Thriving in the Chaos: My Journey to Rise & Optimize

Hey, I’m Katie, and I help startups stop duct-taping their way through growth.

For the past 14 years, I’ve been deep in the startup trenches the kind where everyone’s wearing five hats, the “process” lives in a Slack thread, and revenue goals are whispered like prayers into the void.

I’ve done ops, GTM, finance, CS, leadership, ALL of the hats. I’ve seen how the magic happens and how the sausage gets made. And I’ve helped companies go from scrappy and chaotic to scalable and (mostly) sane.

Here’s what I know for sure after those 14 years:

Scaling is messy.

• RevOps turns into a plate of tangled spaghetti

• Hiring feels like betting on vibes

• Sales, marketing, and CS stop speaking the same language

• And everyone’s too busy firefighting to actually grow

That’s where I come in.

Through my consultancy, Rise & Optimize, I help founders and operators untangle the mess, build systems people actually use, and scale without losing their minds (or their best employees).

I’m not here to hand you a pretty strategy deck that dies in Google Drive.
I’m here to fix what’s broken.
Smooth out what’s lumpy.
Translate chaos into clarity.

At the end of the day, though, I care about people.
Because smooth operations aren’t just about KPIs and checklists.
They’re about helping teams work better together.
When people feel heard, aligned, and like they had a say, they follow through. That’s the magic.

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Off-duty Katie?
I’m based in St. Louis with my husband, our two-year-old daughter, and the puppy we just got for some crazy reason. We spend weekends eating good food, chasing a toddler through the Magic House, and watching as many live music shows as possible.

Let’s Talk About Making Your Business Work for You

If you’re feeling stuck in operational chaos, dealing with scaling pains, or just need a fresh set of eyes, let’s chat. No pressure, no hard sell, just a conversation about getting you back in control of your business

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