Dr. Kymm J. Nelsen
From inner purpose to outer enterprise. From vertical leader development to system regeneration.
Social Entrepreneur Research & Thought Leadership
Lived Experiences of Leader Development and Action Inquiry in For-Profit Social EntrepreneursKymm J. Nelsen’s doctoral research examined the lived experiences and action inquiry of social entrepreneurs. Specifically, it examined how these leaders experience their inner identity shifts personal growth while navigating the tensions inherent in hybrid businesses. Using interpretive phenomenological analysis, her study revealed that leading such hybrid ventures requires both sound hybrid business strategy and ongoing inner transformation.The findings illustrate how leaders evolve to engage complexity, hold paradox, and lead from a deeper alignment with purpose. This study integrates leadership development, adult development theory, social entrepreneurship, and regenerative systems thinking, offering a transdisciplinary view into how organizational and personal evolution are mutually reinforcing.Dr. Nelsen’s work contributes to the emerging conversation at the intersection of enterprise design and leader development, where humanity's ability to create regenerative systems accelerates through evolution toward postconventional vertical development.
Executive Summary (pdf) | Access Dissertation
Strategy + Purpose = Profit
Profitable Business Aligned with PurposeKymm Nelsen leads Ascend Leadership Partners, where she helps small business owners grow profitable, resilient companies without compromising their values. She brings decades of experience in business strategy, systems thinking, and purpose-driven alignment to support entrepreneurs in making the changes that unlock sustainable profit.Her approach is pragmatic and proven, built on systems that reduce complexity, generate predictable profit, and minimize reliance on additional ad spend.While profit is essential in every business, Kymm understands that many leaders are seeking more than financial gain. They are building vehicles for purpose, contribution, and legacy. Through Ascend Leadership Partners, she works with leaders to implement strategies that align operations with values, efficiency with ethics, and growth with meaning. This work is about traction and transformation.Profit that fuels purpose.
Strategy that strengthens what matters.→ Learn more at AscendLeadershipPartners.com
Vertical Development for Leaders
Transforming the Inner Architecture of LeadershipKymm Nelsen is the founder of Great Life Training, where she works with leaders navigating the transition from tactical execution to deeper, purpose-driven leadership. Her approach integrates decades of experience in executive coaching, adult development theory, and the real-world complexities of growing a mission-aligned business.This work supports leaders who are evolving beyond the limits of conventional leadership models—leaders who sense the call to guide from a more integrated, values-aligned center. Through 1:1 coaching and GPT-assisted tools, Great Life helps leaders expand their inner capacity to hold complexity, make sense of uncertainty, and lead with clarity and integrity.Vertical development is not about adding more skills. It’s about transforming the way you see, sense, and respond to the world.
It’s the work of becoming the kind of leader your vision requires.→ Learn more at GreatLifeTraining.com