Maria Ford is a Word Worker Chief Phraseologist at Phrase Strategy Inc. where she finds the perfect words that help organizations evolve, scale, and grow. At a critical growth point for her brand and for her 20+ year career in marketing, Maria sought internal clarity to support external brand alignment. The rich process of identifying her clients “essential story” is what she also sought for her personal and professional identities.

“Working with Dana Ray allowed me to discern the language I use to convey the 'unboxable' value I bring to the world. Through conversations with Dana, I gained clarity and differentiation between my personal and professional offerings. It has led to a more confident personal understanding and outward expression of what I bring and where I fit in a variety of situations. As a 'word-person', I needed to work on this with a fellow word-person, but not just any word-person would do--I needed the help of someone who applies their talent to sorting out complex creative identity, and that is exactly what I found in Dana.”

Megan Dowd changes the way we understand and practice human connection through the art of storytelling. Dowd trained at London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts and now applies her expertise in embodied narrative to help neurodiverse and spoonie business leaders connect with their audiences in a Human First, Biz Second framework. We used the Ground Truth process to determine her core identity as an artist and leader that then informed the brand hierarchy within her business.

“Working with Dana is transformational at its core. Language is my jam and storytelling is my work. It was indispensable to have someone outside myself reflecting my words back to me and illuminating the nuances I would have missed otherwise. With Dana's help, I found language that grounds my philosophies and purpose—truly, a Ground Truth—and I am so excited to grow and flourish in such glorious soil.”

Chris Danilo is a productivity consultant and thought leader who guides social-impact enterprises to refine their systems and tackle their goals. He wanted to evaluate several years of writing and creative output and reorient to his true objectives and metrics of success. In an hour long consultation, we identified the direction of his core work: coaching young adults in taking action on their ambitious social-impact dreams.

“Dana’s superpower is helping you realize your full potential by finding the words you need to describe your work, first to yourself and then to others. The result is rejuvenating clarity that not only inspires but levels-up your impact.”

Dr. Jessica Menold is an engineering design and mechanical engineering faculty member at Penn State. She was navigating career choices as she looked towards tenure. Together, we created a narrative that integrated her work as a start-up founder, design-thinking facilitator, and engineer.

“I cannot overemphasize that Dana’s assessment and ensuing report was—without question—miles ahead of any other workshop or facilitated event I have attended. She helped me name the work I want to do and take the critical next steps.”

Lesley-Anne Long is the President and CEO of GBCHealth, a coalition leveraging the full resources of the business community to meet today’s most pressing global health challenges. She was looking for a way to tell the story of her rich and diverse career, from being a barrister in Family Law to developing Ethiopia’s nurse training program with Dr. Tedros. What did these experiences have in common? How could she articulate who she was as she began a new chapter? We used the Ground Truth process to name the essence of her work and translate her story into public facing language.

“Dana is simply magical to work with, whether you’re looking to tell your personal journey or capture the essence of what your organization does. She understands the power of compelling narratives and can help you find the words to tell your story. She understands the beauty of words and how to say just what’s needed. I recommend you have a conversation with her and find the magic for yourself.”

Steve Garguilo worked with Boma Global to launch their new deliverables in corporate training for companies ready to build a resilient, sustainable world. The founders (of TEDx + Synchronicity U) shared a vision but needed to identify shared language to align decision making and support effective communication.

“One of the most difficult things for a new brand or initiative is finding the right language. The work makes sense in our heads but the right words are hard to come by. Dana guided our team through a thoughtful approach that got the essence out of our heads and onto paper. Thanks to Dana's guidance, we arrived at language faster than I've ever experienced.”