Kimberlie Dykeman
Website: http://www.puresoapbox.com/As a lifestyle coach, motivational speaker and on-camera personality, Kimberlie Dykeman has made a successful career by uplifting and entertaining others. Her passionate approach to helping people find their purpose has attracted audiences across the country, from California to Texas, and to her home state of New York. Dykeman recently expanded her popular SOAPBOX brand with a new book, Pure Soapbox, which blends well-known quotes with well-honed commentary to deliver a cleansing jolt of inspiration.
Born in upstate New York, Dykeman discovered at a young age that she had a knack for entertaining. With her charismatic personality and high-octane energy, she made it her mission to have a positive impact on others. After graduating from Binghamton University with a bachelor's degree in literature and rhetoric, Dykeman traveled around the country trying on various professional hats. From elite personal trainer and lifestyle expert columnist, to model and stand-up comic, she met people from all walks of life who shared a common need: to find regular fulfillment in their daily lives.
Over the next 12 years, Dykeman built InnerStrength Connection, a private practice which allowed her to address this very issue with a wide pool of clients, from corporate powerhouses to single moms. A Certified Fitness Trainer through the American Council on Fitness, Dykeman chose to finally settle down in Austin, and watched her reputation also grow as a leading motivational speaker, executive coach and wellness expert who could push her clients to new levels both personally and professionally.
Capitalizing on her industry expertise, business savvy and entertaining wit, Dykeman began a weekly inspirational email called "The Monday Soapbox Edition," which reinforced lifestyle changes in her clientele of business executives and renowned leaders through wisdom-charged quotes from famous figures. Her signature seize-the-day commentary gained a following well beyond her client base, and soon the SOAPBOX brand was born. Dykeman began test-driving larger media outlets and was asked to host several health segments on local news programs including Workout Wednesdays on KTBC-TV, a FOX affiliate, and Healthvue for KVUE-TV, an ABC affiliate. She also contributed several articles on topics such as stress, work-life balance and overall wellness to local lifestyle magazines including Austin Monthly, Austin Fit and austinwoman.
Dykeman's professional growth took her next to Los Angeles, where she evolved as an on-camera personality and authority in the entertainment industry. It was there that she discovered television to be the most effective medium to reach her audience, and today, she has made numerous appearances on television, radio and online programs as a host, correspondent, international spokesperson and expert guest.
Upon her return to Austin, Dykeman began exploring the reach of her original SOAPBOX vignettes, transforming her original emails into a compilation of bite-sized chapters filled with humor and her own kick-in-the-pants motivational style. The manuscript soon earned the attention of Dalton Publishing, resulting in the new book, Pure Soapbox... a cleaning jolt of perspective, motivation, and humor (Wiggy Press, June 2008). Dykeman's accompanying blog, SOAPBOX of the week, continues to grow with international readership, and with an audio book in the forecast for early 2009, Dykeman steps back to the podium with a newly launched, interactive speaking platform entitled "21st Century SOAPBOX".
Moved to share her brand's success with charitable causes, Dykeman became a Grassroots Fundraiser for Lance Armstrong Foundation, which will receive a portion of the book proceeds. While juggling her duties as a lifestyle coach, entertainment entrepreneur and speaker, Dykeman also hosts the web-based television program ShelfLife.tv and several interview series, including SXSW Interactive, on Web2point0.tv.
