Most people are doing great work.
They just don’t have the language to say so.
I spent nearly two decades inside organizations — large global companies, nonprofits, consulting firms. I worked in HR, talent strategy, and leadership development. I advised executives, led hiring decisions, and sat in the rooms where careers were made or stalled.
And across all those organizations, the root cause of their challenges was the same…
Communication.
We’ve never been taught to identify impact, name it, or connect it to anything larger than the task in front of us. And that inability to articulate where and how we contributed to something that mattered is quietly draining the life out of organizations from the inside.
When nobody knows where they make an impact, work feels meaningless. Engagement drops. Communication breaks down. The blame game starts. The best people start wondering if anyone actually sees what they're doing. And eventually, they leave.
By the time I left corporate America, I was burnt out. The world inside organizations was getting tighter and more toxic and I had spent too long hustling toward goals that were never real to begin with.
But something else was happening too. People I'd worked with fifteen years earlier started reaching out asking for help with job searches, promotions, pivots, career crossroads. That told me something the impact I'd been creating was real because they still remembered what it was like with me in HR. And now it was time to do it differently.
I've always been a leap-first person. My dreams were bigger than what I could build inside an org. So I left. And gumption was born.
Ready to Put Your Gumption to Work?
If your work has evolved but the way you talk about it hasn’t caught up yet, you’re in the right place.
The Language of Impact.
Everything gumption does is built on one framework.
The Language of Impact is the skill of identifying what you’re good at, speaking about it clearly, and connecting your contributions to a larger mission, goal, or outcome.
Three moves. Endlessly repeatable.
Identify.
See where your work actually changes outcomes using what skills, competencies, and strengths. Not the tasks or the job description, but what about you made you successful in that role.Speak.
Find the language to describe it clearly, confidently, and without apology or hesitation. Build a professional brand that highlights and markets this to the right audience at the right time.Connect.
Tie it to something bigger. A team goal, organizational outcomes, personal improvement, a career direction… Find the good in each experience.
For individuals, this skill changes everything.
It shows up in how you talk about yourself in an interview, how you advocate in a performance review, how you position yourself for a promotion, how you survive a layoff and land on your feet.
For organizations, it's a cultural infrastructure problem and gumption fixes it.
When your people can't speak to their impact, you can't see it. Feedback loops break down, talent goes unrecognized, and your best people leave for places where their work is visible. The Language of Impact gives leaders and teams the shared language to change that.
Get to Know Me.
(You Should Actually Like Your Coach Too!)
Where I Live: Cincinnati, Ohio, with my husband (Joe) and our two ridiculous mutts (Melmer & Slinky).
What Fuels Me: Diet Coke, iced coffee, fancy laminated pastries, and a constant desire to live a life out of a Martha Stewart or Ina Garten cookbook.
What I Wanted to Be When I Grew Up: An Interior Designer (I watched A LOT of Designing Women growing up!).
Who I’ve Always Been: I’ve always had a knack for seeing the big picture, cutting through the noise, and helping people think differently about their work, their worth, and what’s possible.
I’m supportive, but I’ll challenge you when it counts. I’ll hype you up, hold you accountable, and help you take real action. And once I’m in your corner, I’m staying there. Everyone deserves someone who sees what they’re capable of, and helps them show it to the world.
What I Believe: Your work life should work for you, not the other way around.
You don’t have to settle. You don’t have to “wait your turn.”
You just need the right strategy… and a little more gumption.
Your sense of humor, curiosity, and irony are the key to keeping all of this balanced and human in a chaotic corporate world.
My Playlist: Eclectic. Yacht rock. Dolly. Women of Country Music (Loretta Lynn, The Judds, Tammy Wynette, Kacey Musgraves…). Rap & R&B. Soul (Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, Aretha Franklin).
My Favorite Sandwich: We all have one. You know, the sandwich that still haunts your dreams and despite your best efforts, you’ll never recreate it.
Mine is a turkey club from a restaurant in Joshua Tree, CA that haunts me to this day. It was toasty perfection.
What’s yours?
let’s talk.
No pressure, no sales pitch.
Just a real conversation about what’s next for you.