About Balcony Advisors
Transformative leadership advising
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Curiosity has always been my compass.
I’ve been drawn to learning new languages and exploring other cultures since I was a kid. I’ve traveled the globe and have lived in several cities across the U.S. and Europe. My love of discovery—of ideas, people, and places—is central to how I engage with the world.
After college, I spent a decade in diverse roles that sharpened my communications and diplomacy skills before joining a transaction and crisis advisory firm. Working closely with CEOs and their teams in high-stakes situations was like a master class in how to lead—and how not to lead—under stress. I learned that the best leaders weren’t just smart and decisive—they were self-aware, reflective, and inclusive, and those qualities shaped the culture of their organizations. Over time, I found myself wanting to move beyond the tactical conversations I was having with clients to help them strengthen their leadership from the inside out.
That recognition nearly 20 years ago set me on a new path—one that weaves together my curiosity about people's unique stories, struggles, and dreams with my background in professional development and communications strategy.
Which brings me to the photograph. It was taken by the father of the actor who played Max in Where the Wild Things Are, and it’s hanging on the wall of my living room. To me, it captures a simple but powerful truth: while we’re each responsible for shaping our own destiny, we won’t get very far on our own. Growth and transformation are deeply personal pursuits, but they’re also inherently relational. We all need wise guides, trusted partners, and fellow travelers to help us celebrate the highs, learn from the lows, and recognize when it’s time to chart a new course.
I feel fortunate every day to do such meaningful work, and it’s a privilege to partner with leaders who challenge and inspire me to keep evolving, too. If you're curious about how we might work together—or simply want to start a conversation—I’d love to hear from you.
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Philosophy and methodology:
From insight
to action
Our work is tailored, collaborative, and grounded in trust. We don’t believe in rigid or one-size-fits-all formulas. Every engagement begins with a deep exploration of you—your history, goals, environment, and the dynamics shaping your current context. We meet you where you are, clarify where you want to go, and co-create a path to get there.
This is deeply reflective, intentional work that calls for courage and vulnerability. You can count on us to provide a confidential, judgment-free space—and the right mix of candor and support—to help you build the self-awareness that drives meaningful change.
A framework, not a formula
Elements that create structure and momentum
in an individual engagement
1
Biographic interview
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2
360 stakeholder interviews + Hogan personality assessment
3
Debrief of key themes
4
Development planning and organizational alignment around objectives, action steps and desired outcomes
5
Curated learning resources
6
Bi-weekly coaching sessions
Anchors in a customized team engagement
1
Initial diagnostic survey and qualitative interviews
2
Thematic debrief, agenda design, and pre-offsite prep
3
Facilitated offsite(s) and post-event review
4
Episodic 1:1 pulse checks with team members to sustain momentum
Media & mentions
As featured in the bestselling 2024 business book Likeable Badass: How Women get the Success They Deserve by Alison Fragale, PhD
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“Sheldon Bernard, an MBA student I taught over a decade prior, reached out asking for advice about starting his own behavioral science consulting firm. As I listened to his story, I did what I now always do—mentally scanned my list of contacts to identify potential introductions for him. I ended our 30-minute conversation offering to put him in touch with two people, one of whom was Eden.
A few months after that, I received an update from Sheldon:
Hi Alison,
Just wanted to tell you that, thanks to Eden, I’ve landed a corporate client. There was no chance I’d have this opportunity had you not made the introduction (and had Eden not opened up her rolodex… does anyone even have a rolodex anymore??). I’m in full swing this week working with them to get an executive committee workshop ready… but wanted to pause and just say thank you.
Sheldon sends me another update. His side hustle has now become his full-time job:
Thanks again for all your support last year, it was tremendously helpful. This year I’ll be nearly full time with my start-up and I don’t know if we would have gotten started without your counsel and support.
Note that my “counsel and support” to Sheldon was nothing more than a short meeting and an email to Eden. But, from that small deposit, he gained tremendous benefit—his first paying client, which was the springboard for him achieving his professional dream of starting his own company.”
(Excerpt from Chapter 5, pp. 120-125)
Alison Fragale, PhD
Likeable Badass: How Women get the Success They Deserve
Collaborators
Our clients benefit from access to a trusted network of like-minded experts with deep experience in adjacent disciplines
Marianne Amssoms
Marianne Amssoms is a global Corporate Affairs leader with 25+ years of experience in M&A, corporate positioning, crisis management, and employee engagement. She advises Boards and leadership teams on reputational challenges and cultural transformation as a consultant or fractional CCO.
Julian Boxenbaum
Julian Boxenbaum is an innovation designer and product strategist with 25+ years of experience helping early-stage companies establish product-market fit and guiding legacy brands in creating new, more meaningful customer connections. Beyond his consulting work, Julian is an advisor and educator at institutions such as NYU, where he currently directs the Institute for the Convergence of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Michele Evans
Michele Evans is a seasoned HR leader with over 25 years of experience at companies like Meta and Microsoft. As Founder of NxtWaves AI, she advises CEOs and their teams on AI adoption, executive growth, and change management, drawing on deep expertise in talent, compensation, and leadership.
Rachel Gordon
Rachel Gordon is a founder of the agency Triple Agent, where she helps large companies uncover market opportunities, build capability, and position themselves for large-scale growth. Her focus is enabling in-house teams to repeatably build and deliver new products, services and businesses that grow the bottom line.
Jennifer Reingold
Jennifer Reingold is a trusted advisor to senior leaders, a synthesizer of complex information, and a creator of authentic narratives to drive business results. The consistent thread in her work has been listening to and pulling insights from C-suite executives. JRA then synthesizes those insights into initiatives that help businesses execute their goals and leaders increase their effectiveness.