As organizations face constant change, many are looking for practical ways to build change capability faster and more broadly.
To explore how KickstartChange™ is helping meet that need, we spoke with Joanna Kirke of Kirke Leadership, a long-time ExperiencePoint partner and one of the first certified in the new change experience.
Drawing on her work with clients, Joanna shared why she pursued certification, how she’s applying KickstartChange™ in different contexts, and what she’s learned from facilitating both virtual and in-person sessions.
1. What motivated you to get certified in KickstartChange™?
I had been delivering ExperienceChange® for years, both in English and French, and my clients really value it. But over time, they’ve started asking for something different. They wanted a bite-sized version that could help people double-click on specific change skills, especially around communication and how individuals process change.
KickstartChange™ felt like the perfect complement. It captures the essence of what makes ExperienceChange® powerful, but in a format that’s more accessible and easier to deploy more broadly.
“KickstartChange™ captures the essence of what makes ExperienceChange® powerful, but in a format that’s more accessible and easier to deploy more broadly.”
- Joanna Kirke, Executive Coach and the CEO of Kirke Leadership
2. How are you using KickstartChange™ with clients? Can you walk us through a few examples?
I’ve used KickstartChange™ in a few different ways depending on where the organization is in its change journey.
Case 1: Helping a major energy utility supplier build culture change
To support a long-term culture-shift program, the client was exploring how to better anticipate customer needs and reduce friction. As part of that work, teams were generating strong ideas, but they needed help communicating them to interest holders who weren’t directly affected. By bringing key collaborators into the conversation, KickstartChange™ fostered more empathy for the end user and made the ideas more compelling and actionable.
Case 2: Supporting a large hospital network through significant change
Because change proficiency varied widely across teams, the organization wanted to involve more people earlier rather than begin with a deep, intensive program. KickstartChange™ was a great entry point; it allowed participants to reflect on a recent change and build their capability in a focused, practical way.
“By bringing key collaborators into the conversation, KickstartChange™ fosters empathy for the end user and makes ideas more compelling and actionable.”
- Joanna Kirke, Executive Coach and the CEO of Kirke Leadership
3. What makes KickstartChange™ really “click” for participants?
Nowadays, learning needs to be focused, practical, and immediately relevant. When it is, there’s a real appetite for it. It becomes an easier sell, but more importantly, it feels like a meaningful win for participants.
What also makes it click is how involved participants are throughout. They’re working through their own change in real time, and each part of the experience builds toward something tangible they can take with them. The Hallway Huddle, for example, provides them with usable output, adding significant value.
Another big factor is the space it creates for reflection. Whether it’s virtual or in person, participants have the opportunity to talk through the change itself, to better understand the “why,” and to process what it means for them. That reflection helps people move from feeling uncertain or questioning the change to thinking, “Okay, I understand this, and I want to be part of the solution.”
4. How does a learner’s mindset shift from the start to the end of the workshop?
The workshop helps the most with resistance. People can come in feeling jaded or frustrated, thinking, “Why this? Why now?” and you can feel that energy in the room.
During the session, KickstartChange™ helps create a sense of reassurance, almost like being a trusted guide through the change. As a result, there is a shift from resistance to relief. People start to see the practicality, understand the mindset shifts, and leave with a tool they can actually use moving forward. By the end, they feel more supported, not just by the organization, but in how they approach the change themselves.
“KickstartChange™ helps create a sense of reassurance, almost like being a trusted guide through the change.”
- Joanna Kirke, Executive Coach and the CEO of Kirke Leadership
5. What kind of impact have you seen in the days, weeks, or months following the session?
One of the biggest shifts is that people realize they have a role in communicating change and that it’s not just the communication team's responsibility. They start to reimagine their role, becoming more adaptable and more confident in their contributions.
Over time, that builds stronger communication and a greater sense of ownership in how change happens—now and in the future.
Discover how KickstartChange™ is being used to support change in a range of organizational contexts.
For any inquires around workshop updates and certification, please reach out to your rep or email us directly at hello@experiencepoint.com
About The Expert
ExperiencePoint partner Joanna Kirke is an internationally certified executive coach and the CEO of Kirke Leadership. With more than 25 years of experience developing high-impact leaders and organizations, she works with executives to strengthen leadership capability, build influence, foster emotional intelligence and lead through complex change with confidence. Her expertise includes executive coaching, leadership development, experiential learning, high-performing teams, and organizational culture. In 2025, she was recognized as one of the Women’s Executive Network’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada.