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Conscious Ascent, Revisited

On growth, alignment, and building what finally feels true


When I first launched Conscious Ascent, I knew what I cared about long before I knew how to articulate it. I knew I was energized by groups and I knew that when people feel safe enough to be real with one another, something powerful happens: clarity emerges, accountability strengthens, and teams move faster together.


What I didn’t yet know was how much I would grow alongside the business. This rebrand marks a quiet but meaningful milestone for me - not because the work has changed, but because the business finally reflects the way the work actually feels.





The work has always been about alignment

Looking back, it’s clear that Conscious Ascent wasn’t a sudden leap. It was a slow, steady climb I’d been on for more than a decade.


In my early 20s, I joined my first group forum in Washington, DC and was immediately struck by the power of authentic connection inside a well-held container. The experience stayed with me. There was something profoundly human and effective about people slowing down, telling the truth, and learning together.


Later, at Sparkfund, I found myself in a Chief of Staff role we affectionately called “the glue.” I wasn’t leading from the front. I was connecting dots, surfacing tension, aligning priorities, and helping a fast-moving leadership team row in the same direction. At the time, I didn’t have language for it. In hindsight, it was my first real practice of facilitation.


At AirDNA, facilitation became formalized. I was trained in the SpiralMethod and watched firsthand how structured, intentional dialogue could transform trust and communication within an executive team. That experience led to the design and rollout of a company-wide leadership development program, embedding forums as a core operating rhythm for people managers.


What became clear — again and again — was this:

When trust is present, everything else accelerates.

Research backs this up. In high-trust organizations, employees are more productive, collaborate better, experience less stress, and stay longer. Trust isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s infrastructure.




Why startups — and why now


Startups are my native terrain.


I know the intensity of early-stage growth. The whiplash of scaling. The pressure to perform while roles, priorities, and identities are still forming. From seed to Series A, Series B, exit and beyond. I’ve lived inside the madness.


What I’ve seen is that misalignment is expensive, unspoken tension slows teams down, lack of clarity creates rework, and avoided conversations quietly erode trust.



Conscious Ascent exists to help founders and leadership teams reduce that noise - by building cultures rooted in clarity, feedback, accountability, and psychological safety.


This work is about creating the conditions for people to do their best work - together.



The rebrand: making the invisible visible


For the first two years of the business, I focused almost exclusively on the substance of the work. The visuals came together quickly and in true startup fashion, a little bit scrappy. This year, I chose to invest in alignment internally and externally.


The rebrand reflects what has always been true at the core of Conscious Ascent:

  • Growth happens in relationship

  • Leadership is human before it is strategic

  • Safety enables courage

  • Alignment unlocks performance


The visual identity now mirrors the experience clients describe when we work together: grounded, spacious, supportive, and quietly challenging in the best way.



Conscious ascent, by design


The name still holds.


Conscious: because leadership starts with awareness, responsibility, and choice.

Ascent: because growth is iterative, not instant. One step, one conversation, one decision at a time.




We’re all climbing something - a company, a role, a season of change. No one does it alone. If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that meaningful growth happens in community. I’ve been shaped by the people who walked alongside me - mentors, colleagues, coaches, and teams willing to do the real work together.


If you’re building something - a company, a culture, or the next version of yourself - I’d be honored to join your rope team.

 
 
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