When you need to bring people together—and create shared direction, not just shared activity

You Might Need This If:

• Your last planning effort produced a deck that never turned into action

• Cross-functional teams are talking past each other

• Competing priorities are creating tension instead of focus

• You need to engage stakeholders meaningfully—not just check a box

• A retreat or alignment session is on the calendar, but you're not sure it will actually move the needle

What We Do:

We design and facilitate human-centered planning and engagement processes that help teams realign, refocus, and move forward together.

This isn't generic facilitation. It's co-designed for your context, grounded in your reality, and built to create dialogue, clarity, and shared ownership—not just agreement.

This work often includes:

• Healthcare strategic planning and transformation

• Nonprofit strategic planning and visioning

• Leadership, board, and senior leadership team retreats

• Cross-functional and cross-disciplinary alignment workshops

• Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) facilitation

• Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) stakeholder engagement

• Patient and family experience strategy

• Stakeholder, member, or community engagement processes

• Problem framing and priority setting

• Multi-day strategic retreat facilitation

What Changes:

• Stronger relationships across roles, disciplines, and hierarchy

• Clearer shared priorities that people actually own

• Honest dialogue that moves beyond surface consensus

• Actionable roadmaps co-created by the people who'll implement them

• Renewed momentum and trust across teams

"There was a buzz in the air throughout and after the retreat. I haven't seen this level of engagement before. It was a truly special event."

— Neda Laiteerapong, MD, Section Chief of General Internal Medicine, UChicago Medicine

When strategy is moving into action—and you need a thought partner who understands complexity

You Might Need This If:

• Strategy is set, but implementation is stalling

• Decisions feel stuck or ambiguous

• You're navigating transition or uncertainty without clear roadmaps

• You need an objective thought partner who understands systems

• Change initiatives need design and activation support—not just a plan

What We Do:

We partner with executives and leadership teams as ongoing strategic advisors—offering structure, clarity, and thought partnership when ambiguity is high and stakes are real.

This isn't a one-time engagement. It's sustained support as you navigate complexity, make key decisions, and translate strategy into practical action.

This work often includes:

• Ongoing strategic advisory and thought partnership

• Decision support at key inflection points

• Translating strategy into actionable plans

• Opportunity assessment and prioritization

• Light-touch facilitation for critical decision moments

• Sounding board support for leaders navigating complexity

What Changes:

• Clearer pathways forward when ambiguity was blocking progress

• Faster, more confident decisions at key moments

• Stronger alignment between strategy and execution

• Increased buy-in because people were meaningfully involved

• Less political friction because the process created clarity

"Joel excels at asking insightful, thought-provoking questions that foster deeper understanding and collaborative problem-solving. His human-centered approach contributed to the successful delivery of complex work."

— Lauri Mills, Director of Consumer Experience, BlueCross BlueShield Association

When you're navigating transition, uncertainty, or a complex problem that needs fresh framing

You Might Need This If:

• You're stepping into a new role or responsibility

• You're facing a complex problem that doesn't have an obvious solution

• You want to grow your capacity as a strategic thinker and facilitator

• You're navigating ambiguity without clear roadmaps

• You want to lead with more intentionality and impact—not just react to what's in front of you

What We Do:

This is coaching grounded in human-centered design and real-world problem solving—not generic frameworks or motivational pep talks.

We work with leaders at inflection points to help them clarify direction, engage stakeholders more effectively, and design next steps with confidence.

This work may include:

• One-on-one or small-group leadership coaching

• Support through career or role transitions

• Applying human-centered design tools to live leadership challenges

• Stakeholder listening, synthesis, and engagement design

• Structured reflection to craft next steps with clarity

What Changes:

• Increased clarity on what matters most and where to focus

• More confident decision-making in ambiguous situations

• Stronger stakeholder engagement—because you're asking better questions

• Renewed sense of agency in situations that felt stuck

• Clearer pathways forward during transitions

"His ability to listen deeply and ask the questions I hadn't even admitted to myself—that's what helped me see the path forward more clearly."

— Leadership Coaching Client