Background

In my previous career, I cooked professionally for eight years in a variety of food service operations, which ranged from quick service to fine dining. Throughout this career, I trained new staff and created training materials when none existed. I worked closely with chefs and owners during leadership changes, providing support wherever I could. I created solutions to problems that held back our productivity and efficiency. I witnessed the challenges leaders face in acquiring and retaining skilled workers, managing employee conflict, sustaining morale, and fostering an effective work environment. External challenges, such as a chronic shortage of job applicants, combined with internal challenges, like high turnover, were a constant struggle across the places I worked in the culinary industry. I saw that many leaders wanted to address issues within their teams and organizations, but were stumped by overwork and a lack of support and resources. I eventually came to realize that, as much as I loved to cook, my true passion lay in these organizational development challenges.

Industrial-organizational psychology is the study of human behavior in the workplace. The goal is to create effective strategies for improving the work environment and employee performance. For my degree in this field, I studied leadership, executive coaching, consulting skills, complex change, conflict management, organizational development, organizational behavior, psychometric tests and measures, research methods, talent acquisition, and learning and development.

I chose to create an NPO instead of an LLC because I am mission-driven to make organizational development accessible to small businesses that often operate on narrow financial margins. I believe that making the kind of support I offer available to business that would not otherwise be able to afford it can significantly improve the working lives of employees and employers across a wide array of industries.