Meet our founder, Heather Kuhnheim
Leadership Strategist. Executive Coach. Cultural Architect. Conscious Disruptor.
From Startup To National Brand
Before A Project Called Life, I helped build one of the most iconic lifestyle brands in the country. As an early hire and longtime cultural steward at Marine Layer, I spent my 20s & 30s inside a startup that valued creativity, irreverence, and doing things differently.
As the VP of Retail, I led us from 5 to 300 employees and 1 to 47 stores, overseeing all strategic functions of the retail channel—while always asking the deeper questions about what makes teams truly thrive.
That experience is still my North Star. I know firsthand what it takes to build something meaningful from the inside out—and I bring that lived wisdom into every room I enter.
Where Strategy Meets Humanity
I’m a Berkeley Certified Executive Coach and leadership strategist trusted by CEOs, founders, and rising talent across industries. But what sets me apart isn’t just my training—it’s my ability to hold both the boardroom and the breakthrough.
My coaching blends strategic thinking with emotional intelligence, somatic awareness, and deep listening. I specialize in helping high-impact humans navigate growth, change, and alignment—because real leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about capacity. And capacity can be built.
The Co-CEO Model
Through years of coaching and advising fast-growing thought leaders, I began to see a clear gap: traditional leadership structures weren’t keeping up with the complexity of modern work.
So I developed the Co-CEO Model—a revolutionary framework that brings two leaders to the top: one for the business, and one for the people. As Fractional Chief Employee Officer, I partner with founders and executives to build people-first strategy, culture architecture, and aligned operations. It’s a model that works—because it honors what actually drives success: empowered people, clear vision, and shared leadership.
Choosing Joy
My home base is Sedona, Arizona, where the land is red, the stars are clear, and the energy is high. I live life with deep intentionality—from how I partner with clients to how I choose to move through the world.
When I’m not coaching, facilitating, or building culture alongside conscious companies, you can find me exploring in my self-converted camper van—plugged into nature, community, and joy.
Because I believe the way we live is the way we lead. And I’ve designed a life that reflects that truth.