How to
conquer college
admissions…
All It Takes Is
‘One Word’!
How I Fit Into the College
Application Process
Imagine:
Your student’s college application as the
dream home they’re building.
Goal:
Build a cohesive application that showcases your child’s individuality and makes them stand-out in a crowded admissions landscape.
Student
(Decorates Space)
COLLEGE ADVISOR
(Drafts Blueprint)
BRANDING STRATEGIST
(Builds Foundation)
Branding Strategist:
Uncovers who the student is, their ‘One Word’ core value, and becomes the thread that ties their entire story together.
College Advisor:
Drafts blueprint by gathering the academic, extracurricular, and logistical pieces of what your child has done while keeping the family organized and on track.
Student:
Brings that blueprint to life by designing their unique story, with their ‘One Word’ core value serving as the unifier that highlights the impact they will make on campus.
• Personal Statement
• Supplemental Essays
• Leadership Activities
• Résumé Development
How ‘One Word’ Transforms the College Application Journey
How
‘One Word’ Transforms
the College Application
Journey
Today’s college admissions landscape demands more than grades and test scores. It demands authenticity. The students who stand-out are the ones who communicate who they are, not just what they have done. Your student’s ‘One Word’ becomes the unifying thread that connects their entire application into one clear, memorable story. It showcases their individuality, their impact, and the unique value they will bring to a college community. In a world where applications blend together, their ‘One Word’ makes them unforgettable.
The ‘One Word’ College Application Journey
The
‘One Word’
College Application
Journey
PHASE 1: DOWNLOAD
Download and complete your SCORE ‘One Word’ Workbook.
PHASE 2: REFLECTION
Answer 11 reflection questions and upload your completed ‘One Word’ Workbook.
PHASE 3: ANALYSIS
Join Rich for a one-on-one Zoom call to reveal your ‘One Word’ and discuss your personalized results.
What’s Included in Your Personalized ‘One Word’ Report:
- Your “I AM” Sentence.
- Your ‘One Word’.
- Alignment with My ‘One Word’ Philosophy.
- Why Your ‘One Word’ Fits You So Powerfully.
- 10 Core Themes That Reflect Your ‘One Word’.
- 10 Direct Statements That Bring Your ‘One Word’ to Life.
- 10 Characteristics of Your ‘One Word’ to Guide Storytelling.
PHASE 4: REVIEW
Rich analyzes your Workbook and writes your personalized ‘One Word’ analysis.
PHASE 5: BRAINSTORM
A dynamic Zoom session to collaborate, generate, and refine ideas for your personal statement, culminating in a final topic that powerfully reflects your ‘One Word’ core value and sets the direction for your essay.
PHASE 6: CA
Guidance and collaboration to develop the additional key components of the Common Application, including the activities section, supplemental essays, and résumé, so every part of your story connects through your ‘One Word’ core value and feels uniquely yours.
THE PARENT’S PERSPECTIVE
LAUREN FORMAN
(Ryan’s Mom)
LAUREN FORMAN (Ryan’s Mom)
“Rich’s approach to finding your CORE VALUE is a unique combination of digging deep, looking inward, standing out, and truly understanding what makes you tick.”
Read the full testimonial
“The college admissions process is a roller coaster and completely overwhelming. It is rare that you have someone on your child’s “team” who is as committed, original, out-of-the-box, and authentic as Rich Keller! Rich’s approach to finding your CORE VALUE is a unique combination of digging deep, looking inward, standing out, and truly understanding what makes you tick (and different). This is not easy for a high schooler to know who they are, yet Rich makes it fun and rewarding.
Through Rich’s ‘One Word’ workbook, our entire family engaged in the process. Our son discovered a clear sense of who he is, and this helped him define a unique path for himself; he learned how to lean into his passions and communicate those in his essays! He was able to tell HIS STORY with a clear, consistent and powerful thread throughout his applications. Rich helped him find the heart and soul of who he is and how to portray himself to colleges.
The workbook is now the foundation for his future. When you go through Rich’s process, you don’t just leave with a kick-ass identity; Rich challenged, pushed, and guided our son to ensure that each of his essays, activities, and overall applications communicated his ‘One Word’ core value beautifully. As a result, our son crushed it and was accepted to 8 out of 8 schools, including his dream school in Early Decision!
Rich is confidence-boosting and inspiring and makes this process challenging and FUN. Rich was a very important CATALYST in our son’s process and was instrumental to his success. I can’t wait to work with him again for our daughter in a few years!”



Elizabeth Nader
(Nick/Joe/Noah’s Mom)
Elizabeth Nader (Nick/Joe/Noah’s Mom)
“If Rich’s ‘One Word’ wasn’t “CATALYST” then it would be “MAGIC” because that’s what his ‘One Word’ program creates…pure MAGIC.”
Read the full testimonial
I am such a believer in what he has developed that not only did I hire him to discover my ‘One Word’, but also he has worked with three of my teenagers and is in the process of working with my fourth. Soon, our entire family will have their ‘One Word’. Why? “Know thyself” is a powerful command…understanding who you are through the perspective of how you most effectively serve others and how you are hard-wired to make an impact on those around you is the door to such satisfaction in life.
The sooner you recognize how to map who you are to how you serve, the sooner you can truly make a difference and live a life of purpose. I want this for everyone…and Rich has an incredible program that allows him to literally peer into your soul and divine what your superpower is. His process is such a great experience – humbling, moving, inspiring, and motivating. It’s truly a game-changer! The best choice you can make is to allow Rich to serve as a CATALYST in your life!”
EllEN KATz
(Seth’s Mom)
EllEN KATz (Seth’s Mom)
“Rich Keller and his ‘One Word’ Branding program are incredible! This program goes far beyond helping a child write their college personal statement—it’s a transformative journey of self-discovery.”
Read the full testimonial
For our son, working through the program’s workbook gave him a deeper understanding of himself. He reflected on how his past setbacks and experiences shaped the person he is today, fostering both personal growth and clarity.
Not only did the program prepare him to craft an exceptional personal statement, but it also gave him a stronger sense of self-confidence and direction as he finishes high school and prepares for college. Identifying his ‘One Word’ made the essay-writing process so much easier—his personal statement became unified around a clear idea, keeping him focused on the story he wanted to tell.
We highly recommend this program to any high school junior who wants to create a stand-out personal statement while embracing an incredible opportunity for personal growth. Rich, we all loved working with you and look forward to starting this journey again when our 10th grader is ready to discover his ‘One Word’ Personal Brand!
Mary Ann Del Vento
(Matthew’s Mom)
Mary Ann Del Vento (Matthew’s Mom)
“His dedication, compassion, and commitment made a lasting impact on our family, and we cannot recommend him highly enough.”
Read the full testimonial
His ‘One Word’ approach was truly game-changing. It helped our son define a clear and authentic narrative about who he is at his core. That clarity made his personal statement stand out with a unique, individual, and fully ownable story. Once Matthew’s ‘One Word,’ ALCHEMIST, was uncovered, everything else began to fall into place. It became effortless to carry a consistent thread throughout the rest of the application process.
Rich was deeply focused on our son’s individual path and genuinely invested in his success. No matter the time or day, he was always willing to offer support, reassurance, or guidance. He has a remarkable ability to help students feel calm, confident, and reassured that everything will be okay.
His dedication, compassion, and commitment made a lasting impact on our family, and we cannot recommend him highly enough.”
Hallie Grodin
(Jack’s Mom)
Hallie Grodin (Jack’s Mom)
Read the full testimonial
“The college admissions process is a doozy. You are in it for the long haul. No matter how relaxed you try to be, it is a lot.
Rich was there for us every step of the way, helping make a painful process feel far less painful. His energy and enthusiasm carried us through. We always knew we had him on our side. He was a text or phone call away to calm us down, guide us, and support us.
At the start, my husband and son were skeptical that ‘One Word’ could truly make a difference in a college application. But through our Zoom sessions with Rich, they quickly bought in. They saw the value he brought. Rich pushed us to think differently, to look at Jack from every angle, and to understand him more deeply.
When Rich presented Jack’s ‘One Word,’ ANCHOR, it felt like he had known him for years. It all made sense. He understood Jack so well and helped pull his entire story together. Suddenly, every part of Jack’s application had context. It brought him to life.
Rich became part of our family. He anxiously awaited the news and celebrated with us as the acceptances came rolling in. We always knew he was rooting for Jack as hard as we were. He is encouraging, patient, and truly invested in his students’ success.
Working with Rich was one of the best decisions we made during Jack’s college admissions journey. He has a remarkable gift for helping students uncover their authentic voice and shape it into a compelling, cohesive story. He did not manufacture Jack’s narrative. He helped uncover and articulate what was already there.
Most importantly, Jack walked away with more confidence and more clarity.
We wholeheartedly recommend Rich to support your child through the admissions journey.”
You’ll Also Receive…
A FREE Buff Showcasing
Your ‘One Word’
















Meet rich keller,
the catalyst
I Spent 25 Years Building Iconic Brands.
Then 'One Word' Changed Everything.
Read More
Rich developed the philosophy of identifying a ‘One Word’ core value to craft identities for some of the world’s most iconic brands at Nabisco, Kraft Foods, Cadbury, and Godiva.
After applying this same philosophy to develop his ‘One Word’ Personal Brand, CATALYST, he walked away from his successful corporate career to fulfill his personal mission — to transform one million lives ‘One Word’ at a time.
Today Rich is disrupting the way entrepreneurs, business leaders and college/high school trailblazers think about themselves, so they too can craft their personal brand identities in ‘One Word’.
A fun fact Rich likes to share: you can’t miss him in a crowd because he’s either wearing his signature Survivor Buff or one of the 50 other Buffs he has collected since his teenage years.
Watch Rich’s TEDx talk at dontaskmeaboutwhatido.com to learn more about his ‘One Word’ personal branding philosophy.
Meet rich keller,
the catalyst
I Spent 25 Years
Building Iconic Brands.
Then 'One Word'
Changed Everything.
Read More
Rich developed the philosophy of identifying a ‘One Word’ core value to craft identities for some of the world’s most iconic brands at Nabisco, Kraft Foods, Cadbury, and Godiva.
After applying this same philosophy to develop his ‘One Word’ Personal Brand, CATALYST, he walked away from his successful corporate career to fulfill his personal mission — to transform one million lives ‘One Word’ at a time.
Today Rich is disrupting the way entrepreneurs, business leaders and college/high school trailblazers think about themselves, so they too can craft their personal brand identities in ‘One Word’.
A fun fact Rich likes to share: you can’t miss him in a crowd because he’s either wearing his signature Survivor Buff or one of the 50 other Buffs he has collected since his teenage years.
Watch Rich’s TEDx talk at dontaskmeaboutwhatido.com to learn more about his ‘One Word’ personal branding philosophy.

