Growth. Leadership. Results.
What People Say About SHINE
TESTIMONIALS
Hear From Our Valued Clients
Don't just take our word for it. Hear what our clients have to say about their experience working with us.
“Cindy and SHINE Strategy were instrumental in researching and launching our direct mail catalog program and growing our DTC business. She is a lovely person to work with – pleasant, professional, and practical. We couldn’t have grown without her.”
Annie Selke
Founder & CEO at Annie Selke Company
“We were looking for someone who could help us with strategy, as well as finding new ways to drive sales and profits. Well, Cindy delivered on both fronts! Cindy’s knowledge and experience really allow her to both roll up her sleeves to do analysis and look at the big picture to help with strategy. Cindy has become a very valuable member of our team that we constantly look to for ideas and advice. If you are looking for someone to do a thorough analysis of your business and help you grow, I highly recommend Cindy!”
Pam Higgins
Vice-President, Circulation and Marketing, National Geographic Partners
“I was referred to Cindy, and my only regret is that I didn’t meet her sooner. Her analytical and modeling skills are the best of anyone I’ve met. She can fly both “high and low” — helping create a compelling PowerPoint presentation with all the necessary granular thought and data behind it. My business is better and stronger because of her.”
Michael LaHart
President, M.LaHart & Company
“Laura Ravo was of incredible help to me as I transitioned in my career out of a long-term job into the next phase of my professional life. She worked with me to identify my life goals, my strengths and opportunities, and showed me the tools to achieve success. My sessions with her were amazing and intense learning experiences that showed the depth of her experience, empathy and support.”
Winston Von Engel
Senior Urban Planning Expert and Professor, Hunter College
“Working with Laura has been a transformative experience. Laura’s coaching helped me navigate a period of deep professional uncertainty with clarity and confidence.Together, we defined my personal brand, clarified my professional strengths, and reframed my perspective to approach leadership challenges with renewed confidence. Her unique mix of empathy and bold, strategic yet tactical guidance pushed me to communicate with greater clarity and impact. She’s a true partner in professional growth.”
Laura Hnatow
Vice President, Marketing & Ecommerce at Sea Bags, LLC
“Working with Laura Ravo was a game-changer. She listens deeply, works fast, and has an incredible ability to push your thinking in the right ways. She helped me clarify my career goals, define my brand, and turn vague ideas into a structured, actionable plan. As someone who’s been a retail operator, worked across companies and brands, and now consults for executive teams — Laura’s guidance was both strategic and personal—and precisely what I needed to move forward with confidence.”
Katherine Gilpin
CEO l C-Level Strategist Katherine Gilpin & Co.
“Cindy brings deep experience, thoughtful perspective, and second-to-none industry insight. I was very impressed with the speed and thoroughness of her projects and presentations.”
George Schmidt
VP of Marketing at Orvis
“Cindy and her team got in the weeds of our data and gave us tangible suggestions on how to improve the business with their marketing road map tool. She was a pleasure to work with and the output was very helpful for planning for the future. SHINE uncovered a lot of new opportunities for us.”
Clare Berner Nash
SVP, eCommerce, Johnnie-O
“We’ve worked with Cindy for 8 years now and she has become an integral member in our effort to expand our brand within the US market, helping us to develop and implement new acquisition and retention strategies. Cindy always exceeds expectations, delivering exceptional thoughts and insights in a timely manner.”
Tim Welsh
Senior Marketing Manager, Boden US
“We worked with Cindy on a year-long project to help us choose and implement a new Consumer Data Platform (CDP). Not only was Cindy a wealth of knowledge in this area, fully understanding the ever-changing landscape, but she added so much value above and beyond the project. She helped us problem-solve on a variety of marketing fronts – including introducing us to several new vendors in various marketing areas that have all been huge wins!”
Vanessa Keefe
VP of Marketing & eCommerce, The Paper Store
“Here comes a roadmap for navigating a purposeful and successful, fulfilling career. The Power of Grit & Grace demonstrates, through Laura’s own journey, the important balance of the art and science of leadership.”
Randy Scalise
Former EVP, Director of Stores for Macy’s
“The Power of Grit & Grace is a wonderful gift to anyone who reads it! Part memoir, part practical guide, part leadership bible, this book weaves together what it means to be a leader in today’s messy world so beautifully. Any leader can benefit from Laura’s wisdom.”
Brandon Smith
The Workplace Therapist, author, speaker, and executive coach
“I have worked with a number of executive coaches and strategic advisers in my career. I can say with great confidence none have provided the level of value as Dr. Betty Orlandino. Her vast experience coupled with her methodical approach resulted in a process of executive learning, decision analysis, strategy building, and issue resolution that contributed to tremendous organizational success in my tenure as CEO.”
Bridgette Chambers, MBA, PhD
Former CEO, ASUG
“Dr. Betty Orlandino is an exceptional coach on executive leadership, who has been a trustworthy advisor to me for some time. She provides “tough” insights to improve self-awareness, while always leaving a smile on my face! Her guidance on a focused plan and regular checkpoints helped me to develop into a more effective leader and helped me to achieve career successes. In this fast paced, competitive work world, she guides executive success and positive energy!”
Karen Leets, CPA, MBA
Former Treasurer, Kimberly Clark Corp.
“Dr. Betty Orlandino is a phenomenal performance coach and has been an adviser, friend and secret weapon for over 20 years. With a direct and caring style she helps me see my strengths, weaknesses and blind spots through the lens of my organization. The insights and the clarity she brings have helped me successfully navigate just about every important career transition I have made. Betty cares deeply, people trust her, and she “connects-the-dots” in ways that invariably bring new insights into what is and what is not working. If you are trying to elevate your game as a leader or strengthen the effectiveness of your senior team, I can’t think of a better resource.”
Fareed Khan
Former CFO, Kellogg Company
“In modern warfare there is a much-cited truism that battles are won by leaders that get to the front. Laura has spent thirty fearless years on the front lines of retail. Part memoir, part playbook—a lovely, readable, honest take on the present state of business leadership in a PostPan world.”
Paco Underhill
Author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping
“In The Power of Grit & Grace, retail veteran Laura Ravo gives readers an insider’s view into how to build a successful retail career. A gifted storyteller, Laura weaves together personal anecdotes with street-smart insights to create a guidebook for navigating today’s retail environment. Leaders just entering the retail world as well as seasoned professionals will find nuggets of practical advice here that they can use every day. It’s also full of grit and grace; just like the author herself!”
Mellissa Campanell
Co-founder, Women in Retail Leadership Circle
“Craig is a manager, a businessman, and a craftsman. He operates at a crossroads; of publishing and advertising and of analog and digital. Every brand wants to be an authentic publisher and there may be no single individual that has executed this commercially, at scale, with consistency, across platforms, categories, and geography.”
Rob Norman
Adviser & former CEO North America of Group M, Board Director – Knotch, Simpli.fi, Piano
“Working with Laura Ravo was a game-changer in my career. I came to her feeling stuck and unsure of my next move, and she helped me gain clarity and confidence with purpose-driven guidance. Her resume feedback was not just tactical—it was strategic, aligning my story with where I wanted to go. Laura challenged me to think deeply about my goals and helped me reframe my experience to match my future vision. Her deep operational expertise, especially in retail and consumer industries, gave her a unique perspective on my background. She didn’t just polish my story—she helped me own it. With her generous network and targeted introductions, I gained access to new opportunities I wouldn’t have found alone. Thanks to Laura, I landed a role that’s not just a step forward, but a true leap. Her insight, directness, and unwavering support made all the difference.”
Lisa Troup
Director Merchandising - Digital Women’s Footwear, Walmart
“When I first connected with Laura, I was in a fog—newly a mom, deep in nonprofit leadership, and completely unclear on what I wanted next in my career or life. I had been so focused on keeping everything afloat that my own vision had quietly slipped away. Laura helped me bring it back into focus with grace, humor, and the kind of no-nonsense wisdom that makes you feel both seen and stretched. She didn’t offer a quick fix, but instead walked with me intentionally, using legacy work, life mapping, and candid conversations about ambition, identity, and motherhood to help me untangle what truly mattered. Through that process, I found clarity, remembered who I was, and reconnected with who I still wanted to become. Today, I feel genuinely energized and deeply aligned—and that’s 100% because of Laura’s thoughtful coaching, fierce belief in me, and her rare gift of blending strategy with soul. If you’re feeling lost or in transition, Laura isn’t just a coach—she’s a compass.”