Stephanie Stephens, Founder, Chief People Connector
[email protected]

Stephanie shares a passion with her team for connecting people with resources that fill a gap, promote positive transformation, and enhance business relationships.  As a confident, high-energy leader and master of networking, she intentionally creates opportunities to serve others, add value and provide a pathway to impactful business outcomes.

Armed with tenacity for identifying business opportunities that serve her clients and the organizations they do business with, she believes transformation happens with “one right connection.” As a certified John C. Maxwell Coach & Trainer, Stephanie is a champion of employee mentoring, team building, culture transformation, and leadership development; she operates from a growth-mindset and believes there is always more to learn.

Stephanie places strong emphasis on community involvement and helping individuals connect with the services needed to help improve their lives and the lives of their families, friends and colleagues.

Every candidate and client conversation centers around “what matters most,” and what fuels the motivation for change, growth, and transformation. KESST provides career opportunities in sales, manufacturing, technology, and healthcare. 


Racheal Weisensee, Managing Partner
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Racheal is a high-performing sales executive who possesses a deep understanding of client product and service offerings, market trends, and client needs, allowing her to effectively communicate value and build strong business relationships.

As Managing Partner, her focus is Market Development, Managing Client and Candidate Relationships and Strategic Planning for KESST. Her goal is to create corporate partnerships; discovering and connecting talent that will align with their mission, values, culture and support execution.

Racheal applies her personal sales achievements to her recruiting and coaching initiatives – having earned Presidents Club awards 9X over. As a top producer, Racheal mentors sales candidates by promoting self-motivation, resilience, revitalization of underperformance and capturing new opportunities for career growth.

Sheila Hawkins, Champion of Performance & Time Mastery
[email protected]

Productivity with a revolutionary approach. My goal is to change the way professionals view and approach getting things done. There is no one-size-fits-all style to creating time in your day, if there were, one planner would be all anyone needs. 

You are unique in your worldview, your approach to life and your business, in your struggles to gain enough time in the day to work and manage family. But if I told you that you have more than enough time to get it all done…I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised. 

What will surprise you is how easy it is to make that shift. No more missed family events. No more working while everyone else is playing. Create the time you need in a day without losing your identity or trying to fit into someone else’s mold of what your productivity practice should look like. 

Sheila Hawkins, author of Wielding Time: Taking Back Your Power to Increase Productivity, Co-Author of Who’s Going to Stop Us Now?  Sheila is one of 30 experts interviewed by Michael Brecht, CEO of Doodle for The Productivity Book.  Sheila is here to help you create time.



BE Encouraged

Challenging times call for creativity

Yep, it’s no secret, Covid was a game changer for businesses and employees alike. Companies that opted to pivot made immediate changes to include the shift to remote work. Many companies that never considered remote work prior to Covid were forced to adapt quickly. This shift has become permanent, with many employers adopting hybrid or fully remote models. Companies accelerated their adoption of digital tools and platforms to maintain operations during lockdowns. This led to increased demand for IT professionals, software developers, and cybersecurity experts.

Many employees were faced with the decision to change careers, make shifts in their employment from full time to part time or to retire earlier than they had planned. The GIG economy growth skyrocketed as people took on freelance, contract, and part-time work due to job loss or the need for flexible work arrangements. For many, this crisis served as a springboard to do “the thing” they always wanted to do but were never willing to take the risk. The importance of ‘upskilling’ and ‘reskilling’ became evident as the job market evolved. Many employees had to learn new skills to adapt to changing job requirements.

The changes set in motion through the pandemic continue to shape the job market, influencing how companies hire, how people work, and what skills are in highest demand.

Good things are always on the horizon. Employers are still looking to hire talented candidates and valued contributors to their organizations. We should all continue to DREAM BIG.  If you need an assist to get your mind focused on all that is possible,  we’re here to help! We believe that some of the best creativity comes when we are positioned to think beyond our current circumstances and conditions.  Our team is here to coach, guide, and equip you with the necessary tools to live your BEST life! You’ve got this – BE encouraged!

 – Stephanie Stephens, Chief People Connector, KESST Global Network


“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.”

Amelia Earhart

“Transformed people transform communities. Positive transformation comes from living out what never changes in a time when everything around you seems to be changing.”

John C. Maxwell, Change Your World

“A servant leader must outright reject the idea of self and prioritize the needs of others before their own – even at their own expense. They must permanently erase “I lead,” and wholeheartedly embrace “I serve.” Creating an environment of inclusion & belonging begins with leadership, more specifically servant leadership.”

Mohammad Anwar, CEO, Culture+