ABOUT KARI EHMER
CONFIDENCE ISN'T SOMETHING YOU'RE BORN WITH.
IT'S SOMETHING YOU BUILD.
Speaker • Mindset & Confidence Coach • West Point Graduate • Army Veteran • Former Division I Athlete • Mom of 3
I've spent my life in environments where confidence, leadership, teamwork, and the ability to perform under pressure mattered.
But one of the biggest lessons I've learned is that confidence doesn't come from always succeeding.
It comes from learning to trust yourself through whatever happens next.
MY STORY
I'VE BEEN THE ATHLETE. THE LEADER. THE COACH. THE MOM.
Sports were one of my first classrooms.
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As a Division I athlete, I learned about competition, preparation, pressure, teamwork, success, failure—and what happens when things don't go according to plan.
Then came West Point and the U.S. Army.
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I served as an Army officer, including leading troops in Iraq. Leadership wasn't theoretical. The way you communicated, responded under pressure, made decisions, and showed up for the people around you mattered.
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And through it all, coaching has been a constant.
For more than 20 years, I've coached and developed athletes across youth sports, fitness, sports performance, and mindset and confidence.
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I've worked with students, athletes, teams, leaders, and professionals, and I've seen the same thing again and again:
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TALENT AND ABILITY AREN'T ALWAYS THE PROBLEM.
Sometimes the biggest thing standing between someone and what they're capable of is whether they trust themselves when the moment arrives.
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And now I'm a mom of three.
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Parenting has given me an entirely different perspective on confidence.
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We can tell our kids they're talented. We can tell them they're capable. We can tell them not to worry about what other people think.
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But we can't give them confidence.
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We can help them learn how to build it.
WHY I DO THIS WORK
BECAUSE YOU ARE MORE THAN YOUR LAST PERFORMANCE.
A grade.
A missed shot.
A mistake.
A presentation that didn't go the way you wanted.
A “no.”
A difficult day at work.
None of those moments get to define who you are or what you're capable of becoming.
My work is about helping people develop the tools to focus on what they can control, strengthen the way they talk to themselves, respond when things don't go as planned, take ownership of how they show up, and keep moving forward.
CONFIDENCE ISN'T ABOUT KNOWING EVERYTHING WILL GO RIGHT.
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IT'S KNOWING YOU CAN HANDLE YOURSELF WHEN IT DOESN'T.
MY APPROACH
PRACTICAL. POSITIVE. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE.
I don't believe confidence is built by endlessly focusing on everything that's going wrong.
My approach is future-focused and strengths-based.
We look at what already works, identify what creates confidence and calm, clarify who you want to become, and build practical tools you can use when pressure hits.
That might mean learning to:
Reset after a mistake
Focus on what you can control
Strengthen your inner voice
Lead yourself before leading others
Take ownership of your choices
Learn through failure
Define who you want to be—and practice showing up as that person
THE GOAL ISN'T PERFECTION.
THE GOAL IS HAVING TOOLS YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE.
BE BOLD
BE BIG. BE BOLD. BE BRAVE. BE YOU.
Confidence isn't about becoming someone else.
It's about learning to trust who you are, take ownership of your choices, and have the courage to keep growing.
The BE BOLD Framework gives people a practical way to do that:
B — BUILD YOUR MINDSET
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Recognize that the way you think shapes the way you show up.
E — ENGAGE YOUR INNER VOICE
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Learn to speak to yourself in a way that builds rather than breaks confidence.
B — BE IN CONTROL
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Focus your energy on what you can actually control.
O — OWN YOUR CHOICES
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Take responsibility for your response, actions, and impact.
L — LEARN THROUGH FAILURE
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Use mistakes and setbacks as information—not identity.
D — DECLARE WHO YOU ARE
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Know who you want to be and choose how you want to show up.
BEING BOLD ISN'T ABOUT BEING THE LOUDEST PERSON IN THE ROOM.
It's having the confidence to trust yourself, make your own choices, learn through what happens, and show up as who you want to be.
FROM ME TO WE
CONFIDENCE STARTS WITH
HOW YOU SHOW UP.
LEADERSHIP STARTS WHEN YOU REALIZE HOW YOU SHOW UP AFFECTS OTHERS.
First, we learn to lead ourselves.
Our thoughts. Our choices. Our response. Our effort. Our energy.
Then we recognize that none of us operates alone.
How we show up affects our teammates, classmates, coworkers, families, and communities.
That's the shift:
FROM ME TO WE.
Confidence. Leadership. Connection. Belonging. Teamwork. Culture.
They're not separate pieces of my work.
They're connected by one simple idea: how you show up matters.
EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS
EXPERIENCE BUILT UNDER PRESSURE.
WEST POINT GRADUATE
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B.S. Environmental Engineering
U.S. ARMY VETERAN
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8 Years of Service • Led Troops in Iraq
ATHLETE
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Division I Basketball & Softball
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National Champion & Team Handball Captain
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Hall of Fame South St. Paul High School 2024
20+ YEARS OF COACHING
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Youth Sports • Fitness • Sports Performance • Mindset & Confidence
CERTIFIED PERSONAL TRAINER
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American Council on Exercise • 2006–Present
TRAINING & CERTIFICATIONS
Certified Personal Trainer
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American Council on Exercise (ACE), 2006–Present
Youth Fitness & Sports Performance Specialized Training
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American Council on Exercise (ACE)
Level 1 Life Coach Certification
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Luke Hawkins, 2026
Transformational Mind Movies Method Coaching Certification
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Personal Transformation and Coach Academy, 2025
Mental Wellbeing Certification for Fitness Professionals
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Mental Wellbeing Association, 2026
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Coaching experience includes youth basketball, softball, soccer, sports performance, fitness, and mindset & confidence coaching.
WHO I WORK WITH
THE ENVIRONMENT CHANGES. THE WORK CONNECTS.
FROM ME TO YOU
BE BIG. BE BOLD. BE BRAVE. BE YOU.
​You don't have to become someone else to become more confident.
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You don't have to be perfect to lead.
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And you don't have to have everything figured out before you take the next step.
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You get to decide who you want to be—and practice showing up as that person.
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That's the work I love doing.
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~ Kari