Up-Lead didn't start with a business plan. It started with one person who didn't have to pour into me — and did anyway.
I was 17 the first time I met Ken Proctor.
I'd landed my first internship out of high school — and "landed" is generous. I was a glorified receptionist. Ken came in once a month to coach the owner of the company, and he had no real reason to give me the time of day. I wasn't his client. I wasn't anyone's priority. But every time he came in, he spent time with me anyway.
That's the part I still think about. He didn't have to. He just did.
He didn't have to pour into me. He just did — and it changed my life.
Ken was everything I didn't know I needed: grounded, consistent, accessible, and completely unafraid to give me challenging feedback. When I'd get worked up over something ridiculous, he'd lovingly call me "crispy" and bring me right back down to earth.
That relationship didn't end when the internship did. It only got stronger through college. Ken opened up his network to me, and the chance to build meaningful relationships with seasoned, genuinely smart professionals changed the entire trajectory of my life.
Fast forward to 2017. I started working at Southwest Utility Solutions — and Ken was still there. Still coaching me, and still coaching Andrew Leach, the founder and visionary behind that company. Today, he spends intentional time with everyone on our team, especially Liz and Sean, who have felt that exact same thing firsthand: what it does to a person when someone chooses to pour into them.
The power of coaching and mentorship runs deep for us. It isn't a product we dreamed up — it's something we lived.
Keynote Speaker & Executive Coach
Caroline's mentor since she was 17 — and the reason Up-Lead exists. Ken has spent years pouring into our founders and our team: grounded, consistent, accessible, and never afraid to give the hard feedback that actually helps someone grow.
Connect with Ken on LinkedInUp-Lead is us keeping that promise. Everything we do is an attempt to be, for the next generation of young professionals, what Ken was for us — someone grounded and consistent who shows up, tells the truth, and genuinely pours in.
If you've ever wished you had someone in your corner who actually gets it, that's exactly who we're trying to be.