We believe in applied leadership.

When communications and management meet, impact follows.

As the world becomes more complicated, schools and organizations are expected to step up in new and often novel ways. We’re committed to understanding your challenges and goals, providing consultation and support to improve communication with your community, create and implement strategic change efforts and sharpen your skills managing your most precious resource, your people, from the board on down.
Connect with us.

Strategy - Communications - Management Consulting

We understand both the complexities of organizational culture and the human side of change. We have experience working with both the internal community and in guiding a board of trustees through change.

Creating Institutional Change - The Many Flavors of Strategic Planning
We can help you hone in on your goals for the future as well as the issues holding you back today, leading a process to create a realistic roadmap forward. Whether you are looking to establish comprehensive three or five year goals, manage a task force, conduct a departmental audit or otherwise address a current gap in enrollment or mission delivery, we can help.

Communicating Institutional Change and Managing Sensitive Situations
Are you planning a major tuition reset or change of mission? Are you closing or merging a campus? Is the school managing a head transition? For these and other complicated and sensitive scenarios, we can help you formulate the right communications plan.

Governance Training, Advising and Support
Inspired organizational leadership and mission-enhancing change starts at the top with good governance practices. We take into account the complicated ways the "lanes" of day-to-day operations and governance intersect as well as the stress on trustees occupying several different roles at once within a community. Our training, advising and support, with options for stand-alone workshops and ongoing coaching, honestly acknowledges this complexity and aims to provide trustees will skills and tools to productively partner with heads of school and executive directors.

Communications Office Operations Audit
Practical guidance for the roles, job descriptions, reporting structure, and internal collaboration systems to fulfill the promise of your communications office in enhancing enrollment, fundraising and leadership/community communications.

Trainings - Retreats - Speaking Engagements

Training Workshops for Schools, Trustees and Administrative Teams
Titles link to full descriptions:

Managing Complicated Parents

Managing Complicated Parents II: Skills for Effective Parent Communication

Communication Skills for Trustees I: Balancing Board and Community Membership

Communication Skills for Trustees II: Practical Skills

On site and virtual formats available - pricing starts at $1500.

Contact us for more information.

Building Better Teams retreat facilitation
Spend a full or half day with a leadership team, board of trustees or faculty leaders increasing trust and creating better connections for more effective collaboration, problem solving and overall team performance. No trust falls or personality tests, our approach centers on coaching the team in processing a real issue facing your school or organization while highlighting principles that will improve your group dynamics. Virtual workshop version available. Read more about our approach to team retreats here.

Keynotes and Speaking Engagements

Julie presents on topics related to communications, leadership, emerging trends and school change for groups across the United States, including NAIS, TABS, NEASC and the Association of Academic Leaders Forum. She is happy to work with you to speak on any topic that has appeared in the Talking Out of School newsletter, either on site or virtually. Contact us for more information.

Leadership Development & Coaching

Leadership Coaching
We believe coaching can be a powerful professional development experience, going beyond providing a "management sounding board" to become a pathway to gain clarity and reflect on both your strengths and your growing edge as a leader. We focus on supporting you putting your insights into practice to be both a more effective leader and to find balance and boundaries between the professional and the personal.

This service can also go beyond traditional leadership coaching to provide support in refining and developing your voice in communications of all kinds - speeches, articles, constituent letters, etc - and to provide a crisis/sensitive situation triage partner for difficult moments. Customized to your specific needs and situation, we look forward to discussing your goals for a coaching relationship.

Group Leadership Development Programs
Women's Leadership Cohort 24-25: Stepping into your Authentic Authority
in collaboration with Jane Moulding of Smarter Wisdom
This cohort brings together a small number of senior administrators in student-facing roles to support and elevate each other on their journey with a core goal of exploring the complexities in your day-to-day work while developing your best self as a leader within your community.