Michael Donnelly, Founder, FWD Collective
Hi ๐๐ปโโ๏ธ I'm Michael Donnelly [she/her/hers], a multi-hyphenate entrepreneur and former corporate executiveโฆgone rogue.
I'm a constant explorer of how to shake things up and go from #scrappytosavvy and back again! Iโm a firm believer that business gets done when people have fun and that diversity is innovation.
By profession, Iโve found the best way to describe what I do is an โExperience Design Specialistโ -- or "Expert" -- I love/hate the word expert but after 10+ years in the trenches - learning, applying, and seeing big wins, I guess that's what 'they' call it.
Now, for something a little more "professional":
Michael Donnelly has been planning memorable experiences since her 7th birthday party at Leaps n' Bounds. While consulting for clients nationally on marketing initiatives, sales, sponsorship, events, operational strategy, and increasing revenue; or as Founder of FWD (For Women & Diversity) Collective, a national movement hosting professional development programming featuring women and under-represented individuals for the experts that we are rather than the boxes we check, she carries the same tenacity as her 7y/o self, leading with the idea that "business gets done when people have fun.โ
Michael has worked with DHL, Verizon, Intel, Urban Decay, Hair.com, Keratin Complex, L'Orรฉal, the American Marketing Association, Walker Sands, and a variety of SMB's and start-ups on projects ranging from shaking up 'the way things have always been done' to figuring out how to rev-up sales or launch a new concept to bring more dollars in the door. +She has been the force behind building, producing, and expanding some of the Midwest's most popular large-scale tech and business events.
Michael's vibrant personality shines through in constructing creative experiences, content, and campaigns for clients, as well as in her time on camera for the re_define work series she piloted with Entrepreneur.com where Michael reported live at national events.
Michael lives in Chicago with her pup Lux, loves to standup paddle-board, serves on a few local charity and non-profit boards, and is all about the #scrappytosavvy life.
BUT, what is โExperience Designโ -- Experience design or XD is the practice of designing processes, services, events, omni-channel journeys, products, and environments with a focus placed on the quality of the user experience and culturally relevant solutions. Michaelโs expertise is marrying marketing, business development, operations, and real-life experiences/events to create a meaningful impact for your brand and bottom line.
