A woman with short blonde hair and fair skin smiling, wearing a light beige sweater against a dark blue background.

I followed all the rules straight into a breakdown.

As a plan for changing your life, I do not recommend it.

For most of my life, I believed that if I worked hard enough, made realistic choices, and did exactly what was expected of me, everything would turn out fine.

I was, shall we say, gravely mistaken.

People tell me things.
I've stopped questioning it.

Wherever I go, people think I look familiar.
Strangers confess their secrets to me.
Travelers ask me for directions in countries where I don't speak the language.

My mother and I play a game we call Three Pieces of Information. We watch strangers and invent entire lives for them from three observable facts.

I'm convinced this made me a writer.

Read
Close-up of a microphone on a stand in front of an audience at an indoor conference or event, with a large presentation screen and ceiling lights in the background.

“I have some thoughts.”

Speaking

My talks and breakout sessions explore the stories we've accepted as fact, and what becomes possible when we ask whether those stories were ever true. Drawing from behavioral science, narrative inquiry, and lived experience, I challenge audiences to rethink the stories shaping their work, their relationships, and the lives they're creating.

Listen

Thought Partnership

When life no longer fits and you’re not sure what to do about it, You May Ask Yourself

The biggest decisions rarely begin with certainty. They begin with a quiet, nagging feeling that something needs to change.

Maybe it’s a career that looks successful but feels empty.

A relationship you’ve outgrown.

The unignorable sense that this cannot possibly be it.

You don't want to blow up your life. You just want it to stop feeling like someone else's.

Explore

Kudos & Accolades

  • "What Stefanie does is connect you to your backbone. Things that you would struggle to come up with yourself, Stefanie helps you find them within you. She helped me pause, think, and reorganize a plan of attack—not once, but twice. I cannot recommend Stefanie enough to anyone keen on finding their voice."

    ~Philip Szeszol

  • "Stef is magnetic, a natural leader, a visionary creative, an enthralling storyteller, and the person you want in the room with you when the work feels impossible. With Stef by your side, you know you'll be able to crack the problem together."

    ~ Janeen Ritson

  • "Her wit, wisdom, acumen, and compassion make any creative endeavor better for her presence. She commands a room, weaves an amazing story, builds a strong relationship with her clients, and fearlessly champions truly good creative ideas."

    ~ Heather Linnell

  • “From her impeccable work ethic to her wicked sense of humor, Stefanie has a lot to offer. She is a decisive leader, a fair judge of work and character, and a skilled magician to the clients. Stefanie is also a lovely human being who understands, listens, and knows how to make everything better, smoother, and kinder for her team.”

    ~ Yana Hunt

  • "Stef doesn't need much to make something beautiful—she listens with a honed ear and picks up on the subtlest prompts to make work that's sharp and smart."

    ~ Sarah Dick

  • "It's rare to find someone as motivated, thoughtful, and kind."

    ~ Ben Waldman

  • “Stefanie is the kind of leader I aspire to be: collaborative, yet powerful. Loyal, yet flexible. Empathetic, yet direct. A keen love of craft, with incredible insight and intuition. She has the uncanny ability to find the most salient kernel of truth in an idea to make it great and also give her team the room to play. She creates a safe space for everyone who is lucky enough to work with her and can navigate the trickiest situations with grace and humor.”

    ~ Erica Boynton

Observations, Essays, and
Occasional Dog Pictures

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    Selected Work & Appearances

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