Our Why

The idea for CONFERRR was born in the most unexpected place — outside a restroom at a private business conference in Washington, DC. Fresh off my keynote discussing some of the top megachallenges occurring in the workplace, I found myself cornered on my way to a bio break by attendees who wanted one thing: : a confidential conversation and brainstorm about their own workplace struggles.

My ‘ah-ha moment’ came when one of them said, “I’m really struggling to navigate my situation alone, and I’m vain about letting anyone at my company know. I would treasure bouncing ideas off of you — off the record.” When I agreed, the floodgate for similar requests from the crowd opened. The unmet need clicked for me.

I understood it completely because this wasn’t new territory for me. Throughout my career, friends and colleagues regularly referred people to me seeking private HR or workplace-related advice from someone outside their employer — because they trusted I was knowledgeable, discreet, and genuinely passionate about helping people. But standing outside that restroom, what hit me differently that day was the memories of my own silent struggles at work. Even though I’d never had a bad performance review, it came at a price – the stress, the burden of figuring out issues alone, the determination not to show any vulnerabilities, and quietly racking up emotional battle scars as I protected my reputation at all costs. Sound familiar?

I wondered how many others out there were experiencing the same? After conducting research confirming a clear market gap for private, objective on-demand advice and counsel on workplace issues, the answer was obvious to me: launch CONFERRR.