Meet Dani Kimlinger | CEO & Partner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dani Kimlinger and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dani, what habits do you feel play an important role in your life?
I set goals! Yes, that sounds cliché, but I am talking about both macro and micro goals. These are goals to achieve long-term, i.e. completing a degree, or financial goals in the company. Then, working backwards with monthly, weekly, and then planning out day-to-day goals. Time management comes into play here too. Because my schedule since college has always been packed, I have had to maximize my time between jobs and clubs in college for studying and to get work done between my heavy meeting and travel schedule. This must be flexible. If I am at the airport, it’s setting up at the gate and knocking out what I can.

Networking and connections! Relationships are everything! You never know where relationships will take you. I think about all the relationships that I have built over the years and how they have evolved. For instance, there was a gentleman that I met through a financial association who was a revenue cycle business development person. We had no professional chemistry but worked together and stayed connected, he had a career change and now we contract with him on facilitations for our clients and coaching.

Being curious and a continuous learner. Changes happen and it’s fast and furious! I love learning and spend time reading, listening to podcasts, going to seminars, watching webinars, and engaging with my executive coach and therapist. I am a work in progress and focus on growth.
When I became a CEO at 30-years-old, I was on a steep learning curve, and I did not prioritize my health and well-being. I had a wake-up call through an insurance health assessment. My biometrics were so poor that I was unable to be insured with key person insurance. I started running and engaging in better self-care. This was pivotal for not only my physical health but also my mental health and executive thinking. I noticed that not only was I thinking better as a CEO, more creative and strategic but I was also much more resilient and steadier in the face of difficult situations.

The last habit that I will speak about is to request feedback and grow from it. At MINES, we engage in stay conversations and those have been incredible opportunities for me to learn how I am perceived as well as what I might be doing that gets in the way of my effectiveness with my colleagues and staff. I engage in continuous self-improvement.

What should our readers know about your business?
About MINES: MINES and Associates (MINES) is an international business psychology firm with a presence in all 50 states, US Territories and various counties across the globe. Established in 1981, MINES has established itself as a leader in behavioral health programming and support, boasting two distinct divisions: health psychology and organizational psychology. Over the years, MINES has garnered numerous awards for its innovative solutions and unwavering commitment to excellence. Their extensive portfolio includes a diverse array of services such as employee assistance programs, managed behavioral healthcare, onsite behavioral healthcare, organizational development, wellness programs, behavioral risk and disease management, specialty behavioral health PPO services, and various other initiatives aimed at enhancing mental health and wellbeing. Through a combination of cutting-edge services and compassionate customer care, MINES continues to set the standard for excellence in business psychology, positively impacting individuals and organizations around the globe.

As a leader at MINES, I am immensely proud of our team’s dedication to bridging the significant gaps in mental health service accessibility across the country. We are acutely aware of the challenges many face in obtaining necessary mental health care, both in terms of access and cost. Our team’s commitment to providing personalized, effective support ensures that our clients can connect with the right resources. Their adaptability, mutual support, and unique culture make MINES not just an impactful workplace, but a community dedicated to making a real difference in mental health services.

At MINES, we recognize the overlap of our services with benefits such as health plans, long-term disability programs and other benefits. While many health plans come with managed care, networks, and EAPs, we enhance these offerings by integrating more deeply with organizational initiatives. Our approach is holistic, tailoring services like message-based counseling, in-person therapy, lactation coaching, and mindfulness sessions to diverse individual needs. This versatility allows us to be a trusted partner in mental and organizational well-being, ensuring that everyone with MINES benefits receives personalized, effective support. We’re committed to being that dependable resource for all our clients.

I was not the founder. Dr. Robert Mines started MINES in 1981. I became the CEO in 2017. MINES spoke to me personally and still does. My family struggled financially for my entire childhood and in high school, I was raised by my single father. We were in that place financially though where my Dad made too much for us to qualify for public assistance but not enough for us to cover all of our basic needs. It was not an uncommon occurrence for our family to have our water or electricity turned off or to be late on rent. Although we had food, sometimes creative meals had to be made. My teenage perception of the world was that we did not have a system anywhere that could help my family. Then, when I graduated from college, I worked at a homeless youth shelter and volunteered at a non-profit that helped homeless kids who needed medical care,… I once again was so frustrated by systems that seemed to work against people. It was a vicious cycle and I wanted to help stop it. I saw becoming a leader of an organization who could break down barriers, financially and otherwise as a way to do this and MINES was that organization, we do this! I completed an MHA and a Ph.D. along the way. Helping people, whether staff or clients gives me energy and what I look forward to each and every day! I love being in the communities that we serve and hearing how our staff have changed their lives. I love seeing in the client feedback surveys how our staff are named as a lifeline, the only person that they had to talk to. I love hearing how our providers and other service partners change lives. I truly look forward to the organization that I have the opportunity to work at and with the people that I have the privilege to work with each day.

Lessons learned: In our journey to provide top-tier mental health and wellbeing services, we’ve learned the importance of offering a holistic and comprehensive suite of services. We achieve this by collaborating with leading organizations in various fields. For example, instead of creating our own wellness coaching network, we formed a partnership with a company renowned for its board-certified, extensive wellness coaching. Our goal is to offer a diverse range of impactful services through alliances with the best in each specialty, ensuring our clients receive the highest quality of care.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this question! 🙂 I hope that my visiting best friend is active because that is what I hope we’ll do! Here’s what we would do:

-Catch a run with one of my favorite run clubs, Belmar Run Club on a Thursday at Runners Roost Lakewood or Green Mountain Beer Run Club on a Tuesday both in Lakewood and have incredible running communities.
-We’d check out my favorite Running Store, Runners Roost Lakewood.
-My two favorite restaurants in Lakewood: Cafe Jordano’s, or Farmhouse Thai. We’d grab dinner! 🙂
-Cafe Ole, also in Lakewood is one of my favorite coffee places, we’d definitely catch up there! We’d have delicious breakfast burritos and their delicious coffee.
-We’d have to walk around downtown Golden as it’s such a fun place and if it’s in the summer, we’d float down the river. Woody’s Pizza is a college nostalgic spot, I’d have to show her that place too.
-If in the winter, we’d head up and get some snowboarding in and get a night or two in Breckenridge which is mountain town that I love so much and has it all in the winter and summer! We’d have dinner at the Hearthstone Restaurant and coffee at Cabin Coffee. If she visited in the summer and we were in Breckenridge, we’d explore either a 14er, or a day hike to McCullough Gulch.
-If they had not been to the area before, we’d have go see my hometown, Evergreen, Colorado- the Evergreen Lake is a must see, maybe we’d grab a hike in the area. We’d also check out some of the firsts of Colorado such as Red Rocks.
-If we had a couple of days for some backpacking, we’d head up to Rocky Mountain National Park or the Colorado Trail and get a few nights into the trail.
-Trail running! We’d trail run Deer Creek Canyon, South Valley, Table Mountain, or Mt Morrison- any season!
-The Lockwood Foundation is one of my favorite non-profits to volunteer for. Lockwood Foundation makes adventure accessible and we team up, they use a combination of community and technology to make trails accessible to individuals who have limited mobility. We’d do a trail rider hike with them and show my friend a sense of incredible community. Maybe Mt. Elbert, maybe Green Mountain, any location that they have planned.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Yes! I would love to recognize my business partner and friend, Dr. Robert Mines (Bob). Bob founded MINES in 1981 and has been an incredible mentor to me. He has provided me with guidance but also space to lead MINES in my capacity as CEO. He is also a wealth of knowledge and expertise that he shares with me as well as our team. Bob is a continuous learner and shares his knowledge and expertise with our organization, the communities that we serve, and anyone who needs a bit of business or life advice.

Website: https://minesandassociates.com/

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/danikimlinger

Twitter: @danikimlinger

Image Credits
The Lockwood Foundation (group photo on Mt. Elbert). MarathonFoto for the Boston photo (personal)