The Kelso Group

What The Kelso Group does

The Kelso Group is a sole-proprietor professional services business operated by Kris Kelso from a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 2007, the firm delivers keynote speaking, executive coaching, and corporate workshop services focused on a proprietary 'Humble Confidence' framework, defined as confidence without arrogance and humility without hesitation. The core thesis is that capable leaders are often held back by self-doubt, impostor syndrome, and fear-driven behaviors, and Kelso's interventions target improved communication, trust, accountability, and decision-making inside leadership teams.

The product portfolio includes a signature keynote titled 'Overcoming The Impostor,' facilitated team workshops, one-on-one executive coaching, a self-paced online course hosted on the Kartra platform, and a published book titled 'Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critic and Lead with Confidence.' Revenue is generated primarily through professional services fees for keynotes, coaching, and workshops, supplemented by recurring online course revenue and one-time book sales. Pricing is quote-based across all service tiers and is not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales, initiated through website contact forms and direct outreach to corporate event organizers, conference planners, and university programs.

Operationally, the business runs as a solo practitioner model with Kris Kelso as the founder, primary operator, and likely sole full-time contributor, supported by contractors or partners for specific engagements. The firm carries no institutional investors, no funding history, and no formal parent entity. Distribution leverages a personal brand anchored by media placements in Fast Company Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the Nashville Business Journal, plus faculty positions at the Professional Christian Coaching Institute (Dean of Entrepreneurship), Heroic Public Speaking (Business Mastery Coach), and the Nashville Entrepreneur Center (advisor and instructor). Customer evidence is limited to three named engagements: Recast Software, California Closets of Tennessee, and OakPoint Real Estate.

Name

The Kelso Group

Legal name

Kris Kelso

Website

https://thekelsogroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Kelso Group is a Nashville-based solo professional services practice operated by Kris Kelso that delivers keynote speaking, corporate workshops, and executive coaching to help leaders overcome self-doubt and impostor syndrome through a proprietary 'Humble Confidence' framework.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Coaching & Leadership Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Executive Presence & Communication Coaching (EDABANAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Founder/Entrepreneur & Family Business Executive Coaching (EDABANAM), Career, Purpose & Executive Wellbeing Coaching (EDABANAI)

Keywords

• Executive coaching services
• Keynote speaking engagements
• Leadership development workshops
• Impostor syndrome coaching
• Corporate training facilitation

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Keynote Speaking: Fees for delivering keynote presentations at corporate events, conferences, and universities. Signature keynote is 'Overcoming The Impostor' focused on helping leaders overcome self-doubt.
2. Executive Coaching: One-on-one coaching services for leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners to overcome self-doubt and develop leadership capabilities.
3. Corporate Workshops: Team-based workshop facilitation focused on improving communication, trust, accountability, and leadership effectiveness.
4. Online Course: Digital course content delivered through Kartra platform for self-paced learning on overcoming impostor syndrome.
5. Book Sales: Sales of the book 'Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critic and Lead with Confidence'.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Kelso Group delivers keynote speaking, facilitated corporate workshops, and one-on-one executive coaching centered on overcoming self-doubt and impostor syndrome among leaders. Offerings also include a self-paced online course and a published book ('Overcoming The Impostor'), all built around Kris Kelso's proprietary 'Humble Confidence' methodology. Services are sold to enterprise organizations, mid-market firms, and individual entrepreneurs through custom-quote B2B engagements.

Product overview

The Kelso Group offers a portfolio of professional development services focused on leadership coaching and overcoming self-doubt. The core offerings consist of Keynotes (signature presentation 'Overcoming The Impostor'), Workshops (team-based facilitation), Coaching (one-on-one executive coaching), an Online Course, and a published Book titled 'Overcoming The Impostor'. These services are designed to help leaders develop what Kris Kelso calls 'Humble Confidence'—confidence without arrogance and humility without hesitation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Keynotes Keynote speaking presentations delivered at corporate events, conferences, and universities. Signature keynote 'Overcoming The Impostor' helps leaders, high achievers, and growth-minded professionals recognize the hidden cost of self-doubt, quiet the inner critic, and lead with greater courage, resilience, and authenticity. Designed for organizations, leadership teams, and event audiences.
• Workshops Facilitated team-based workshops designed to improve communication, trust, accountability, and leadership effectiveness. Helps teams build stronger culture, handle conflict with maturity and clarity, develop healthier leadership habits, align around goals, roles, and expectations, and move from awareness to action. Designed for organizations and leadership teams needing deeper intervention than a keynote.
• Coaching One-on-one executive coaching services for leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners to overcome self-doubt, communicate more effectively, and lead with greater courage and authenticity. Delivered personally by Kris Kelso, a Professional Certified Coach (ICF) and Dean of Entrepreneurship at the Professional Christian Coaching Institute.
• Online Course Self-paced digital course providing structured learning for individuals seeking to overcome impostor syndrome and develop confident leadership skills. Delivered through the Kartra platform.
• Overcoming The Impostor (Book) Published book by Kris Kelso titled 'Overcoming The Impostor: Silence Your Inner Critic and Lead with Confidence'. Serves as both a standalone product and a credibility and demand-generation asset for his speaking, workshops, and coaching engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• Improved team communication and trust through leadership development

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Professional Christian Coaching InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKris Kelso serves as the Dean of Entrepreneurship at the Professional Christian Coaching Institute, involved in curriculum development and faculty instruction for coaching programs.
• Heroic Public SpeakingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKris Kelso serves as a Business Mastery Coach at Heroic Public Speaking, a platform focused on developing speaking and leadership capabilities.
• Nashville Entrepreneur CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKris Kelso serves as an advisor and instructor at the Nashville Entrepreneur Center, supporting local entrepreneurs and startup ecosystem development.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Adam Grant: Organizational psychologist, bestselling author, and frequent corporate keynote speaker on workplace behavior and leadership. Comparable thought leadership platform, podcast visibility, and corporate engagement model.
• Marshall Goldsmith: World-renowned executive coach and bestselling author focused on leadership behavior change. Highly comparable one-on-one coaching, keynote speaking, and published methodology serving Fortune 500 leaders.
• Mel Robbins: Bestselling author and motivational keynote speaker whose personal-development content and corporate speaking engagements closely mirror the Kelso Group's offerings of books, courses, and keynotes targeting high achievers.
• Simon Sinek: Leadership keynote speaker and author of 'Start With Why' and 'Leaders Eat Last.' Directly comparable in leveraging a thought leadership platform, bestselling books, and corporate keynotes to drive workshop and consulting revenue.
• Michael Hyatt: Leadership coach, bestselling author, and speaker focused on productivity and leadership effectiveness for business owners and executives. Comparable in offering books, courses, coaching, and speaking aimed at the same persona.
• John Maxwell: Leadership author, speaker, and coach with extensive books, courses, and certification programs for leaders and entrepreneurs. Comparable monetization mix of publishing, keynotes, and training content targeting leaders and business owners.
• Jay Shetty: Author, podcast host, and keynote speaker on mindfulness, purpose, and leadership for corporate and conference audiences. Comparable digital-first personal brand monetized through books, courses, keynotes, and coaching-style content.
• Brené Brown: Researcher, author, and keynote speaker whose work on vulnerability, courage, and shame is directly adjacent to Kris Kelso's Humble Confidence framework. Both monetize through bestselling books, keynotes, and corporate workshops aimed at leadership and cultural transformation.
• Dr. Henry Cloud: Bestselling author, leadership consultant, and executive coach whose books on leadership boundaries and performance align with Kris Kelso's faculty role at the Professional Christian Coaching Institute. Comparable in combining faith-adjacent leadership training with corporate consulting and authored IP.

Broad incumbents

• Tony Robbins: Global personal development and business coaching brand with significantly broader reach and enterprise footprint. Operates in the same category (keynotes, books, coaching, events) but at much larger scale, serving as the incumbent ceiling for solo practitioners in the space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheKelsoGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-kelso-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Kelso Group