Women Business Owners Who Are Making a Difference: Meet Kathleen Burns Kingsbury

When it comes to empowering women around money, Kathleen Burns Kingsbury is a true pioneer. As the founder of KBK Wealth Connection, Kathleen has spent nearly two decades coaching, consulting, and training financial professionals and businesswomen to navigate the often-overlooked human side of finance. Her mission is clear: to help women break the silence around money, build confidence in their financial decisions, and advocate for their worth.

Through her books, coaching, and speaking engagements, Kathleen is transforming the conversation about women and wealth. In this feature, we dive into her journey, what inspired her, the challenges she’s overcome, and how she’s making a difference for both individuals and the financial industry.

Lynn Davey: Tell me a little about yourself! Where are you from, and what inspires you every day?

Kathleen Burns Kingsbury: I’m a coach, consultant, and trainer specializing in women and wealth. Outside of work, I am passionate about playing in nature and in the winter you can find me on the ski slopes and in the summer on the mountain bike trails with my friends.

My inspiration comes from my desire to make the world a better place for women – more equitable with greater opportunities to pursue the careers and businesses they want to pursue. As a young girl, I was taught “there is nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it” and this is the message I pass on to the women I coach. The sports I do also reinforce that its okay to fall down, just wipe yourself off, learn something and get back at it!

LD: How would you describe your business in one sentence?

KBK: Heart centered, strategic coaching and consulting firm dedicated to empowering women around money.

LD: What does your business do, and who do you serve?

KBK: I offer coaching, both privately and in groups, for women in business and female financial advisors. I also train financial services professionals to work more effectively with women as advisory clients. While I primarily serve those in the wealth management and banking industry, I love empowering women business owners as well.

LD: What inspired you to start your business, and what was the moment you knew this was the path for you?

KBK: I didn’t fit into any set career path and decided to create my offerings. I combined my love of psychology with my background in finance and launched my firm, KBK Wealth Connection in 2007.

After I published the first of five books in 2011, I knew I was on the right path. I started to see how my unique perspective was needed in the financial services industry and how my psychological background and business acumen allowed me to train advisors on the human side of finance.

My services were more in demand, my speaking, training and consulting fees increased, and I realized I could make a big difference in the industry and how advisors worked with different segments of the women’s market. Now that I have been doing this for almost 20 years, people talk about me being a pioneer in the financial psychology space. While I didn’t set out to be, I guess I am!

LD: What’s one thing you wish more people knew about your industry or the work you do?

KBK: There are financial advisors that truly care about their clients. Often we think of advisors as transactional aggressive salesmen, but many are men and women that are smart and really care about their clients.

The other thing I wish people knew about my work is its okay not to be perfect with money. No one who is human is perfect financially, so don’t put that pressure on yourself. Instead learn from mistakes. I talk alot about this in my new book, Breaking Money Silence.

LD: What do you love most about running your business?

KBK: The freedom and flexibility to create and do work I love. Yes, every business requires that certain tasks get done, but it’s nice to be the boss and decide who you want to work with, who you want on your team, and when and where you do your work.

LD: How does your business make a difference, either in your community, industry, or for your clients?

KBK: When women and their families (and the advisors that serve them) communicate better about finances, it’s empowering. It allows them to ask and get paid what they are worth, engage in meaningful conversations with their loved ones and live “richer” lives.

I am proud of the impact I have had on the financial advisory industry and its adoption of financial psychology into the client engagement, but I am most proud of the impact I have had on the individuals I have coached or mentored. Each one goes on to do great things personally and professionally.

LD: What’s a project, initiative, or moment in your career that you’re most proud of?

KBK: My book Breaking Money Silence is one of my greatest achievements. To have it republished in a second edition is a thrill. Also the breaking money silence message is now not only for families and their advisors, but also for women looking to close the gender wage gap and earn an equitable wage at work. So cool!

LD: Are there any causes or organizations you support that align with your mission?

KBK: Savvy Ladies, Vermont Women’s Fund, Lean In, etc. They all do great work!

LD: What’s one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced as a business owner, and how did you overcome it?

KBK: The ups and downs of entrepreneurship were difficult in the beginning. Some years you are rocking and others, often due to circumstances that are not your own making (i.e economy, shift in the market, etc), were not.

Now I look at the slower times as an opportunity to take care of myself and to create a new service or write. In the past, I wasted too much time worrying about the slow downs and not enough time focusing on the opportunity within these periods. I shifted my mindset with the help of great coaches, good colleagues, and a very supportive husband.

LD: What’s a piece of advice you’d share with another woman who is thinking about starting her own business?

KBK: Go for it! And hire a good coach. It will save you time and help you become profitable sooner.

LD: Coffee or tea? How do you take it?

KBK: Coffee – with a little bit of milk – never any sugar!

LD: If you could have dinner with one inspiring woman (living or passed), who would it be and why?

KBK: Gloria Steniem. It’s probably obvious, but I love how she changed the world for women and made it possible for me to have a voice and work in a predominantly male industry. I would ask her how she sees the world now and what she thinks women like me can do to make sure women’s rights are protected for the next generation.

LD: Where can people find you or learn more about your business?

KBK: You can find me at KBK Wealth Connection to learn more about my coaching and consulting services, check out my latest book, Breaking Money Silence, and connect with me on LinkedIn for insights on women, wealth, and financial confidence.

Breaking Barriers, Building Confidence

Kathleen Burns Kingsbury is proof that financial empowerment goes beyond numbers… it’s about confidence, communication, and creating meaningful change. Through her work, she has helped countless women, families, and financial professionals have honest conversations about money, advocate for their worth, and build financial confidence.

Her passion for financial psychology, advocacy for gender equity, and commitment to breaking money silence set her apart in an industry where meaningful conversations about wealth are often overlooked. Whether she’s coaching a woman to advocate for her worth, training financial professionals to serve their clients with greater empathy, or writing books that spark important discussions, Kathleen’s mission remains the same: to create a more inclusive and financially confident world.

Know another inspiring woman business owner who should be featured? Send me an email! I’d love to share more stories like Kathleen’s.