The Full Story
Meet the Team Behind Kindling
At Kindling Consulting, we’re not your typical wound care consultants. We’re clinicians, operators, strategists, and culture-builders who believe that excellence in wound care starts with empowered people, compliant systems, and crystal-clear strategy.
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Our team brings decades of real-world experience leading and scaling wound care programs, from frontline clinical practice to executive leadership in multi-site locations. We’ve launched startups, fixed broken workflows, trained providers from the ground up, and helped organizations navigate the messy middle between growth and burnout.
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We know the policies, we understand the pressure, and we’ve walked in your shoes.
Now, we’re bringing that experience to you.
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Scroll down to meet the people behind the playbooks-dedicated professionals who are committed to raising the standard of wound care at every level.
Kati Kaushal DNP, FNP-C
Partner/Chief Clinical Officer
Kati Kaushal is a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner and doctoral-prepared clinician with a deep and diverse background in wound care, hyperbaric medicine, trauma, and surgical care. As Kindling Consulting’s Chief Clinical Officer, Kati brings hands-on clinical expertise and executive-level leadership to organizations across the country-helping teams deliver safer, smarter, and more effective wound care.
Prior to joining Kindling, Kati served as the Senior Director of Clinical Operations & Efficiency for a PE-backed multi-site wound care organization, where she oversaw clinical strategy, regulatory compliance, provider development, and patient safety initiatives. Her experience spans complex wound procedures, graft surveillance, and advanced therapies, with a particular focus on aligning evidence-based care with operational and financial performance.
Known for her calm leadership style, clinical precision, and deep commitment to education, Kati is passionate about upskilling providers and strengthening the systems that support them. She’s worked in trauma bays, ORs, and outpatient wound centers and understands firsthand what high-functioning wound care looks like on the frontlines.
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At Kindling, she leads clinical training programs, audits, and protocol development while mentoring teams to deliver consistent, compliant, and patient-first care. Whether supporting a new startup or guiding a large clinical team through compliance changes, Kati brings depth, clarity, and a solutions-oriented approach to every engagement.
Nikki Johnston
Partner/Chief Strategy Officer
Nikki Johnston is a seasoned healthcare executive with more than 15 years of experience leading high-growth, multi-site organizations across various healthcare industries including wound care, outpatient services, and private equity-backed healthcare platforms. As the founder of Kindling Consulting, Nikki brings a unique blend of operational strategy, leadership development, and culture-driven execution to every engagement.
Before launching Kindling, Nikki served as the Senior Vice President of Operations and Growth for a multi-location wound care company, where she led enterprise-wide initiatives across operations, business development, marketing, and compliance. Her leadership helped scale the organization by over 50% in revenue within 12 months, reduce turnover by more than 90%, and build out internal departments from the ground up.
Throughout her career, Nikki has been known for bridging the gap between vision and execution. She has deep experience in launching wound care programs, building strategic partnerships, driving workforce performance, and navigating the operational complexities of regulated environments. Whether advising startups or stabilizing mature clinics, she takes a practical, people-first approach that balances growth with sustainability.
At Kindling, Nikki leads the strategic direction of the firm while partnering directly with clients on startup execution, organizational development, and long-term scalability. She is passionate about helping wound care teams do more than keep up-she helps them lead.
