About The Swan Factor
Strategy is only as good as the thinking behind it.
The Swan Factor was built on a belief that most organizations already have what they need to succeed and just need the right partner to help them see it clearly and act on it with confidence.
"I believe the best consulting is finally having the right conversation."
The origin
Built from the inside out.
Heather's career began in Parks and Recreation, where she spent her time coaching youth and coordinating community events. That experience uncovered a deep passion for volunteerism, community building, and bringing people together around a shared purpose.
Despite 25 years in various corporate settings, Heather has always gravitated toward leadership and management working with individuals from diverse backgrounds across local, national, and international regions. Her corporate experience spans specialty retail, festival environments, national sales meetings, international client hosting, HR management, and software design.
Throughout the years, Heather has volunteered in a number of roles, mentoring teenage mothers and teenagers, coaching youth sports, supporting local fundraising efforts, and giving back to her community whenever possible.
One of Heather's greatest strengths is helping individuals through transitions. She is an expert brainstormer who helps people clarify their messages and determine their next steps bringing an unconventional approach to problem solving that creates space for creativity and innovative solutions. Currently, she serves as Regional Director for Little Black Book: Women in Business, a St. Louis-based networking organization for women, mentoring women business professionals and owners through mastermind groups.
Heather is dedicated to bringing people together to create a better understanding of one another and improve the community. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, camping, and spoiling her four-legged companion. She often includes her loved ones in her various activities so don't be surprised if you run into her husband, kids, parents, nieces, and nephews at one of her events.
How I think
A few things I believe deeply.
Clarity is an act of leadership.
Ambiguity is expensive. When leaders are clear about direction, about values, about what matters the organizations move faster and with more confidence.
Change is a human problem.
Most change initiatives fail not because the strategy was wrong, but because the human dimension was underestimated. I never make that mistake.
The best consulting builds independence.
My goal is never to make you dependent on me. It's to leave your organization stronger, more capable, and more confident than when we started.
Community is the foundation of everything.
My roots in community building shape how I approach every engagement — with genuine investment in the people, not just the outcomes.
Background
Experience that spans sectors and scales.
25 years of leadership and management experience across corporate, community, and nonprofit settings and working with individuals from diverse backgrounds in local, national, and international regions.
- 25+ years in leadership and management roles across diverse organizations
- Career roots in Parks & Recreation coaching youth and coordinating community events
- Planned national sales meetings and hosted international clients
- Experience in HR management, operational oversight, and software design
- Expert in transitions, brainstorming, and unconventional problem solving
- Regional Director, Little Black Book: Women in Business in St. Louis
- Mentoring women business professionals through mastermind groups
- Nationwide consulting practice, remote-first by design
Ready to have that conversation?
Every engagement starts with a no-pressure conversation about what you're facing and what's possible.