In the year 2000, I was one of those executives Kristoff is talking about.

I was Vice President at a global ad agency on Madison Avenue — career dream realized.

We created multi-million dollar brands out of thin air, Mad-Men style (without the day-drinking).

One day I’m walking back from a Phillip Morris meeting on Park Avenue in New York City to our offices on Madison Avenue. I had just presented a strategic plan that went rather well. As I’m crossing the street, a Yellow NYC taxi comes to a screeching halt… nearly hitting me. I suddenly had this epiphany: “If I had been run over by this Yellow cab today - this will be my legacy - helping a cigarette company design an anti-smoking campaign for youth.”

The irony of a cigarette company pretending to care about youth smoking wasn’t lost on me.

Over the next few years, I started to wonder… what would it look like if I used my business acumen and ninja marketing skills to scale the opposite? How would I feel about my work?

In that exploration, my corporate ladder goals and cushy paycheck seemed to fade in importance, and a quest to maximize my Return on Impact became my #1 career goal.

This was the genesis of Impact Stars in a nutshell.

I faced MANY challenges and took so many wrong turns along the way. This is why my clients know when I make a recommendation or share a piece of advice, it is from a place of empathy, not judgment.

We don’t need more brands of toothpaste. We need to quickly scale solutions to wicked problems like climate change.

About Impact Stars

Impact Stars is a strategy consultancy that advises organizations and individuals who want to make an outsized impact on climate. We also mentor a select group of climate startups and nonprofits.

We have helped entrepreneurs raise millions of funding and generate revenue. 

Our mission is to help our clients achieve their most ambitious goals and create systemic change for the betterment of humanity.