Anyone who has sat through a Kate Kingston sales training presentation is immediately captivated by her passion for the sales game and her genuine desire to help account reps become their best versions professionally. Gifted with a booming voice, commanding presence and an uncanny ability to connect with people, Kingston doles out selling tools like Oprah used to give presents to her studio audience.
However, you would be fascinated to find out that at home, she’s simply Katie Fields, wife and mother of two grown children, someone who eschews large parties and bar networking scenes. It completely flies in the face of her extrovert persona we all see at speaking engagements. Underneath it all, she considers herself a performer, which she notes are more introverted by nature.
“That persona helps me stay focused on what the sales executive or manager needs from me, because it is never supposed to be ‘The Kate Kingston Show,’” said Kingston, a 2026 ENX Magazine Difference Maker. “It is always about how I can help and support the people in front of me.”
As a child, Kingston felt there was “something big inside me” and longed to be an actress. While it’s not the silver screen or the theater, she nonetheless shines brightly in front of a crowd. Armed with a microphone and an audience, Kingston believes she could speak at the Super Bowl without being nervous.
It’s not a talent that was perfected overnight, however. Along the way, she’s gleaned valuable lessons during meetings with some of the largest dealerships in the nation. It’s colored the way she views her business and the role a calendar plays in maximizing her success.
Time is Success
Early in her career, Kingston arranged to meet with one such leader. She was offered a prime appointment slot, the second of the day on the exec’s calendar…at 6:45 a.m. The executive assistant told Kingston the CEO arrives between 6 and 6:30 each morning, ready to tackle the day.
“You really do schedule your success,” she noted. “I now begin my day at 6:30 a.m., which gives me almost two uninterrupted hours before my team arrives. Over the course of a week, that adds up to an entire extra workday.”
Speaking of calendars, she schedules six hours every week for her own learning. If the time wasn’t baked into her calendar, Kingston knows she wouldn’t do it. That forced discipline has changed her training, strengthened her understanding of the industry and helped her serve customers more effectively. It’s not surprising that she recommends account execs set aside time for their personal development.
In one watershed moment during her career, an interaction with another industry-leading dealer taught Kingston the importance of standing by her value proposition. Following a presentation, which included the investment required to engage Kingstown, the prospect uttered, “Great, I’ll pay half and you can start next week.” While that counter-proposal would’ve called for a six-figure investment, she stuck to her guns. Kingston wasn’t about to sell her services at a 50% discount, so she politely declined.
The executive was somewhat flummoxed, but it was clear that he didn’t appreciate the ROI of working with her. “He looked at me and said, ‘Really? You’re going to walk away from this opportunity?’ I responded, ‘No. I’m going to walk back into this opportunity when you understand my value,’” she related.
The tale eventually had a happy outcome, and Kingston engaged the dealer’s team nationally under a multi-year retainer. “That experience taught me the importance of standing up for yourself and believing in the value you bring,” she said. “It had a lasting impact on how I approach my business today.”
Open Mike
Becoming a member of The Consortium solidified in Kingston’s mind that she was in sync with the industry. She credits group founder Mike Stramaglio with helping her “secure a seat at the table” on a national level. She notes it’s helped create opportunities to build relationships with industry OEMs and more large dealers. However, sales training isn’t a luxury for only the well-heeled companies; it’s needed in dealerships of every size.
Kingston is by no means a finished product. She constantly reads articles and books, watches TED Talks, and cherry picks insights from business outliers via YouTube videos. Gaining perspectives from successful execs across the business spectrum, Kingston combines the varied knowledge and pours it into her approach and delivery.
Her competitive nature is taking a variety of courses in her professional and private life. Kingston has a goal of running in a race in the not-too-distant future and framing her number bib as part of an effort to improve her athleticism as 2026 turns to 2027. On the work side, she seeks to simplify her training in a way that can be absorbed and applied by sales executives at every level.
“Ultimately, the ROI of working with me should be that salespeople become more successful and can better provide for their families,” she said. “That is really why I do this job.”
Indeed, Kingston sees the business as her true calling. “Not everyone gets to do a job they are good at, that pays them well, and that they love this much,” she said. “I know how lucky I am, and because of that, I want to give it everything I have.”
Kingston and her husband, Rob Fields, have been married 34 years, with the aforementioned children, Zoe and Will, who are building their careers in New York City. Fields travels to watch his wife’s industry presentations, and his presence makes her “even more confident, protected and supported. Every day feels like a date, and I truly married up.”
The happy couple love to travel, highlighted by the annual month-long retreat in Jamaica. Enjoying the sand and sun-soaked beaches of Negril is truly her happy place.
The high school version of me wanted to be an: Actress. A psychic once told me I was going to make money not as an actress, but in front of a camera. That’s exactly what happened, because every day I’m on trainings in front of a camera. It’s funny how that worked out.
Interesting fact about you: I found my birth family six years ago and we’re now as thick as thieves; we see each other all the time. We take vacations together, so that has been a wonderful turn of events in the second half of my life.
Celebrities you have met: I was actually a waitress at a giant celebrity joint back in the early 2000s. It was where all the Knicks basketball players hung out. I’ve waited on everyone from Michael Jordan to Madonna.
Favorite book or movie: “Tribe of Mentors” by Tim Ferriss
Favorite food: Foie gras or nachos
Person you’d most like to meet: Tony Robbins and Tom Cruise
Any special talents: I have a master’s degree in theater and I have a minor in voice, so I can actually sing pretty well.
Most prized possession: My children
