People-first leader making work more human 🌿 Director & Podcast Host @ Engage for Good | Work & Wellbeing | Social Impact | Leadership Development | Strategy

By age 30, I was a Managing Director: 86% raise in 3 years, ran 7-figure programs, partnered with brands like Google, Subaru, and PayPal.

On paper, I was “killing it.” In reality, I was the Chief Everything Officer.

The shift I eventually made in my own leadership is the same shift my clients are making today.

When women leaders stop tying their value to being the one everything runs through — decisions, problems, and momentum — and start leading from strategy and authority, their calendar opens up, decisions get easier, and their impact finally matches their role.

Not because they work harder, but because they lead differently.

Client results:
• Promoted to Senior Director while leaving work at 5pm
• 29% raise without being the department safety net
• 20% revenue growth after getting out of day-to-day execution
• 77% increase in event attendance without running point on everything
• Presenting solo to CMOs and VPs for the first time
• Ideas greenlit; new teams and initiatives handed to them
• 50% fewer fire drills, while no longer the fixer between teams

How I learned this firsthand:
Yes, I had the title, team, and results. 

But I was also:
X “On” morning to night
X Pulled into everything 
X The default decision maker
X Running on fumes and calling it ambition

The real wake-up call? 
A friend joked to my husband that I must be imaginary because no one ever saw me.

That moment made something painfully clear:
Leadership that depends on constant effort eventually breaks - and it usually breaks the leader first.

So I changed how I led. I stopped being the Chief Everything Officer and rebuilt my leadership around:

• Strategic leverage instead of being the bottleneck
• Clear ownership instead of constant escalation
• Systems that protected focus, energy, and authority

That shift led to:
• 5+ weeks of unplugged PTO while running 7‑figure projects
• A high‑performing team other execs wanted to replicate
• A life I was actually present for

Who I work with now:
I help women leaders who look successful on paper, but are carrying far more of the work than their role requires.

Women who:
• Are stuck in reactive days and nonstop meetings
• Feel like they have to “earn” the role they already have
• Want to reclaim strategic leadership inside their current role

Here’s the truth:
You don’t rise by doing more. You rise by leading differently.

Your next level isn’t about working harder; it’s about leaving the Chief Everything Officer role and stepping into strategic, high-impact leadership.

Your ideas can't create change if no one knows about them.

I know, talking about your work feels uncomfortable.
Like bragging. Like self-promotion. Like "too much."

And women leaders have been told to not be "too much" our whole lives.

But here's what I've learned:
Visibility isn't vanity, it's about credit + influence.

The leaders who shape decisions aren't always the ones with the best ideas. They're the ones whose ideas get heard.

If you're waiting for someone to notice what you've built...
You're leaving your impact to chance.

Your work changes how teams operate.
Your thinking moves the org forward.
Your leadership makes things better.

Letting people see that isn't self-promotional.
It's how you lead beyond your own team.

You don't have to shout. But you do have to show up.

🎁 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟴 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹.

*****
What work are you most proud of that not enough people know about?

🔔 Follow me, Alli Murphy, to exit the Chief Everything Officer role and lead with confidence, not exhaustion

♻️ Repost to give a woman leader the permission slip she didn't know she needed

Alli Murphy

By age 30, I was a Managing Director: running 7-figure programs, shaping company culture, giving keynotes to 650+ people, and partnering with brands like Google, Subaru, and PayPal… but I was failing everywhere else in my life.

Today, I help ambitious women in leadership who look “successful” on paper but secretly feel like they’re drowning. Women who want time back, teams that actually step up, and a life that doesn’t get the leftovers.

I work with women from Manager to SVP. Here’s what they’re actually achieving:

- Stopped working by 5 pm without checking Slack later
- Got promoted while working less
- Handed off OKRs planning instead of owning it all
- Finished VP-level work by 9:30 am
- Taken work-free PTO for the first time in their career
- Recovered 10+ hours a week
- Watched their teams take real ownership
- Made it to game nights again
- Launched the side project they kept putting off

And I know this is possible because I had to rebuild my own leadership from the inside out.

Yes, I had the title, the team, the salary.
But I was also:

X “On” morning to night
X The escalation point for everything
X Skipping date nights and friendships
X Running on fumes and calling it ambition

The real wake-up call?
A friend joked to my husband that I must be imaginary because no one ever saw me.

So I rewired how I led, starting with how I lived.
- Hard stops
- A new definition of "enough"
- Systems that protected my energy
- A team culture where performance and wellbeing weren’t at odds

The shift led to:

- An 86% raise over 3 years
- 5+ weeks of unplugged PTO while running 7-figure projects
-A high-performing team execs raved about
- A life I was actually present for

Now, I help women leaders do the same, without waiting for burnout or a breakdown to force the change.

You CAN have a career that *feels* as good as it looks on paper.

Coaching Certificate

Mel Robbins on Confidence

Career Wellness Nano Tips with Shadé Zahrai

Learning Data Analytics

CMO Foundations: Marketing for Social Change

Sustainability Strategies

Hubspot Inbound Marketing

Cross-Cultural Communications - UC Berkeley Extension

Digital Marketing Bootcamp

Get Global Ready, Thriving in an Intercultural Workplace - UC Berkeley Robertson Center for Intercultural Leadership

High Impact Leadership - UC Berkeley Executive Education

Negotiations and Influence - UC Berkeley Executive Education

Founder, Speaker, & Head Coach

Head Coach & Facilitator

Engage for Good is a leading corporate social impact (CSI) company that equips CSI leaders with the skills, knowledge, and connections to create lasting partnerships for change. As Managing Director, and a member of the senior leadership team, I oversaw two of the organization’s five revenue-generating programs, driving strategic growth and fostering high-impact learning experiences while cultivating a high-performing, people-centered team. I led a talented team advancing EFG’s mission while championing a people-first culture and operational excellence.

Key Achievements:
» Steered organizational transformation: Guided the integration of a new CEO and leadership team, managing a 133% team expansion while aligning strategic goals and operations with core values to foster a people-first culture amid rapid growth.

» Elevated thought leadership: Delivered keynote speeches and moderated panels with executives from Chobani, Kellanova, and Accenture, focusing on leadership development, wellbeing, and social impact for audiences of 500-650.

» Scaled flagship programs: Spearheaded EFG's annual conference strategy, achieving a 20% increase in attendance, a 49% increase in revenue, and significantly enhancing the diversity and prestige of speakers and Halo Award judges.

» Fostered industry collaboration: Facilitated quarterly corporate masterminds with 15 Fortune 500 leaders (Senior Manager - VP), driving strategic discussions that strengthened community ties and provided leaders with actionable solutions for their challenges.

» Developed team culture: Designed and implemented new collaboration practices, increasing engagement and productivity by 30% while fostering a psychologically safe and inclusive environment.

Managing Director

Stats:
» 450+ Episodes, 3,500 Monthly Downloads, 15 Seasons

Topics: 
» Corporate social impact
» CSR
» Employee engagement
» Learning & development
» Leadership development
» Organizational culture
» Psychological safety 
» Team dynamics 
» Wellbeing

Select Guests:
» Abe Diaz, Principal Technical Product Manager of Disaster Relief, Amazon
» Artis Stevens, President & CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
» Bridget Hanrahan, Associate Director of Marketing Operations, Subaru 
» Claudia Romo Edelman, Founder, Global GoalsCast, Hispanic Star and We Are All Human
» Jen Carter, Global Head of Technology, Google.org
» Jeronimo Escudero, Senior Band Director, Procter & Gamble
» Jessica Fiscella, Director of Community and Government Relations, Ulta Beauty
» Kathleen Reidenbach, Chief Commercial Officer, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants
» Lauren Stone, Director of CSR, Walgreens
» Marti Bledsoe Post, Executive Director, On Our Sleeves
» Meagan Dorsch, Head of Social Impact, Visible
» Mollie West Duffy, Author and Organizational Development expert
» Sarah Thompson, Managing Director of Corporate Partnerships, Save the Children

Podcast Host - The Engage for Good Podcast - CSR, Learning & Development, Team Dynamics

As the director of a national professional development organization focused on best practices in CSR, I lead a talented team that helps corporate social impact leaders advance their careers, campaigns, and organizations through learning & development opportunities. I oversee our events, content strategy, people operations, and internal and external learning programming.

In a nutshell, I lead complex initiatives and business-critical programs from a people lens. 

Select members include: Allstate, Disney, Hasbro, Macy’s, American Cancer Society, Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, Feeding America, and The Trevor Project.

Key Achievements:
» Fostered team connection & engagement: Designed and implemented a monthly virtual team huddle program to enhance collaboration and morale in a remote environment, resulting in improved team cohesion and engagement.

» Led team to produce impactful conferences: Directed a team of 6 to execute sold-out in-person conferences with 550+ attendees, 70+ speakers, 35+ sponsors, and 20 award winners, achieving an 8.5/10 attendee rating and fostering industry-leading conversations.

» Elevated learning programs: Oversaw the development and delivery of learning programs that resulted in 96% of participants reporting that they met or exceeded expectations.

» Developed team culture and career growth initiatives: Designed and implemented career development pathways, SMART goals, and performance reviews, leading to 4 team members taking on new responsibilities and a 25% increase in engagement.

» Advanced wellbeing and peak performance: Delivered a TED-style talk on wellbeing to 500 conference attendees, inspiring participants to lead team lunch & learns and implement wellbeing strategies.

» Showcased thought leadership on workplace dynamics: Secured high-profile speakers for conference sessions on psychological safety, team dynamics, and wellbeing, supporting the professional growth of 600 attendees.

Director, Events, & Program Development

Key Achievements:
» Mapped out member journey and implemented first-ever personalized, multichannel marketing and lifecycle process increasing member touchpoints by 300% and renewals by 20% amid Covid-19.

» Collaborated on pivoting in-person conference to virtual amid Covid-19 including platform research and selection, programming overhaul and attendee outreach and engagement. Achieved a 66% attendee revenue retention rate and earned an average customer satisfaction rate of 89%.

» Spearheaded organization’s first-ever Demo Day, a virtual event where industry suppliers showcased their platforms to the social impact community Rated as 4.12/5 by attendees.

» Led cross-functional team consisting of Finance Lead, Communications Director, and CRM Manager to segment and personalize member onboarding and renewal process for 1,300+ group members.

» Launched LinkedIn channel and content strategy resulting in platforming becoming top refer for website traffic and 50% of overall referral traffic.

Manager, Marketing & Member Engagement

Consultant

Consulting on leadership development, company culture, peak performance, and business growth.

Consultant | Leadership, Culture, & Business Strategy I Hite Digital Bend

Collaborated with executive leadership to develop P2PPF's strategic direction, marketing, and annual conference in support of thousands of professionals who manage peer-to-peer fundraising programs. P2PPF is a professional development member organization.

Select members include: Alzheimer's Association, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Susan G. Komen, and World Wildlife Fund.

Key Achievements:
» Led team of 5 to plan, market, and run organization’s first-ever virtual conference during Covid-19: 3 days, 20+ sessions, 50+ speakers, 15+ sponsors, 500+ attendees. Attendee rating: 4.48/5.

» Drove the creation of onboarding, on-the-job training, and communications plan for new employees to ensure success of new hires.

» Inspired team-wide adoption of project management software resulting in scalability of processes and programs. Reduced internal emails by 35% and ensured appropriate allocation of resources.

Marketing Director, Professional Development Programming

Managed marketing, fundraising, and process improvement projects for an English School in Cambodia, a franchise, and a small business. 

Key Achievements:
» Wrote stories and developed articles for Pinot’s Palette – Alameda’s lifestyle blog contributing to the client winning the “Impressions Award” for highest rated SEO in the entire 150+ franchise. 

» Managed all phases of brand development for Ethrive Marketing including brand bible, concept development based on target market, development of website design, and creation of company collateral. 

» Created and implemented new recruitment and onboarding process for volunteers of Cambodian English School cutting onboarding time in half and drawing teachers from around the world. 

» Developed fundraising campaign, for Cambodian English School, that raised $1,810 in two weeks enabling the purchase of new materials, remodel of classrooms, and expansion to new school sites to better serve underprivileged students in Kratie Province.

While traveling through 12 Asian countries over the course of 14 months, I developed a travel blog with 8000+ followers from over 100 countries. This included developing the website, building a social following, creating content (photo, social, blog posts, graphics, etc), and developing a marketing strategy using consistent branding. 

Key Achievements:
» Analyzed website and blog performance leading to website redesign and content that drives greater engagement. Increased average monthly site views by 60% in 5 months.

» Developed SEO-optimized content focused on niche keywords; conceptualized and wrote blog posts based on experiences; and created sharp site copy to drive traffic and brand awareness, achieved Google first page rankings for select blog posts.  

» Created social media strategy for content creation & curation, organic follower growth, and authentic engagement & outreach with followers. Increased followers by an average of 61% per month over 14 months by analyzing post engagement over time and delivering content that followers engaged with the most. 

» Spearheaded outreach for relationships with other brands and bloggers to create mutually beneficial collaborations resulting in guest appearances on multiple blogs, discounted accommodation in exchange for social media coverage, and features from social media influencers around the world.

Digital Marketing Lead

Promoted to collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Leadership teams to bring professional development and leadership development programs to market. Supported the development of custom and open enrollment programs serving national and international leaders. 

Worked with marketing team of 4 and sales team of 6 to create and scale campaigns to drive Executive Education revenue of $20 million, engagement, customer loyalty, and brand awareness. 


Achievements:
» Re-vamped social media platforms: Facebook, LinkedIn, & Twitter. Led to a 130% increase in clicks, 120% in interactions, and 30% more followers in 3 months.

» Designed executive-level proposals used in sales presentations leading to increased revenue and partnerships with Fortune 500 companies, top-ranked international universities, and foreign governments. 

» Conducted pipeline and opportunity analysis on industries, revenue contribution, relationship management, and impact of territory changes in order to inform strategic business decisions and determine sales team territory reassignments.

» Developed and managed sales team’s key account and territory change process optimizing ownership of SQLs and reducing cost due to clear sales territories and improved coverage both domestically and internationally.

Marketing & Sales Associate - Professional Development & Leadership Development Programs

Worked with a team of 8 program managers to seamlessly plan and execute open enrollment and custom Executive Education courses (professional development & leadership development programs). 

Planned and facilitated up to eight programs simultaneously, ranging in size from 20-100 participants (C-Suite, Directors, and Managers), for prestigious international and domestic clients.


Achievements:
» Conducted pre-program preparation and served as on-site program manager for 2-14 day ExecEd courses for diverse global clients of 20-100 executives using English and Spanish fluency. 

» Created new management structure for team of 3 student assistants by creating individual development plans, conducting performance reviews, and training students on their areas of interests before delegating additional tasks. Saved Associate Program Manager team of two, three hours per week.

Associate Program Manager - Professional Development & Leadership Development Programs

Owned and assisted with projects in Customer Service, Supply Chain, Donations, Project Management, Finance, Logistics, and Toy Design as a direct report of COO/CFO for this multi-channel educational start-up. 

Achievements:
» Analyzed two years of financial analysis of Company’s Trademarks enabling an assessment of where to extend protection safeguarding GoldieBlox’s reputation and intellectual property around the world.

» Optimized company’s Donation Program to maximize financial and marketing benefits by ensuring donations were tax deductible and creating a new application and notification process. 

» Managed renewal of company’s insurance policies enabling appropriate coverage for scaling organization and completed W9 Audit to facilitate tax filing.

» Facilitated weekly play-testing of prototypes by elementary school students to ensure product functionality and an appropriately aged play pattern.

Details Detective // Operations Assistant

Career & Leadership Coach | I help women leaders shift from doing everything to leading like execs | Progress your career. Keep your sanity. Build your confidence. | Ex-Managing Director | Speaker | Adventurer ✈️

English

Spanish

Phi Beta Kappa

ISA International Studies Abroad

Delta Gamma Fraternity for Women

ASPIRE is the state of Oregon's mentoring program to help students access education and training beyond high school. I currently mentor four students to help them figure out what they'd like to do after graduating and chart a path to get there.

Working with Semilla de Color brings life to Valpariso, Chile. Specifically by painting murals in poor neighborhoods to restore the color that the whole city is beautifully covered with. We paint with families so that we can intertwine our cultures, learn from them, and help make their neighborhood more welcoming.

https://www.facebook.com/semilla.decolor?fref=ts

I help women leaders step out of the Chief Everything Officer role and into strategic, high-impact leadership | Career & Leadership Coach | Ex-Managing Director | Speaker | Adventurer ✈️

The more you explain your decision, the less confident you sound.

Notice how execs communicate:

• They don't open with a five-minute preamble.
• They don't preemptively defend every angle.
• They don't apologize before they've finished talking

They present, decide, and move on.

Meanwhile, many women leaders over-explain everything:

"I decided to push the launch, and here's why:I know it's not ideal, but I looked at the data and talked to three teams and considered the risks, and I just think..."

That's not thoroughness. That's self-protection.

Over-explaining doesn't build confidence in your decision. It invites scrutiny.

The more you justify, the more people think there's something to question.

You've done the thinking. You're d*mn smart.
You don't have to show your work every time.

🎁 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟳 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿-𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

*****
What decision have you been over-explaining lately?

🔔 Follow me, Alli Murphy, to exit the Chief Everything Officer role and lead with confidence, not exhaustion

♻️ Repost to give a woman leader the permission slip she didn't know she needed

Men apply for jobs when they meet 60% of the qualifications. Women wait until they meet 100%.

You've probably heard that stat before.

But here's the part that doesn't get talked about:

It's not just job applications. It's everything.

The stretch assignment, the leadership opportunity... the project that feels too big.

Women wait until we're certain we can deliver perfectly.
Men raise their hand and figure it out along the way.

And the result?

They get the reps. The exposure. The chance to grow into the role. While we're still preparing to be "ready."

Here's what I wish someone had told me earlier:
Readiness is a FEELING. It's not a requirement.

You don't need to have all the answers before you raise your hand. You need to trust that you'll find them.

The women who rise aren't the ones who waited until they felt ready. They're the ones who raised their hand anyway.

🎁 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝟵 𝗼𝗳 𝟭𝟮: 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆.

*****
What opportunity are you holding back from because you don't feel "ready enough"?

🔔 Follow me, Alli Murphy, to exit the Chief Everything Officer role and lead with confidence, not exhaustion

♻️ Repost to give a woman leader the permission slip she didn't know she needed

Cassie wasn’t underperforming.

She was doing everyone else’s job.

She said yes to everything, was deep in the weeds, solved problems before her team had a chance to think, and had ideas but no space or strategy to land them.

She had the title… But day to day, she was operating like the Chief Everything Officer and totally exhausted by it.

Once she stopped leading like the fixer and started operating strategically:
• 77% increase in event attendance without running point on everything
• Her boss green-lit her ideas
• Her peers treated her like a true partner
• And she earned a 29% raise without being the department safety net

Not by doing more.

By leading differently.

Today’s newsletter breaks down what actually shifted, and how you can start making the same move 👇

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