As an on-air personality at the beginning of her career, Kelli Kombat wanted to use her voice to inspire people. Today, she owns and operates a professional coaching practice built upon her core belief that “inclusion is innate, and a sense of belonging is infinitely essential.”
To realize her dream, Kombat made the daunting leap from the responsibility of being a global executive to the excitement of being a full-time entrepreneur. In large part, she made that move through contacts she made, skills she developed, and the credential she earned at the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance (LCOP).
As a coach who describes herself as “obsessed with innovative inclusion,” she now is in the database of DEI executives at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) with the focus to evaluate inclusion plans for scientific proposals. Kelli also serves as a credentialed coach, inspiring inclusive leadership and career confidence.
She hosts her own podcast called “Career Kombat,” and she is also the 2024 Interim President-Elect of the International Coaching Federation’s New Jersey Charter Chapter.
Before venturing into coaching, Kombat built an enviable career in Human Resources. She advanced to executive positions in both the automotive and cosmetic industries before opening a part-time coaching and consultation practice, ‘Resources in Coaching Happiness’ (R.I.C.H. LLC) before joining LCOP.
The LCOP experience and community energized her to take the risk of leaving a steady paycheck for the uncertainty of a full-time coaching business. She knew she wanted to expand and obtain the knowledge she needed to become International Coaching Federation (ICF) certified.
She enrolled in the leadership coaching program to make a difference not just in her consulting business but also in executive partnerships and the global community. “It was the start. It was the foundation. It was the scaffolding for all…. I do now.”
“When I think about all the things that I’m doing now. I don’t think I could have been doing any of those things, whether it’s being a mentor [for the leadership coaching program] or working with ONERed (High-Impact Leadership Program),” she states.
Her goal was not only to grow her new business at the time but to help build confidence and communication skills for people of all ages. By completing her certification from the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance (LCOP) program at Rutgers University, she has been opening doors to new opportunities, including her upcoming book, “Against All Odds” in collaboration with bestselling author Lisa Nichols and an exceptional team of co-authors.
With over 3000 hours of coaching under her belt, Kombat is now a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) through the International Coaching Federation (ICF).
The LCOP program, delivered in partnership with Heidrick & Struggles, is built on the “learn by doing” maxim of adult education to deliver an ICF-approved Level 2 coaching program. It is taught with a practitioner's edge combined with learning the practical foundation of the ICF Core Competencies. Program instructors are professional coaches who weave real-time case studies into the classroom experience.
For more information about ICF Certification or the program at Rutgers, please visit the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance Program website or call Dana Bernstein at 732-331-3303.
