Kate McGuinness went from being a confident, high-flying Los Angeles lawyer to existing as an exile in an Iowa farm town, having lost her confidence along the way. Her surprise termination from a dream job started a downward spiral that grew steeper when the company paying her severance went bankrupt. The pain of divorce deepened the dive.

The first step on her journey back to confidence was becoming trained as an executive coach. As she learned about psychology and neuroscience, including the power of the brain to change itself, Kate saw how neuroplasticity could restore the confidence she’d lost. She began practicing mindfulness meditation, which made the road back to confidence easier.

The confidence Kate found differed dramatically from the feeling she had experienced as a prominent lawyer. Her newfound confidence doesn’t hinge on anyone’s praise or approval. It comes from within and is an authentic, sustainable trait.

Kate considers making the journey from confidence lost to confidence found her greatest achievement.  However, she still takes pride in the accomplishments that brought her to the peak before an unexpected shove sent her spiraling down. She served as the vice president and general counsel of a Fortune 200 company and acted as a partner of a major international law firm.

These days, Kate has her own coaching practice, Empowered Women Coaching, and writes with passion about women’s rights. Her essays have appeared in The Guardian, Forbes, and The Huffington Post as well as other publications. Also, Kate wrote Terminal Ambition, a popular legal thriller that entertains as well as educates women about their workplace rights. 

Kate’s desire to help women advance toward their goals motivated her to write Confidence Lost / Confidence Found: How to Reclaim the Unstoppable You.  She has found that developing greater self-assurance empowers women to realize their dreams and to speak out about the changes that our society desperately needs.