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Building momentum +
launching movements
by telling a great story.
YOURS.

Creative Strategist  |  Brand Activator |  Storyteller

I am an idea doula. Leading an intentional process that helps people bring their ideas to life — through strategy, story and design — is my passion. Working collaboratively to distill your story, I will deliver the clarity, possibility and power to supercharge your professional dreams.

Select Partners + Projects

    Services

    Creative Strategy
    Ideation
    Brand Visioning

    Storytelling
    Strategic Communications
    Content Development

    Brand Activation
    Art Engagement
    Experience Design

    Go-to-Market Strategy
    Inclusive Leadership
    Project Management

    Case Studies

    Aspen for Arts

    Just two months before the election, Aspen City Council authorized a ballot measure to lift the cap on funding for arts and culture from the Wheeler Opera House’s real estate transfer tax. The stakes were high, the shot was long, and the timeframe was short.

    Imagine Climate

    The urgency of climate change begs a question: How do you get people’s attention in a way that moves them to action? That’s the dilemma the nonprofit Community Office for Resource Efficiency (CORE) faces each day in its mission to create a carbon-free, net-zero energy future.

    Aspen Community School

    In its fifth decade, Aspen Community School was on the brink of being a school without a schoolhouse. They had just eight months to meet a challenge grant: raise $4.9M or lose $9.1M on the table.


    Why Lara?

    She’s Creative

    Creativity is Lara’s game.
    She’s a writer, visual artist, and communicator
    —and she puts these skills to work for you. 

    She’s Got Vision

    Lara is a big-picture person:
    she sees in stories and has
    the small-detail focus to activate them
    .

    She Delivers Results

    As her clients will attest, Lara gets things done.
    She is mission-oriented, with the systems,
    habits and motivation to deliver on your goals.

    She’s Got Purpose

    Helping people bring their ideas to life —
    through strategy, story and design —
    is Lara’s passion.

    She’s Collaborative

    Lara is a natural collaborator and thrives
    at being part of a leadership team.

    She’s Tested

    In a field with low barriers and high stakes,
    you don’t want to leave your reputation in the
    hands of amateurs. Experience matters and Lara’s got it.

    Former Executive Director / Aspen Words

    “One of the best decisions I made was to hire Lara Whitley. She took the story of our burgeoning organization and positioned it expertly for the world stage. She is a dedicated and delightful collaborator who possesses that rare combination of intellectual acuity, creative artistry, and technical proficiency. I cannot praise the quality of her work, and her work ethic, highly enough.”

    Former Executive Director / COMPASS & The Art Base

    “Hiring Lara to lead strategic communications for our campaign was the best professional decision I ever made. Lara’s gut instincts and communication prowess were the magical combination that helped us to achieve our goals.”

    President / Promo Communications

    “Lara is an excellent strategist and a talented writer who gets the job done. She has delivered impressive results for her non-profit clients. And she’s enjoyable to work with, and isn’t life too short not to work with people who you enjoy?”

    Capital Campaign Chair / Aspen Community School + English in Action

    “Our capital campaign was an enormous success in good part because of Lara’s leadership skills, creativity, and focused listening as our Communications Director. People still talk about how our message reached out to the whole community and how people felt included and cheered us on to the finish line.”

    Principal / Gaia Creative

    “Lara is a joy to work with — she always has a great vision for the project at hand: creative, fun, and well crafted. It makes my job as the designer on the project so much fun! She is also incredibly detail-oriented and professional, and I am always honored to work with and collaborate with her.”

    Executive Director / Carbondale Arts

    “After 20+ years in the nonprofit sector, Lara remains one of the most inspirational people I’ve ever been lucky enough to work beside. She is a strategic, creative thinker, an artist of words and images, and a delightful human.”