Strategic Communications & Trusted Advisor

Helping leaders bring
clarity, alignment,
and momentum

My job is to make their vision real.

As companies grow and become more complex, the communication holding everything together gets harder. I work closely with founders and leadership teams to untie those knots — so the organization can move with speed and purpose again.

25+

Years alongside founders & leaders

Private → PE → IPO

Full transition experience

Player-coach

Strategic and hands-on

The challenge

Companies don't struggle because they lack ideas.

They struggle when things stop lining up.

As companies grow, complexity builds

New capital, new expectations
A more active Board
Evolving leadership dynamics
Teams scaling quickly
Technology shifts

Inside the company, it often looks like this

You're saying one thing — people hear something else
Leadership isn't fully aligned, even if no one says it
Different teams are telling different versions of the story
Decisions take longer than they should
Momentum feels harder to maintain

Nothing is broken. But things are more complex — and harder than they should be. That's when communication becomes the lever.

Why it matters

Communication is the connective tissue

At this stage, communication isn't a nice-to-have — it's how the organization moves. It's what turns a leadership team into an aligned force, rather than a collection of smart, well-intentioned people pulling in slightly different directions. And it's how leaders stay connected to all of their stakeholders — not just the ones in the room.

Research consistently shows that clarity and communication from leadership drive higher engagement, productivity, and retention. Misalignment slows decisions and creates friction that compounds over time.

When it works, it's a force multiplier. When it doesn't, friction builds quickly.

Much of my work is helping untie the knots that naturally form as companies grow — so what's communicated lands, and the organization can move with speed and clarity.

Communication is how

Leaders align — and stay aligned as things evolve

Teams understand where they're going and why

Stakeholders stay connected and confident

The organization moves with speed and clarity

Boards and investors stay informed and engaged

The outside world understands what you stand for

What I do

Close to the work. Close to the leader.

I work closely with founders and leadership teams across a wide range of industries and stages — wherever leaders are navigating growth, complexity, and moments that matter. The work looks different every time, but the through-line is the same: helping what needs to move, move.

Leadership Narrative & Shared Understanding

Translating what a leader sees clearly into language that lands — across the organization, with boards, investors, and the outside world. Includes narrative architecture, messaging infrastructure, CEO and executive positioning, media preparation, and the speeches and messaging that carry a leader's voice into the world.

Leadership & Stakeholder Alignment

Helping leadership teams get genuinely aligned — not just on paper — so they can move in the same direction. Board communications, investor narrative, and the internal alignment that makes external communications credible.

High-Stakes Transitions

Communications strategy and execution for the moments that define a company: private equity events, IPOs, leadership transitions, restructuring, and crisis. I've been through all of them — and I know where the friction hides.

Reducing Friction, Building Speed

Diagnosing where misalignment is slowing decisions, creating noise, or eroding trust — then building the clarity and structure to fix it. The goal: an organization that moves with purpose rather than working around itself.

Brand & Movement Building

For leaders and organizations ready to build something bigger — turning a strong point of view into a platform, a media presence, and a community. I've helped build nationally beloved brands and scaled a movement around a business philosophy that resonated far beyond any single company or industry.

Legacy & Impact Work

For leaders thinking beyond the business — shaping and communicating initiatives that extend their impact over time. Purpose, legacy, and what you want to be remembered for — by your organization, your industry, and the world.

What it's like to work together

The work matters. So does how it feels to do the work.

I tend to build close, high-trust partnerships with the leaders I work with. I'm straightforward, collaborative, and not particularly formal — I'll tell you what I think, and I'm equally comfortable listening and working things through together.

I'm not coming in as an observer. I'm in it with you — helping sort through complexity in real time, pressure-testing decisions, and making sure things land the way they're intended to.

One thing I hear consistently is that I'm able to build trust quickly — not just with the CEO, but across all of an organization's stakeholders. Boards, leadership teams, employees, external partners. People know early on that I'm working toward the best outcome, not just managing optics — and that's what allows things to move.

Much of the value comes from being able to quickly untangle what's going on beneath the surface — connecting dots across people, priorities, and dynamics — and helping move things forward with more clarity and less friction.

Over time, I often become someone leaders rely on as a steady, trusted voice — especially in moments that are nuanced, high-stakes, or hard to navigate alone.

In practice, this typically includes

Regular working sessions with founders and leadership teams

Real-time input on decisions, communication, and evolving situations

Development of key materials — Board, executive messaging, internal alignment

Ongoing refinement of how strategy is communicated across the organization

I'm generally available in the flow of the work — not just in scheduled meetings — so we can address things as they're happening, not after the fact.

How I show up

A player-coach, close to the work

Engagements are structured around what's most useful — not a standard retainer model. Always close partnership, real-time support, and practical problem-solving.

Fractional

An embedded partnership — operating as part of the leadership team over time, with the depth and trust that comes from truly knowing the business and the people in it.

Project-based

Focused engagement around a specific moment — a transition, a launch, a crisis, a narrative that needs to be rebuilt. Clear scope, clear outcomes, decisive execution.

Advisory

Ongoing thought partnership for leaders navigating complexity — a trusted voice who knows your business, thinks alongside you, and tells you what you need to hear.

Experience

25+ years alongside founders and leadership teams

I've spent my career close to leaders navigating growth and transition — as a strategist, a communicator, and a trusted advisor. I've been in the room when the stakes are high and the path isn't clear, and I've helped leaders find the words — and the strategy — to move forward.

That's included helping build The Container Store into a nationally beloved brand, and doing the same kind of values-led communications work at The Motley Fool — two very different companies, united by leaders who believed in business as a force for good. From those seats, I also helped elevate a broader business philosophy into a national movement, convening leaders across industries around a set of ideas that mattered well beyond any single company.

My work spans a wide range of industries and company stages. What's consistent is the kind of work I do: helping leaders communicate clearly, align their organizations, and navigate the moments that matter most — including some that don't have a clear playbook.

I'm also drawn to work that extends beyond the business itself — helping leaders think about their broader impact, their legacy, and how they want to show up in the world over time.

Specific experience includes

Scaling a company from private → private equity → IPO

Building and managing Board relationships and communications

Navigating co-founder and leadership transitions

Leading through crisis, restructuring, and major shifts

Building The Container Store into a nationally beloved, values-led brand

Driving meaningful cultural engagement and communications transformation at The Motley Fool

Preparing executives for high-profile media, thought leadership platforms, and national speaking engagements

Scaling a national movement around business as a force for good

Executive thought leadership and legacy platform development

Guest lecturer, Wharton School of Business · Speaker, White House Worker Voice Summit · Board Member, National Retail Federation Foundation · Stakeholder Leadership & Governance Fellow · Shareholder Activist Fellow

Let's talk

If this feels familiar, I'd welcome the conversation.

I'm drawn to leaders with vision bigger than their current language for it — building something meaningful, who want a genuine thought partner to help bring it to life.

hello@audrey.com

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Helping leaders bring clarity, alignment, and momentum