’s Office where I previously served as the inaugural Chief Equity Officer, now stepping into a new chapter as Chief Impact Officer.

Leadership Lesson of The Day: Clarity is kindness. Clarity isn’t micromanagement. Thoughtful leaders create the conditions for people to feel safe asking when they don’t know.

People shouldn’t have to spend unnecessary energy trying to decode their leader. Clarity creates the conditions for people to confidently do their jobs.

But leaders need spaces to seek clarity, too and I’m grateful for people like Lindz Lindsey Nikola

As I navigate what’s changed over the last three years, she is always patient and willing to help me find the answers. And no matter how busy she is, she somehow finds time to make people feel seen, appreciated, and like they belong.

Leadership isn’t about expecting people to know everything. It’s about communicating clearly, answering questions without judgment, providing context, and making sure people have what they need to confidently move the work forward. Thank you Lindz.

Be clear. Be patient. Be thoughtful. And create spaces where people feel safe asking questions.

📸 Pictured: Lindz, Mayor Erin Mendenhall Deputy Chief of Staff + me my first week back in the Mayor’s Office

LeadHERLegacy

08/03/2026

07/02/2026

Championing talent. Creating legacies. You’ve been the overlooked long enough. It’s time the mic pays YOU. Unlock your voice, monetize your expertise, and get booked like the professional speaker you already are. Register for your 1 on 1 Speaker Coaching Session or get The Paid Speaker Blueprint now → www.activatewithk.com

07/02/2026

You see the polish, not the preparation, and that makes you think that stage confidence just shows up. It doesn’t. It’s built in the quiet, on the page, before anybody claps. Every speaker you admire has a notebook nobody’s seen. A ritual. A moment where they got still before they got loud. Book your 1:1 speaker coaching session and build what lies underneath the polish. www.mahoganytaurus.com

07/02/2026

You are called, chosen, and capable. Stop dimming your light and stop trying to be like everybody else. The room needs YOUR voice, not a copy of someone else’s. Leadership isn’t born. It’s built. Let’s build yours. Get the LeadHER Legacy Blueprint → activatewithk.com

07/02/2026

Your daily ritual for clarity, confidence, and purpose. The Whispers to Self Affirmation Journal is your quiet moment to reconnect with who you are before the world tells you who to be. Get your digital copy today at www.leadherlegacy.com