STRATEGIC ADVISOR
The person you call when the conventional solutions haven't worked.
I help leaders and teams make sense of complicated situations, figure out what's getting in the way, and find a path forward. Because sometimes the problem is communications, and sometimes communications reveal something deeper.
A free, confidential conversation. I'll know quickly whether I'm the right fit — and I'll tell you either way.
TRUSTED BY
AARP
CDC
Harvard University
American Cancer Society
Planned Parenthood
Obama for America
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
WBUR
AMAZE
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Heart Association
#GivingTuesday
Harvard University
Heifer International
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Conference on Citizenship
Phillips Foundation
ZOE
AARP CDC Harvard University American Cancer Society Planned Parenthood Obama for America Children's Hospital of Philadelphia WBUR AMAZE American Academy of Pediatrics American Heart Association #GivingTuesday Harvard University Heifer International Muscular Dystrophy Association National Conference on Citizenship Phillips Foundation ZOE
The problems I solve
Maybe communications have stalled. Your team is fragmented. Everyone seems to be telling a different story. A strategy is sitting in a drawer. You're trying to launch something important and don't know where to begin. Or maybe you just know that something feels off. That's when people call me.
01
“We paid a lot and have nothing to show for it.”
The board approved the budget. The agency pitch was polished. Six months later, the deliverable is a strategy deck sitting in a folder no one opens. I make space for the reality of it, then build a plan that creates impact and calm.
02
“The CEO is carrying everything on their own.”
CEOs often singularly hold the strategy, funder relationships, and internal tensions. I become a thought partner who knows the full story, can hold the hard parts without flinching, and helps you think out loud without needing to soften the message first.
03
“Our programs and people are deeply siloed.”
Your organization’s work is impactful, but the teams have become islands and the story is fractured. What's broken is upstream — in how the work is understood internally before it's ever communicated out. I find the connective tissue and build the shared language so you can tell one story.
04
“Our comms team is out of its depth strategically.”
Comms teams are built for output and rarely have the space to step outside the day-to-day execution cycle, synthesize what already exists, and build the strategic throughline. I work as the connective tissue between leadership and comms to rebuild the shared narrative and tie it to strategic initiatives.
05
“We've been told that what we want to do isn't possible.”
Some version of "that can't be done" has been accepted as true. My answer is always the same: nothing in communications is impossible. If you can trust me, I'll make magic for you.
06
“We know we do good work but don’t know how to tell our story.”
Organizations change over time for lots of reasons, and often times the story gets built piecemeal then feels disjointed. I take all the pieces and turn it into one story an outside audience can follow.
Who I am
I’ve been out of the lab for 20 years, but my Ph.D. in music and brain science informs my analytical lens on how people process information and how a story holds together under tension. Since leaving academia I have put my skills to work in entrepreneurship and business — helping organizations solve complex problems. Doing that in the hardest rooms, under the most pressure, is why colleagues call me The Diplomat.
I don't sit with the problem. I find the cause fast, name what's needed, and identify how to stop the bleeding — the turnover, the cooling donors, the weight you're carrying alone — and get you to what you want: one clear story, an aligned leadership team, and a message you can trust under pressure.
One senior leader shared that I was the most effective communications professional they had encountered in decades in the field.
How I work
Diplomat Reset
A 90-day engagement to repair the urgent fractures behind the turnover and donor doubt. Leave with one clear story.
Fractional Diplomat
Ongoing advisory so the leader is no longer carrying everything alone and the team has a rhythm to run with.
Diplomat Circle
A six-month private cohort for comms leaders and chiefs of staff who need peers who already understand the terrain.
I also recognize that organizations often have specific (sometimes urgent), project-based needs. I’m happy to chat to learn more about what you’re wrestling with in order to develop a customized scope.
TESTIMONIALS
"I love her honesty about the reality of life right now — and her drive to make it a little better for everyone."
SUBSTACK READER
"The most effective communications professional I've encountered in decades."
FORMER CLIENT
“I came away with clearer focus, a calmer viewpoint, and a much better idea of what I truly need to be doing."
MEAGAN FRANCIS
Let's Talk
If something here is resonating — if you've been living with a communication problem the usual fixes haven't solved, I'd be glad to talk. Just an honest conversation about what's not working.
Or email me: christine@christinekoh.com
SUBSCRIBE
Holding the Room
How the best leaders hold a room when the stakes are high so you're ready when it's your turn.