Kristy McCann Flynn: Filling the Skills Gap and Unleashing Potential through GoCoach

Hi friends, it’s Spiffy, back again on Planet Earth with an eye on entrepreneurs making the world a more equitable place! I have a stellar interview for you today! I’m excited to cruise around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with Kristy McCann Flynn, co-founder and CEO of GoCoach!

Spiffy: Thanks so much for taking the time to meet with me today, Kristy! Can you talk to me about the challenges you’re addressing? 

Kristy: Thanks so much for having me, Spiffy. GoCoach is a talent development platform that upskills and reskills all employees to unlock their potential in a safe and supportive environment with our coach marketplace and learning experience platform.

Spiffy: Okay Kristy, my curiosity is certainly piqued! What motivated you to help employees develop their skills and potential?

Kristy: As a former human resources executive, I saw way too many employees that were thrown out of companies due to their lack of skills. We have a war on talent and a skills shortage that we perpetuate by not investing in our greatest resource, which is people. We need to invest in people, not only to meet goals but to provide endless learning to open up endless opportunities for people in their careers.

Spiffy: That is so true! How is GoCoach working towards creating a more equitable workplace and world? 

Kristy: Well Spiffy, we drive diversity and inclusion with the transparency of our platform, ensuring that all employees get access to the learning they need to further advance their careers. We educate everyone to ensure equity and the ability to navigate their career and so no one is left behind due to a lack of skills. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we provided our platform for free to displaced workers and companies heavily impacted in their industry, to ensure that people had access in tough times to advance themselves with our learning platform.

Spiffy: That’s phenomenal! Have you achieved any milestones that you could tell me about?

Kristy: We have quadrupled our client reach and tripled our learner growth in one year, which is a huge milestone. We’ve also advanced our learning platform with DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) E-learning, and more. We continue to listen to our customers to ensure we are meeting people where they are at to fulfill their learning journey. 

Spiffy: How exciting! I need to ask you about failure — have you ever faced failure and didn't give up? 

Kristy: Well, Spiffy, we recently walked away from an investor that did not value or understand what diversity and inclusion are and the importance of board seats. It was embarrassing that we came so close to someone that did not believe or care about our values of empowerment and equality for everyone. I was beyond upset but not surprised because this just shows how much more we need to do to educate ignorance and hate out. We can do this with our platform by ensuring we meet everyone — from all walks of life — right where they are at — right here, right now with GoCoach.

Spiffy: What is something unexpected you've learned from someone recently?

Kristy: I recently learned from one of our coaches on the platform how patience is the backbone of humanity. Sometimes things happen that we cannot prevent and it is what we learn and gain from it that matters.

Spiffy: Before we sign off, is there anything else you would love to tell our audience? 

Kristy: If you believe in something, never give up — because you are not alone and what you are doing is needed by so many others. Even in the darkest days, people motivate me and remind me how much better we can become when we learn from one another.

Spiffy: I think we all needed that reminder, Kristy. Thanks so much for telling me about your work with GoCoach, it’s been an honor!

Kristy McCann Flynn, co-founder, and CEO of GoCoach, has 15 years of experience as a strategic human resource leader, change manager, and organizational development expert. Through GoCoach, Kristy is now bringing to life her big-picture perspective and hands-on, tactical approach to leadership. Kristy’s goal is to help and educate companies to meet their ultimate goals by empowering their employees to take ownership of their careers. (Nominated by Pathway Ventures)