Seven Years In

Seven Years In
written in January 2026

I don’t usually pause to mark milestones like this. But seven years into this work, it felt worth slowing down long enough to reflect on what this business has become, on the courage it took to begin, and on how deeply this work continues to shape me.

I keep coming back to the fact that it’s been seven years since I stepped out and started Dudash Executive Coaching.

I was scared to step out on my own.  It took me years to finally do it.  But I also knew just as clearly that staying where I was no longer fit. I felt called to do this work, even before I fully understood what it would become.

What I didn’t know then was how much this work would change me. Every client I’ve worked with. Every company I’ve partnered with. Every leader who showed up unsure, skeptical, tired, or quietly wondering, “Is this just how it’s always going to be?” - all of that has shaped me too.

What I love most about this work is witnessing leaders start to notice the beliefs and thought patterns that have been running in the background for years. The ones they’ve never questioned because they didn’t even realize they could be questioned.

Most people don’t reach out for coaching because it feels easy.
It feels uncomfortable.
It feels vulnerable.
It feels like an investment that might be “too much,” especially when they’re not even sure there’s anything to change.

And sometimes they genuinely don’t think change is possible. Not because they’re unwilling, but because they can’t imagine another perspective. They’re blind to it. They don’t know what they don’t know. And when you’re living inside a mindset like that, it’s hard to believe anything different exists.

So, when someone reaches out anyway - when they take that chance on themselves - I never take it lightly.

They trust me.
They trust the process.
And slowly, something begins to shift.

They start to see themselves differently. They realize the limitations aren’t facts—they are beliefs. And once those beliefs loosen, everything opens up.

The changes are rarely small.

Yes, their leadership changes - but so do their lives. Their families are different. Their relationships shift. Their communities are different because they are different. More grounded. More present. More confident. More fully themselves.

Seven years in, I feel deep gratitude. Gratitude for the courage it took for me to start. Gratitude for the leaders who have said yes even when they weren’t sure anything could change; and for work that continues to remind me, again and again, that when mindset shifts, life shifts.

I’m really glad I said yes.

Kimberly Dudash, PCC
Executive Coach & Leadership Development Strategist
Founder and CEO, Dudash Executive Coaching
Refining Leadership from the Inside Out