Change is never easy, but it’s always possible with the right mix of vision and execution. Women across industries are showing us what it looks like to move beyond the status quo—taking ambitious ideas and turning them into measurable impact. Their journeys remind us that transformation isn’t about one defining moment, but about the countless steps and choices that build toward lasting change.
In this article, Dreamers & Doers members highlight the ways they’re driving industry-wide transformation, offering insights into how they bring bold ideas to life and the proud milestones that affirm their impact.
Catharine Montgomery
Founder & CEO of Better Together Agency, a Black woman-founded, full-service, AI-forward communications agency that creates integrated campaigns for mission-driven work.
Better Together Agency builds the framework to make change happen. When we identified biases in generative AI as a critical issue, we didn't stop at research. We conducted two nationwide surveys, published actionable reports, and partnered directly with Fortune 500 companies to implement bias-reduction strategies in their AI development processes. Our five-step approach turns abstract goals into concrete results.
For other founders who want to drive change, I recommend starting with data that proves the problem exists, then creating solutions that serve business objectives and social impact. Real change happens when you can show companies that doing good is morally right, as well as competitively necessary.
Nicole Leon
Founder of L. Leon Virtual Assistance, a boutique virtual support business for stretched-thin leaders ready to delegate with intention.
We help our clients stop operating from urgency and start building from strategy. Whether it’s refining backend workflows, managing executive calendars and inboxes, or stepping in as their thought partner, we bring calm to the chaos—tangible support that creates real transformation.
When a client said, “I finally sat down for dinner with my kids without checking my phone,” I knew this was bigger than inboxes and admin. We’re not just managing tasks; we’re returning women their time, energy, and presence. This work creates space to lead with clarity and live with intention. That’s the kind of transformation that sticks.
Luzy King
CEO & Founder of Say Hola Wealth®, a disruptive financial wellness platform that empowers first-generation Latinas to become investors, build wealth through entrepreneurship, and heal financial trauma—combining cultural insight with tech-driven tools and a community.
We bring our vision to life by creating culturally relevant financial education explicitly tailored for first-generation Latinas, then delivering it through tech platforms that enable women to learn and participate in coaching calls on the go. I knew I was part of a larger transformation when we helped first-generation women collectively invest over $5.5 million. Many of those women were becoming investors for the first time while healing generational financial wounds.
My advice for other founders is to ground your big ideas in the real needs of your community, then use technology as a bridge—not a barrier—to access and impact.
Amanda Hofman
Chief Swag Officer of Go To Market, the anti-boring branded merch and swag experts, changing the way the world handles swag and designing sustainable merch shops that reflect our clients’ values and create chic swag people actually want to keep.
At Go To Market, we believe merch shouldn’t just exist—it should mean something. So we start every project by digging into the brand’s values: What do they stand for? What’s the vibe? From there, we create emotionally resonant designs and build sustainable, inventory-free shops that bring those ideas to life. When clients started coming to us saying, “I didn’t even know swag could look like this,” I knew we were shifting the standard.
My advice for driving change: Start before you feel ready! The vision doesn’t need to be polished or Instagram-ready—just pointed. Get clear on what frustrates you about the status quo and build from that place.
Kelly Hubbell
Founder & CEO of Sage Haus, helping busy parents reclaim time by building their village, recruiting house managers and family assistants to lighten the mental load and support families in implementing home systems that streamline household management and improve partner collaboration.
Sage Haus is creating a new professional category within the caregiving industry by developing the first-ever training and certification program for house managers—a role that addresses what busy families actually need. The moment I realized I was transforming an entire industry was when I hired my own house manager and experienced firsthand how life-changing this holistic support could be. We're building the infrastructure to make this transformation real through standardized training and certification, which will also allow us to match certified house managers with families.
My advice for making industry-changing ideas tangible is to solve the problem for yourself first, then systematically build the processes and standards that allow others to replicate your solution at scale. Don't wait for someone else to create the category—if you see the gap, fill it and set the standard.
Nichole Bascue
CEO of N^2 Consulting, the unapologetic brainchild of Indigenous brilliance.
We took a bold vision—Tribal sovereignty in health data—and made it real through the first Indigenous-built AI platform that actually listens to our communities instead of diagnosing them. My team doesn’t do fluff. We do frameworks that hold soul, spreadsheets, and story. When our platform was adopted nationally and recognized by WHO as a model for culturally grounded innovation, I knew we weren’t just consulting—we were building a new standard.
My advice? Get clear on what you’re really building. Stop chasing innovation for clout and instead start creating systems that honor people, not just platforms.
Dale Pfeifer
CEO of Giving Compass, a philanthropic education platform powered by AI that helps more than 2.25 million donors each year deepen the impact and meaning of their giving by connecting them with the most impactful yet under-resourced nonprofits in their communities.
We believe philanthropy works best when donors can easily find and support impactful nonprofits. To make this vision real, we built an AI-powered platform that gathers and transforms nonprofit data into clear, compelling stories donors can trust. When we saw that donors on our platform were 3.8 times more likely to give to smaller nonprofits and 73% more likely to give locally, I knew we were shifting how philanthropy works. It was proof that better data and discovery tools could change donor behavior at scale and start to rebalance where funding flows.
Aspiring leaders should start with a bold vision, break it into small, doable actions, and keep going until the change they imagined becomes the new normal.
Demilade Oloyede
Founder of Limpiar, an AI-powered property operations platform revolutionizing how multi-site commercial brands manage facility services.
We turn vision into action by building technology that meets frontline workers where they are with intuitive tools, multilingual support, and AI-driven workflows designed for high-turnover teams. When national brands like LA Fitness and P.F. Chang’s began piloting Limpiar to streamline operations, I knew we were shifting industry standards. Seeing frontline workers gain real economic mobility through our platform confirmed that transformation isn’t just possible. It’s happening.
To drive meaningful change, I recommend starting with the lived experience of the people most overlooked in your industry, then design around their needs. Innovation sticks when it’s practical, inclusive, and scalable.
Vivian Arestia
Co-Founder & Head of GTM of Monotype Secure, an innovation incubator with the mission to make all information secure and trustworthy, one font at a time.
Our work is helping to solve the $3 trillion global counterfeit goods problem. The sale of fake goods doesn’t just damage the brand; it’s also dangerous to consumers who are unaware that they are ingesting food products or taking medication that is not authentic. The life-or-death nature of this problem motivates me every day to get our innovative solution in front of as many people as possible.
The best advice I’ve ever received as an entrepreneur is to maintain laser focus on understanding the customer’s pain point. Too many founders fall in love with their solution or technology instead of the problem that needs to be addressed. Real growth comes from obsessing over what truly frustrates your customer—not what you think they need, but what they’re actually struggling with.
Catalina Parker
Co-Founder & CEO of Relatable Nonprofit, empowering purpose-driven professionals to turn their nonprofit expertise into thriving consulting businesses so they can create meaningful impact on their own terms.
The nonprofit sector is facing a talent crisis: high turnover, burned-out leaders, and salaries that can’t keep pace with the cost of living. We started our program because we saw talented nonprofit professionals who wanted to consult but didn’t know how to start. Without a roadmap, many stalled out or gave up. Our mentorship program gives them a clear, proven path with a sustainable business model. Now, those same professionals are running thriving businesses and helping hundreds of nonprofits do their best work.
My advice is to solve the most pressing gap you see, keep the steps simple, and let real results shape the bigger transformation.
Lorraine Schuchart
Founder & CEO of Prosper for Purpose, a Certified B Corporation and award-winning branding and communications agency helping visionary leaders build category-of-one brands.
At Prosper for Purpose, we start by helping our clients clarify a bold, values-driven vision, then reverse-engineer it into actionable milestones. This means aligning every brand decision—from positioning to messaging to marketing channels—with both business goals and positive societal impact. We test and iterate quickly, tracking results so our clients can see momentum build in real time.
I suggest anchoring your vision in purpose, breaking it into measurable actions, and committing to consistent execution. Transformation is the result of disciplined creativity.
Daria Leshchenko
CEO & Managing Partner of SupportYourApp, a global leader in customer experience outsourcing, combining human expertise with AI-driven solutions to empower tech companies worldwide.
At SupportYourApp, our transformational vision has always been to elevate customer support from a reactive function to a proactive, strategic advantage for our clients. Our vision to blend human empathy with AI efficiency resulted in launching an AI-powered multilingual support agent. We started small, piloted with one client, measured KPIs, and then scaled globally, reducing response times by 40% while increasing CSAT, reshaping the role of human agents, and setting a new benchmark for hybrid customer service.
I would recommend starting small, measuring relentlessly, and empowering your people. Industry-changing ideas are rarely one big leap; they’re a series of consistent, intentional steps toward the future you envision.
Clara Ma
CEO & Founder of Ask a Chief of Staff, a premier executive search and career platform helping CEOs hire top-tier Chiefs of Staff and empowering operators to grow into strategic leadership roles.
What we’ve learned is that most companies focus on either recruiting or community—but rarely both. From day one, we built Ask a Chief of Staff to be a dual-sided ecosystem: we support executives through strategic hiring and empower Chiefs of Staff through community, mentorship, and career development. When we were featured in Fast Company and later named a Tory Burch Fellow and Entreprenista 100 winner, it felt like more than personal recognition. It was a signal that the Chief of Staff role was finally getting the spotlight it deserves. That visibility is helping validate this career path for others, and it’s why our work at Ask a Chief of Staff matters so deeply to me.
My advice? Build for the entire lifecycle, not just the entry point. Transformation happens when you serve people holistically, not transactionally.
Michal Levison
Founder of Seasoned Moments, using positive psychology to build and shift corporate culture that increases productivity, amplifies connections within teams, and ultimately enhances the overall well-being of an organization.
The vision for Seasoned Moments was to reimagine lunch as a workplace intervention that could shift corporate culture. To make that tangible, my team and I designed small pilot programs: structured shared meals with clear goals, facilitation, and pre- and post-intervention surveys. When a client’s engagement scores increased by over 20% in four months after we introduced small, science-backed culture shifts—such as shared meals and real-time strengths spotting—I knew we weren’t just improving morale; we were transforming how they worked. It hit me that I’d moved from team-building to reshaping the playbook for workplace connection.
My advice to others is to start with your bold—but concrete—idea. Don’t wait for perfect conditions. Create a prototype, test it, gather real feedback, and use those results to build momentum and credibility.
Shefali Lakhani
Founder & Managing Attorney of Lakhani Legal PLLC, a business and IP law firm working with small businesses, entrepreneurs, and startups.
My vision is to transform the way small businesses, startups, and creative entrepreneurs experience legal support, moving away from the intimidating, transactional “traditional law firm” model toward a collaborative, educational partnership. I realized the shift was happening when a client—who I knew was meeting with a number of law firms—decided to move forward with me because they found my advice and working style approachable and practical for their business. Since then, I’ve met and worked with many folks who appreciate how I approach our working relationship, share advice, and create a seamless process from start to finish.
My advice for turning an industry-changing idea into reality is to start small but be consistent. Identify one or two key principles of your vision and commit to living them in every decision you make.
Lakeya Cherry
CEO & Founder of Lakeya Cherry LLC, a dynamic executive coaching and consulting business that empowers leaders and organizations to maximize their potential.
In my work, I connect big visions of leadership transformation to grounded, practical steps. For example, when I facilitate workshops, we move beyond concepts like courage and vulnerability by practicing real conversations and naming concrete commitments leaders can carry into their daily interactions. Many participants have stepped into bigger leadership roles, gained the confidence to advocate for themselves, and expanded their influence in ways that ripple beyond their own careers. Seeing those shifts affirmed that my work is part of a larger movement, ensuring leaders (particularly those of color) are not only at the table but shaping the future.
My advice: Don’t underestimate the power of small, consistent shifts. Industry-changing ideas become real when leaders model the change themselves and invite others to co-create the path forward.
Alejandra Santos
CEO of Into The Next, helping business owners scale lean and exit smart by turning operational chaos and financial uncertainty into clarity, efficiency, and long-term value.
When we begin working with a client, we assess where the business currently stands and work with the owner and team to define the vision for where they want to be. Together, we build a strategic roadmap that not only identifies the operational and leadership gaps, but lays out the actionable steps needed to close them. I realized we were driving something bigger when a long-time client told me, “I finally feel like I have a real company, not just a job I created for myself.” Our work helped them move from reactive to intentional and from day-to-day survival to long-term value creation.
It’s important to view exit planning as part of your business strategy—not just something you think about at the end. Everyone exits their business eventually, and the earlier you align your strategy with the type of exit you want, the more value and momentum you’ll preserve along the way.
Grace Nguyen
Founder & CEO of LOUPN, an inclusive jewelry brand inspired by our Korean heritage, intended to encourage positivity, confidence, and love.
Women experience gender bias and limitations, but men do, too. When we launched nearly five years ago, most of the men we talked to said they didn’t wear jewelry. Now, many men who come to us ask where they should start. My vision of allowing men to feel seen and encouraging creative expression is coming to fruition!
My advice for driving change? Before taking any new steps in your business, always remember why you started.
Caitlin Ner
Director of Operations at PsyMed Ventures, an early-stage VC fund investing in frontier neuroscience, brain, mental health, and human augmentation.
We wanted to put ourselves at the center of the future of neuroscience, so we built frontier neurotech events from the ground up that convened scientists, founders, and investors to spark collisions and sharpen our theses. Sharing my lived experience with burnout and mental illness has helped me realize that PsyMed's focus on investing in frontier brain health treatments isn’t just for those working in my industry or for those with brain illnesses; it’s for everyone.
Big visions gain traction when you bring people together, not just broadcast ideas. Prototype in public with gatherings or pilots that make your future tangible and anchor ambition in concrete near-term steps. Finally, stay constantly learning and in conversation with others, because the most transformative work comes from realizing we don’t have all the answers.
Palveshey Tariq
Founder of Alternative Coaching Methods, redefining health and wealth through plant medicine.
At Alternative Coaching Methods, my team and I take a bold vision for redefining health and wealth through plant medicine and translate it into actionable steps that leaders can live by. I recognized that I was part of a broader shift in the plant medicine field when leaders began seeking my guidance on how to create structured programs that ensured their journeys were more than fleeting experiences.
When working towards big change, stop comparing your first chapter to someone else’s tenth chapter. Transformation follows its own timeline. Be unreasonably delusional about what you want until it becomes reality.
Esosa Edosomwan
Founder & CEO of Staying Ageless Coaching, a digital holistic nutrition practice serving clients worldwide, dedicated to helping women of color heal and reverse chronic conditions and hormone imbalances naturally so they can live their best, healthiest lives.
We’ve taken our transformational vision of holistic hormonal care and turned it into action by scaling the same protocols that have helped women heal over the past six years—now powered by AI for greater reach and personalization. After helping countless women reverse symptoms of hormonal imbalance and reclaim their health from fibroids, PCOS, and endometriosis, I realized we were sparking a movement to reimagine the entire OB-GYN model.
The key to our impact has been building the right team. Bringing in the best people transforms execution and elevates everything. Collaboration allows us to move quickly from concept to real solutions that impact women’s lives. My advice to others is simple: Invest in both your vision and your team, because groundbreaking ideas become reality when the right people execute together.
Charmaine Green-Forde
Founder & CEO of Chapter tOO, LLC, a data-backed, people-first coaching and consulting practice, helping organizations and people design their best chapters by optimizing performance, engagement, and organizational processes.
Vision is one thing, but it means nothing without a well-defined strategy, clear responsibilities, and change management to carry it through. At Chapter tOO, we help clients cut through the noise by saying the thing and making the plan, because awareness and action are not the same. Often organizations accept dysfunction as the norm until someone calls it out and makes a plan. We’re not just solving problems in one workplace—we’re contributing to a broader push for accountability and sustainable change in the industry.
My advice is to stop waiting for the perfect conditions (hint: they don’t exist). Instead, commit to the first step and track your progress.
Ciara Siegel
Brand and Marketing Strategist & Founder of CJC, bringing the strategy behind billion-dollar brands to small businesses.
My mission has always been to make brand and marketing strategy—once locked behind $50K retainers—actually accessible and achievable for entrepreneurs. I had a vision to give people a taste of the brand clarity I provide and to grow my list while building real value. I took a two-hour workshop, built a custom GPT, and launched my Brand One-Liner tool. It’s now my most-used free resource, helping founders confidently introduce themselves on networking calls and beyond. I knew I was part of a larger shift when founders stopped treating brand strategy like a luxury and started seeing it as a non-negotiable.
That’s the power of clear strategy: once you know what you offer and how to talk about it, AI becomes fuel—not noise.
Brooke MacLean
CEO of Marketwake, an award-winning Performance Marketing and Creative Services agency blending data-driven creativity with brand strategy.
At Marketwake, we turned our vision for the future of AI in marketing into reality by launching AIaaS (AI as a Service), making every team member across departments an AI operator. This shifted conversations from “will our clients replace us with AI?” to “how do we leverage AI to deliver better results faster?”
My advice for making industry-changing ideas real: start with one concrete pilot, get your entire team hands-on from day one, and iterate based on what moves the needle.
Jessica Berg
Founder of The RISE Collective, a program that helps women in tech move away from the brink of burnout and get to the root of what causes them to go into overdrive by using inner child methods, nervous system rewiring, and somatic work.
Burnout is a hot topic, especially in tech. Where many programs focus on mindset, gratitude, and organizational tools, The RISE Collective addresses the root of what drives women to push themselves into overdrive: the need to be accepted, to accomplish, to be self-sufficient, to perform. It's all rooted in how we found safety in our youth.
During the closing ceremonies of The RISE Collective, the transformation the women had seen was next-level. They'd changed jobs, careers, and found inner peace for the first time in their lives. That’s how I knew we were making the difference we’d set out to.
All individuals featured in this article are members of Dreamers & Doers, an award-winning community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs, investors, and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections, and curating high-impact resources. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and get involved here.
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