Success on Your Own Terms: Kathleen Vogelsang on Leadership and Resilience
What does it take to build a meaningful career—and find the courage to begin a new chapter? On the most recent episode of Symplicity Conversations, we talked with Kathleen Vogelsang, co-CEO and co-CIO of Bostwick Investment Consulting and the 2026 West Michigan Woman Brilliance Awards Woman of the Year.
Kathleen shared lessons from a career shaped by hard work, leadership, personal loss, and the decision to take new risks. As a first-generation college student, Kathleen learned early not to take opportunities for granted. She says that experience still shapes how she leads: she wants every voice to be heard, especially those who may not feel confident speaking up.
Her message is a reminder that an unconventional path can help build empathy and humility, qualities that matter just as much as professional credentials. In her view, strong leadership is rooted in trust: recognizing people’s character and talent, listening to their ideas, and giving them room to make decisions.
Kathleen’s willingness to take risks was shaped by life beyond work, too. After losing her daughter and later surviving a heart attack, Kathleen’s perspective on success changed: family, health, and living fully now became central. Today, she advocates for organ donation and women’s heart health.
Success doesn’t require one perfect path. For Kathleen, brilliance is about more than personal success, it’s about using what you’ve achieved to help others find and share their own potential.
As we conclude our series on Brilliance Award speakers, Kathleen encourages everyone to take time for reflection. “I really encourage people to stop and look at what you’ve really done because you are moving the needles.”
In a world that often rushes us, her insights remind us to appreciate our journey and the milestones we’ve achieved.
For more of Kathleen’s insights and to dive deeper into her story, watch or listen to the full episode of Symplicity Conversations:
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