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Most leaders know their people systems need attention. What's harder to see is exactly where to start, and how the work of building a good organization connects to the bigger changes happening around them.
That's the work Fortress & Flourish was built for.
Fortress & Flourish is a people and organizational strategy firm based in Santa Cruz, CA. We work with founders, executives, and organizational leaders navigating the moments when what they've built needs to become something different due to growth, restructuring, AI adoption, leadership change, or the kind of inflection point that doesn't have an obvious name but is something you can feel.
Our work starts with understanding what's actually happening inside an organization: what the structure is, what people are doing or not doing, what technology is changing, and what the business needs to be ready for. From there, we help leaders make a clear plan and, when it makes sense, we help them carry it out.
Want to learn more?
Check out The Work Ahead.
Our monthly missive for leaders
navigating what comes next.
Here is how we help . . .
The Roadmap
A structured 4-6 week diagnostic that gives you clarity on your people systems and a prioritized plan for what comes next.
Back Pocket HR
Expert HR support when you need it, for the questions that come up and can't wait.
Fractional HR Director
Ongoing strategic HR leadership for organizations that need expert people guidance without a full-time hire.
A little more about us. . .
Katie Burke
Head of Operations
Katie leads the team here at Fortress and Flourish, helping our consultants with project management, training and operational alignment and effectiveness.
Laura Boehm
Senior HR Consultant
Laura focuses on supporting growing start-ups with organizational development, HR project management, compensation and benefits support.
Kari Jordan
HR Consultant
Kari brings a deep commitment to building values-driven workplaces where teams feel supported, empowered, and inspired to lead change.
Candice Elliott
Founder
Candice provides vision and strategic direction for the F&F team. She regularly speaks about emerging topics in HR, community development and women's rights.
And here are the values we work from. . .
Sustainability
In business and in life we need sustainable systems in order to keep going. It's our belief that the high turnover rates that we see at many companies have a lot to do with how those companies have created unsustainable systems.
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These may relate to workflow, compensation, scheduling or profitability. They may have to do with the ways that pressures from our culture make their way into the workplace. at F&F HR is about finding sustainable ways to work together for the long term.
Equity
When we talk about equity we're not just talking about money. We are talking about understanding that certain groups have been disadvantaged by the systems and society that we live in, and it is our responsibility to rebuild our systems within our organizations to right those wrongs.
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Working toward equity isn't a simple path. It requires us to continually question the systems that we are creating, the decisions we are making, and to build toward a better future for all.
Wellness
If we don't have our health, we don't have anything. America has something that we call the Health Disadvantage meaning that we are sicker than our counterparts in most other developed countries. 6 out of 10 of us have chronic health conditions.
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Healthcare only accounts for 10 - 20% of all health outcomes. Since we spend 50% or more of our lives at work, how what percentage of health outcomes are work related? Our take is that work and health are interconnected, and that it's our job to provide a safe and healing space.