Every choice shapes something larger. As a Strategy and Sustainability Consultant, I help organizations uncover patterns, clarify direction, and create positive change.
Why this Work Matters
Our population is expected to reach 10 billion people by 2050. We’re living in a time when clarity, alignment, and impact matter to organizations, communities, and our planet more than ever. Leaders and teams are being asked to navigate complexity, adapt quickly, and stay true to their purpose all at once.I help organizations see the bigger picture, connect the dots between purpose and practice, and make confident decisions that create meaningful change. An outside perspective can reveal what’s hard to see from within: blind spots, new opportunities, and the connections that matter most. Through systems thinking and practical strategy, I help teams move with clarity, align around purpose, and turn ideas into meaningful action.Real-world examples of impact:• A new executive struggling to prioritize competing initiatives gains clarity in 1:1 strategy sessions. They leave with a focused action plan, allowing them to confidently make decisions that save time, reduce stress, and accelerate progress toward their mission.• A mission-driven nonprofit is expanding programs but finds teams pulling in different directions. Through strategic planning and workshops, the organization develops a clear roadmap and communication framework, aligning staff and stakeholders so they can scale programs efficiently and increase measurable community impact.• A multi-stakeholder coalition wants to tackle systemic environmental challenges but struggles to see the full picture. Using systems mapping and stakeholder alignment, we uncover leverage points, develop a prioritized roadmap, and implement change strategies that generate real ecosystem-wide impact.Whether you’re clarifying your direction, aligning your team, or working through a complex, system-wide challenge, I am here to help you move forward with focus and integrity to create positive impact.
The work we do today shapes the systems we live in tomorrow.That’s why purpose, clarity, and alignment matter more than ever.
Complex Challenges Require Outside Perspectives
Complex challenges require different perspectives. Internal teams are experts, but they’re often too close to the day-to-day to see patterns, anticipate unintended consequences, or identify leverage points. A third-party consultant brings:• Clarity in complexity: Connects the dots across functions and priorities, helping organizations make sense of competing demands• Objective insight: Offers unbiased feedback, uncovers blind spots, and challenges assumptions• Strategic acceleration: Uses frameworks, systems thinking, and actionable roadmaps to help organizations move faster and scale smarter• High-impact outcomes: Bridges vision and execution to deliver measurable results, from reducing risk to driving systemic, lasting change.Working with a consultant is about creating the space to think, plan, and act at a higher level, so your organization can achieve its goals more effectively, sustainably, and even save resources in the long run.
My Services: Three Tiers
1️. Foundations: Lead with Clarity Support for individual leaders to gain clarity, set priorities, and make confident decisions.2️. Growth: Align and Scale Support for teams to translate vision into strategy, pivot or realign direction as needed, engage stakeholders, and drive measurable progress.3️. Transformation: Shift the System Support for organizations tackling complex, multi-stakeholder challenges with systems thinking to achieve high-impact change.
1. Foundations: Lead with Clarity
Support for leaders to gain clarity, set priorities, and make confident decisions.Sometimes you need space to think out loud with someone who sees patterns, asks the right questions, and helps you focus. These sessions help you gain clarity, align priorities, and move forward with confidence.Core Services:
• 1:1 strategy sessions
• Design thinking workshops
• Ongoing strategic advisory (monthly retainer)Deliverables may include:
• Session summaries with key insights
• Recommendations for team or organizational alignment
• Priority action planExample: A leader clarifies priorities across multiple initiatives, leaving with a focused action plan that aligns the team, resources, and mission.
2. Growth: Align and Scale
Help for teams to translate vision into strategy, pivot or realign direction, and achieve measurable impact.I help mission-driven teams grow sustainably, adapt to change, align strategy with purpose, and intentionally maximize social and environmental impact. Together, we turn vision, mission, and purpose into a clear, actionable plan that connects strategies and aligns your team for measurable results.Core Services:
• Team coaching and strategy sessions
• Strategic planning and adaptive roadmap development
• Design thinking workshopsDeliverables may include:
• Implementation plan for scalable operations
• Sustainability integration blueprint
• Strategic alignment and action plan
• Change readiness assessment and pivot strategy
• Communication framework for internal and external stakeholdersExample: A nonprofit scaling programs across regions develops a roadmap with milestones and measurable outcomes, keeping teams aligned and accelerating impact.
3. Transformation: Shift the System
Support for organizations tackling complex, multi-stakeholder challenges with systems thinking to achieve high-impact change.I help your organization see patterns, make decisions under uncertainty, align stakeholders, and explore all of the angles of business, social, and environmental impacts. I help you see the whole system and take practical steps to address systemic challenges and create high-impact change.Core Services:
• Multi-stakeholder workshops and facilitation
• Strategic advisory for complex change initiatives or wicked problemsDeliverables may include:
• Prioritized strategic roadmap
• Stakeholder engagement and alignment framework
• Impact measurement framework
• Systems maps / ecosystem visualizations
• Behavior change strategies and interventions
• Playbooks or toolkits for teamsExample: A multi-stakeholder environmental initiative uses systems maps and storytelling to align partners, communicate impact, and secure funding, enabling system-wide change.
My work centers on helping people.
I help organizations see the whole system, align teams, and take the next right step with clarity and confidence.
Recent Work
• Helped a cleantech company align team and strategy during rapid growth and product pivots• Led multi-year strategy, campaigns, and content to increase donor engagement, raise awareness, and advance marine conservation for a nonprofit• Supported a university lab in developing cross-sector collaborations that advanced research and partnerships• Conducted five Life Cycle Assessments for scaling cleantech companies• Grew a global conservation network, presented internationally, and helped design multi-stakeholder workshops to advance species protection, including North Atlantic right whales
What Clients Say
"Working with Kathleen changed everything. She helped lay the foundation that transformed Trouvay from a one-person idea into a growing organization with impactful partnerships. Her clarity, strategy, and belief in our mission shaped everything that followed. I credit much of our early success to her guidance — she’s beyond exceptional."~ Bradley Pierson, Founder, Trouvay
About Me
For over 20 years, I’ve guided organizations to turn vision into action, combining analysis, creativity, and empathy to achieve meaningful, measurable results. I have worked across many sectors, including cleantech, sustainable packaging, conservation, and university innovation, helping teams scale successfully, manage risk, and create positive, lasting impact.I choose systems thinking because complex challenges rarely exist in isolation. Everything is interconnected, and meaningful change requires understanding relationships and designing interventions that consider the long-term impacts on people, organizations, and the environment.I use design thinking because solving problems effectively starts with empathy. Understanding the people, communities, and stakeholders affected by decisions ensures solutions are human-centered, practical, and successfully adopted.I work through the lens of business because it has the greatest potential to drive human behavior change in support of biodiversity. By aligning strategy, operations, and impact, organizations can create lasting results that benefit both society and our planet.I started this consulting company in 2017 to help leaders and teams navigate complexity and grow. My approach is shaped by professional experience and living with a brain injury, giving me a deep understanding of resilience, empathy, adaptability, and finding patterns in uncertainty.
Kathleen Norman
Strategy & Sustainability Consultant
Bachelor of Commerce, Dalhousie University
Master of Environmental Design, University of Calgary
Let’s Begin
If you want a future where your organization, communities, and our planet thrive together, we can explore ways to turn purpose into action. Together, we’ll clarify priorities, uncover opportunities, and design strategies that enable confident, high-impact decisions for your organization.
Connect with Me
© Kathleen Norman Consulting | Strategy & Sustainability Consultant | Based in Vancouver, B.C. | Working across Canada 🍁