About Us

Kiva Leatherman

Kiva is the Founder and President of Wise Workshops, which develops curriculum for women to learn about their health, wealth and time. As a speaker, she encourages women to know themselves, to know about their money and to stop living vicariously through others – to achieve success and happiness on their terms.

Kiva was formerly a Sales Vice President with a major investment firm managing a territory that generated over $100 million in sales annually. Although the investment business was definitely a boys club, Kiva found a way to succeed with grace, humor and feminine strength.

Her presentations on women and investing laid the groundwork for what eventually became Wise Workshops and her personal mission to ensure that women are in charge of their own money, their own time and the decisions that they make regarding their nutrition and health.

She teaches women to create a framework for success which gives them the power and freedom to live well.

Kiva graduated with degrees in Psychology and Performing Arts from Washington University in St. Louis. She loves teaching women to get their groove on through dance and is a certified fitness trainer. Kiva lives on the beautiful Seacoast of New Hampshire with her husband, Michael and her young children, Myles and Charlotte.

Julie Haggerty Southworth - Chief Education Officer

Julie has worked as a Trainer, Facilitator, Manager, Senior Consultant, and HR Director. Her experience teaching and facilitating hundreds of groups allows her to draw out the group’s collective genius, wisdom, innovation, and creativity. When coaching, Julie remains a steadfast anchor through a small change or a total transformation. She helps each woman chart a personally rewarding course, courageously explore possible paths to get where she wants to go, hone in on the “real issues” holding her back from success, and alter direction when necessary. Julie’s insight and intuition allow her the tools to guide each woman to success.

Julie’s formal education and credentials include degrees and certifications in Communication, Psychology, Coaching, and a Master’s Degree in Education. Her career experience includes corporations, education, non-profits, and health care.

As a working and devoted single mother, singer and musician, and lifetime advocate of social justice and environmental causes, Julie is dedicated to helping others realize their dreams and aspirations.

Julie is perfect match for the Wise Mission; to teach women to be successful in all areas of their lives.

Our Story

Kiva:

I was crocheting.

I used to fly all over the country giving presentations on investing, and now I was in my pajamas, watching my kids play, with an idea. President Obama was maybe a few days in office and I'd been struck by his inauguration speech, reminding us of "what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage."

I always knew that someday I would teach women about money. I worked with a lot of men in my ten years in the mutual fund industry (shocking, I know) and they'd always want me to give seminars to women on investing. I found these opportunities incredibly rewarding. "Wow", the attendees would say, "That wasn't boring — not even scary, or intimidating." It's not hard — men do it all the time, this learning about money stuff.

In the couple of years I'd been home with my babies, I developed a passion for fitness and nutrition. I was growing young brains and I made sure to learn about giving my little brains the best food I could. I also became an aerobics instructor, teaching a dance class at a local gym. I've seen what a great fitness class can do for the mood and outlook of women. It's better than coffee — it's empowerment, it's collaboration, it's combined effort, it's joy, it's getting women to do things they never imagined they could.

So, in my pajamas, crocheting away, I decided that if I could take what I know about money, fitness, nutrition and business and create the same atmosphere as my dance class — and teach other women to teach the same — we wouldn't just be a group of women, we'd be a movement.

What I didn't know was how to teach adults or write a curriculum. So I called Julie...

Julie:

Kiva's idea fascinated me from the minute she called. I felt a surge of energy as she explained (read: gushed — and Kiva's enthusiasm is infectious) what Wise Workshops could be. We previously worked together at two different financial services companies and I had heard her idea before about teaching women the financial skills they need to succeed.

I had similar ideas about teaching workshops on individual topics, but never Kiva's visionary idea ....an integrated series providing not only information and accountability, but the support, the ongoing community, and hopefully the inspiration for women to succeed. My professional background focused on adult learning, and for years I had been giving presentations to groups on finances, setting and achieving goals, time management, managing change, career planning, and a myriad of other business topics.

As a corporate coach (known to do gratis life coaching for friends) it's my passion to help people identify and overcome the barriers that are preventing them from reaching their goals. From research and experience I know that women today are seeking information and support — not only with respect to their finances, health and well-being, but most importantly, identifying and achieving their personal goals and values.

I know from many conversations — and in my gut — that women are craving meaning and fulfillment in their lives. Most women I know feel a need to build community, to contribute, to give back to others, and to be of service in some way. Every woman I know has information and experiences to share, we are constantly learning from one another, often by design, sometimes by default, and now through Wise.

Our Vision

• Women are increasingly responsible for family finances, and yet how many of us have actually taken the time to learn about (yawn) personal finance?
• We do most of the shopping for our families, but how much of what we buy is what we need versus what we want?
• We're supposed to prepare nutritious, healthful meals, but swinging through a drive-through or cooking up a box of mac 'n cheese is much easier on us, and our wallets.
• Careers, exercise, relationships, the laundry, cleaning, chauffeuring our children around — need we continue?

Yet most women we talk to still search for more — more fulfillment, more happiness, more out of our relationships. And we want to give back, to find ways and time to be of service to others in our community and those in need.

Wise Workshops impart the wisdom, inspiration, support and empowerment to succeed. Our goal is to help women improve their lives by learning to:

• gain control over how we spend and save our money
• understand our relationships with food, exercise and health
• manage our time more effectively
• identify and act on our personal goals and values.

Wise Workshops are also about making and taking the time to help our own communities — Wise Time. Sometimes that may mean helping another member of our group, or maybe it's coming together to support an organization in need. We know that our combined efforts are far greater than the sum of our individual contributions, and that together we can be more than a group of women, we can become a movement.

Wisdom. Inspiration. Support. Empowerment.

Wise.