Welcome to Just One Pivot, a focused pause to spark your next best move. This week, we’re learning from a woman I deeply admire, and whose pivot might just illuminate your next move too.

Do you have what I call “iron sharpens iron” friends?

The kind who challenge you and let you challenge them. Who cheer when you succeed and stand by you when you fall. The kind who won’t let you wallow in self-pity, but will sit in the mud with you when needed, then gently remind you it’s time to rise.

Let me introduce you to that kind of friend.

Her name is Karen Hinds, and her story holds powerful lessons for anyone navigating change, craving renewal, or standing at the edge of their next bold chapter.

Meet Karen Hinds

Karen Hinds is not your typical CEO.

She’s a powerhouse with a ever-burning fire, the kind of leader who has built a global consulting firm, written five books, and advised C-suite executives at Fortune 500 companies... all while tending to over 80 tropical fruits and vegetables in her backyard garden.

But her story isn’t just about success. It’s about reinvention and renewal.

Born on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Karen moved to the U.S. at 15, a teenager navigating a new culture, school, and identity. From the start, she learned to adapt fast, think strategically, and build relationships that would later become the foundation of her career.

Karen went on to launch the Workplace Success Group, a training and strategy firm serving clients like the United Nations, Turner Construction, AmeriHealth Caritas, and Webster Bank. She became a respected voice in leadership development, DEI, and workforce strategy. She was featured in Black Enterprise, The Boston Globe, and Family Circle. Her influence spans boardrooms and classrooms, keynote stages and community boards.

But even with all that success, a question kept emerging within her:

That question marked the beginning of her pivot.

Burned out and restless, she began to reevaluate everything: her pace, her purpose, her values. She took time away. She got still. She started over—not by walking away from her life’s work, but by realigning it with who she had become.

Today, Karen isn’t just building better leaders. She’s building whole lives.

Through The RENEW Experience, a multi-day, soul-stirring event for high-performing women, Karen is helping others rediscover themselves, reignite their faith, and reimagine what success can look like without losing their health, joy, or soul in the process.

What Karen’s Story Teaches Us

We often talk about reinvention as a kind of leap. A bold departure. A dramatic change.

But for Karen, reinvention didn’t start with a leap. It started with a letting go.

Letting go of the pace.
Letting go of the titles.
Letting go of the image she had worked so hard to uphold.

And that transformation began with surrender.

Instead of chasing someone else’s vision of success, Karen began listening for her own. Instead of hiding the struggles that didn’t fit her public image, she started sharing them. And to her surprise, that vulnerability didn’t diminish her, it magnified her impact.

Today, her life looks different. Slower, yes, but fuller and more grounded. The boldest move she made wasn’t rebuilding a thriving business or launching a global conference. It was trading the life that looked good for the one that feels good. The one that’s real and aligned with her core values.

And that’s the pivot she’s inviting others to make too, if they want to.

Stepping Boldly into One’s Greatness

“Step boldly into your greatness,” is Karen’s mantra.

Today, greatness looks like time on her own terms. Time to walk barefoot in her garden, time with her family, time to build meaningful community with other women who are ready to grow whole.

And that’s why she created The RENEW Experience, to hold space for that kind of transformation for women who are ready to take off the mask and show up as their whole selves.

Your Move

This week, ask yourself:

• Where in my life am I still chasing a version of success I’ve outgrown?

• What am I clinging to that may need to be surrendered, so something better can emerge?

• Where do I need to get still so I can renew and hear the voice within?

Try this:

Set aside one hour. No phone. No input. Just stillness. And ask: What does success mean for me—now?

I will be speaking at The RENEW Experience 2025, and I would love to see you and/or someone you love there! You can follow Karen’s work here or connect with her on LinkedIn.

Until next week,

P.S. If you’re new here, welcome! Whether you signed up recently or someone forwarded this to you, I’d love to keep you in the loop. You can subscribe to get your own copy here.

Here are three ways to connect with me:

👉 On LinkedIn

👉 Check out my book (celebrating a 10th anniversary)

👉 Book a free strategy consultation 

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