Meet Halie Anthony | Founder & CEO of RISE Executive Coaching

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

Hi Halie, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Authenticity.

When I created RISE, I was at the lowest point of my life. I had just gone through a divorce, and while everything looked successful on paper, I was a board certified and credentialed coach, I felt completely unanchored inside. I didn’t know who I was anymore.

That winter, I took my kids to Germany. I wanted to give them a sense of the world, to show them life beyond what we knew. But what I didn’t expect was that it would also become the backdrop for my breakdown. One night in the hotel, while my kids were asleep, I lay in bed with tears streaming down my face. I had been strong for so long, but in that moment, everything cracked open. I realized I wasn’t just lost. I was grieving the version of me I had outgrown.

That moment became the turning point.

When we got home, we made it through the holidays, and I quietly decided that I wasn’t going to perform anymore. Not in life. Not in work. Not in leadership. I wanted to give back. I wanted to build something meaningful. Something real. And that is how RISE Executive Coaching was born.

Over the last two and a half years, I have rebuilt my life from the inside out, and my business evolved alongside me. I designed RISE to be a place where leaders, executives, and high performers could show up fully and still be human.

The phoenix is my logo for a reason. This business wasn’t built out of ambition. It was built out of ashes. And that is exactly what I help my clients do. Rise from their own challenges with clarity, strength, and purpose.

Authenticity remains my core value. To me, it is not about showing the polished version. It is about showing the real version. The one that has boundaries, emotions, values, and vision. The one that is not afraid to be vulnerable in service of something bigger.

That is what makes RISE different. It is not a brand built for performance. It is a brand built from the truth.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
My career has been expansive and incredibly rewarding. Looking back, I feel deeply blessed. But in the middle of the “growth opportunities,” it didn’t always feel that way.

I didn’t take the easy road because it wasn’t offered to me. That said, I never saw my journey as difficult. Challenging at times, yes, but never impossible. I’ve always been fortunate to have mentors who believed in me, invested in me, and helped shape me as a leader, mother, and entrepreneur.

I was a foster child, where survival depended on resilience, adaptability, and self-reliance. While others were handed roadmaps, I had to build my own. Fear was a powerful motivator. I was terrified of ending up on the streets. That fear sparked determination and led me to join the US Army.

I joined the Army and went to boot camp between my junior and senior year of high school. As a ward of the State of Montana, it was one of the few paths available to me. I was looking for structure and purpose, and I found both. I returned home from basic training just in time to begin my senior year. Just weeks later, the Twin Towers fell. That moment defined the next chapter of my life. I was mobilized to Fort Carson in 2003 and have called Colorado Springs home ever since.

While at Fort Carson, I had the privilege of working for Michele Kantak. I was only 20 and had no direction in life. When I became a single mom, she stood by me, taught me the importance of balance, and showed me that being a single mom, a professional, and a dreamer could coexist. That lesson stayed with me and shaped the way I lead today.

During my military service, I deployed twice to NSA Bahrain, on the Commercial Imagery Team supporting the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency. Each deployment became a catalyst for growth. I completed my bachelor’s degree during my first deployment and earned my MBA during my second.

The military prepared me to navigate diverse industries as a civilian, including defense, healthcare, aerospace, and education. I’ve worked at four of the five military bases in Colorado Springs. My favorite was Schriever Space Force Base, where I worked under Nate Apodaca. He was clear, direct, and his actions matched his words which was why I enjoyed working for him. I only worked with him for eight months, but fourteen years later, he reached out and offered me a role with his team at NASA.

Today, I lead Enterprise IT Operations and Engineering for the NASA NEST program at Leidos. I’m surrounded by an incredible team, supportive peers, and strong leadership. It still amazes me that someone who once worried about where they would sleep is now leading mission critical work for NASA. That’s the power of perseverance, and I’m truly in awe that I made it here.

Giving back has always been a core part of who I am. I currently serve as the Deputy Director of Membership for ISSA Colorado Springs, where I help connect and grow our local cybersecurity community. I also donate coaching hours to veterans who are transitioning to civilian life and looking for meaningful employment because I know firsthand how difficult that journey can be. In addition, I sit on the board for the Colorado Springs Health and Fitness Expo as part of the Mental Health Committee, where I advocate for accessible mental health resources and education. These roles allow me to serve the community that helped shape me and continue the cycle of support that made all the difference in my life.

Starting my company, RISE Executive Coaching, wasn’t in the original plan. It was born from the lowest time of my life and a desire to turn pain into purpose. That’s why the phoenix is my logo. I rose from the ashes and created something to help others rise too.

Through RISE, I’ve coached executives, entrepreneurs, and leaders across multiple industries to overcome internal and external barriers. I don’t offer recycled strategies. I offer transformation because I’ve lived it. And it’s making an impact. This year, RISE won double gold in Best of the Springs for Business Coaching, where we help companies grow, and Human Resources, where we help people find meaningful employment. I was also honored to be named one of Colorado’s Top Women in Business.

Getting here wasn’t easy. I’ve faced trauma, loss, rejection, self-doubt, and the kind of invisible ceilings no résumé can capture. I overcame them by doing the inner work through therapy (EMDR is an amazing tool), learning the spiritual teachings of the Kabbalah, and understanding that I was meant for so much more in life. I had to stop playing small. The biggest lesson? Your past does not define your potential. The second? Legacy is built not when things are easy, but when you lead with authenticity through the hard stuff.

If there’s one thing I want the world to know, it’s this: You are not broken. You are being shaped. My story is not just about rising above the odds. It’s about helping others realize that they can too.

RISE isn’t just a company. It’s a movement for people ready to stop playing small and step fully into who they were born to be.

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’ve lived in Colorado Springs for 22 years, and there is so much to explore. If my best friend were visiting, I would plan a week filled with both adventure and relaxation.

We would kick off with a morning hike to Devils Head Lookout for incredible views, followed by dinner and drinks at the Garden of the Gods Club, where the scenery and atmosphere are unmatched.

Next, we would make time for a 90 minute ashiatsu massage at Camino Massage. It is the only way to truly unwind.

We would stay downtown to be close to the action, grab lunch at White Pie, rent scooters, and explore the local shops and sights. That night, we would head to Cowboys for some country swing dancing, a local favorite.

A day trip to Manitou Springs would be a must, with an option to ride the Cog Railway up Pikes Peak for unforgettable views. That evening, we would have dinner and drinks at Red Leg Brewing Company, owned and operated by my dear friend Tod Baldwin, a fellow disabled veteran.

To cap it off, we would take a long weekend out to Pagosa Springs. We would stay at The Springs Resort, indulge in spa treatments, take a balloon ride, and soak in the adults only area of the hot springs with a cocktail in hand.

It would be the perfect blend of adventure, connection, and relaxation. Everything that makes Colorado unforgettable.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Not every great story begins with things going right. Some of the greatest gifts in life are not part of the plans, but in the detours. The unexpected turns that reroute our path and reshape our purpose.

I dedicate this article to my (not so) little girl. She came into my life when I was 20. A young Army soldier, partying through life and unsure of my direction. From the moment I saw that positive pregnancy test, everything shifted. I was no longer lost. I had a reason.

She inspired me to clean up my life, buy my first home, and go back to school. It was just the two of us against the world.

That little girl, my Hannah Kinkead, is now a young woman. She didn’t just stop at changing my life. She has been set on a path to change the world.

To my greatest detour, my greatest gift, and my forever why. This one is for you, kiddo.

Website: https://www.riseexecutivecoach.com

Linkedin: https://www.linked.com/company/rise-executive-coach