Portfolio
Delivering Impact Across Brands and Sectors
![HoneyStringer[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/HoneyStringer1.png)
![Nuun-1[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Nuun-11.jpg)
![ario[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ario1.png)
![ubiminds[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ubiminds1.png)
![centralhealth[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/centralhealth1.png)
![sendero[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/sendero1.png)
![CCC[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/CCC1.png)
![AUSTIN[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/AUSTIN1.png)
![RounRockSchool[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/RounRockSchool1.png)
![ltisd[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/ltisd1.png)
![eanes[1]](https://whitneynelson.me/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/eanes1.png)
Operational Systems in Action
From leading national brand activations for a billion-dollar CPG company to scaling operational systems for mission-driven nonprofits, I’ve orchestrated complex logistics across teams. In the leadership development space, I’ve designed and facilitated programs for nonprofits, growth-stage companies, and clients in the government and education sectors — at times supporting globally dispersed teams. Whether I’m managing backend systems for seamless program delivery or building warehouse inventory processes and SOP libraries from scratch, I bring structure, consistency, and flow to operations — even in fast-moving or resource-constrained environments.
National Field Marketing Operations at CLIF Bar
Over nearly a decade managing CLIF’s brand presence across Texas, I led a dynamic portfolio of activations for CLIF Bar, LUNA, and CLIF Kid — each designed to reach distinct audiences while maintaining cohesive national brand standards. I developed experiential strategies from concept through execution: shaping activation themes, managing retail and nonprofit partnerships, hiring and training field teams, and ensuring every touchpoint was tuned to what mattered most for that brand. From energizing athletes at endurance events to creating playful family experiences and elevating cultural moments like Austin Fashion Week and LunaFest, I brought CLIF’s mission to life through experiences that built community and deepened engagement across the outdoor, wellness, and family spaces.
Details create delight — and delight builds loyalty.
Operational Enablement for Dispersed and Cross-Functional Teams
At Brilliant People, I led both the facilitation and backend operations of leadership development programs for clients across nonprofit, education, and government sectors. I was the primary facilitator for all engagements — designing and delivering sessions that helped individuals and teams grow. Behind the scenes, I managed scheduling, stakeholder communications, and delivery systems, ensuring even complex, multi-touchpoint programs ran smoothly.
This dual role allowed me to ensure consistency, quality, and measurable impact — from first contact to final debrief.
Program Results at a Glance: Immediate Impact of a Targeted Workshop
Great leadership programs start with great logistics — because when the experience feels seamless, learning can actually take place.
Building Scalable Systems for Outdoor Nonprofit Operations
At Explore Austin, I designed and implemented a warehouse inventory and QR code-based tracking process to support field logistics across multi-day youth expeditions. In addition, I created a 160 page SOP library covering gear usage, repair workflows, and safety protocols — ensuring repeatable processes for trip leaders, staff and volunteers.
In the field, trust starts in the warehouse — this system ensures the right gear is ready, reliable, and easy to find.
Balancing Structure with Empathy
Across every ops challenge — from the boardroom to the backcountry — I bring a grounded, human-centered approach: simplify the complex, make the invisible visible, and build systems that serve both the mission and the people behind it. Whether I’m designing workflows or guiding teams through change, I lead with clarity, compassion, and an understanding that operational excellence only sticks when people feel seen, supported, and set up for success.
Operations should be a bridge, not a bottleneck.
Learning & Development
From curriculum design to group facilitation, I bring a whole-systems lens to developing leaders and building cohesive teams. This work often centers on values-driven organizations navigating change or growth — and blends tools from psychology, communications, and systems thinking to support real, sustainable transformation. Whether coaching individuals or aligning team dynamics, I aim to make development practical, human-centered, and results-driven.
Leadership in the Field
Moments that Mattered
Thought Leadership
Thriving organizations don’t happen by accident. They are intentionally designed — through culture, communication, and the systems that connect people to purpose. This collection brings together lessons from the field and practical tools for building workplaces where collaboration and clarity drive results. Each piece has been refreshed from my earlier work with leaders and teams and continues to reflect the principles I bring into organizations today.
Leadership isn’t a role — it’s a relationship.
Successful Teaming Starts With Understanding Personalities
A practical look at how personality insights can build stronger teams, deepen empathy, and create a shared language that improves communication and performance.
5 Tips to Create a Cohesive, Collaborative Team
Strong teams aren’t accidental—they’re built through trust, accountability, and everyday behaviors that create alignment. These five practices help teams collaborate more effectively and strengthen culture from the inside out.
How to Build Trust on Your Team
A guide to cultivating vulnerability-based trust through self-reflection, personality awareness, and everyday behaviors that create psychological safety and stronger team results.
Encourage Leadership at All Levels
An exploration of leadership as a team sport, with practical guidance for strengthening mentoring, emotional intelligence, and shared ownership to elevate performance across the organization.
The Blueprint For A Culture Revolution
A look at how culture forms by design or by default — and what leaders can do to build systems of trust, connection, and shared responsibility across every level of the organization.
Self-Awareness in Action: Leadership That Reaches Beyond Work
A reflection on how self-awareness and emotional intelligence shape the way we lead — at work and in life — and why personal leadership is the foundation of meaningful influence.
Leading in Your Whole Life: A Personal Leadership (R)evolution
Insights into how everyday behaviors create a ripple effect in work, relationships, and culture — and how choosing growth can shift the current for everyone around you.
Living Intentionally — Today’s the Day
Intentional living has always mattered to me, but it didn’t fully click until I realized
How to Create Cohesive, Collaborative Teams with Whitney Nelson
In this podcast conversation, we explore the deeper dynamics of workplace connection — from the real root causes of “people problems” to the organizational blind spots that prevent genuine community. We talk about how communication styles differ, how expectations aren’t always mutual, and how building trust across a remote-first workforce takes more than just good intentions. While the conversation centers on remote teams, the takeaways are just as relevant for any leader looking to foster cohesion and connection in today’s evolving workplace.
When people know who they are in the mix, who others are (personality-wise) and how they are perceived, they can begin to understand their strengths and challenges, as well as the gaps that others might be able to fill.
Listen to the Interview
Facilitation in Action
Facilitating leadership development is where I bring clarity, presence, and adaptability to the room — whether that room is in person or digital. Below are two clips from a digital course I co-created and delivered — one co-led, one solo — showcasing the range of my facilitation and teaching style.
I believe in facilitation that’s clear, dynamic, and deeply human. This intro video — created to launch a digital course focused on understanding personalities at work — offers a glimpse into how I bring learning to life, combining storytelling, structure, and spontaneous connection. While it was co-created, this clip reflects my tone, teaching style, and commitment to learning that sticks.
Great facilitation bridges knowledge and connection — it’s not just about delivering content, it’s about how you make people feel while they’re learning.
Digital Course Intro Video: Co-created and Co-facilitated by Whitney Nelson & Brettne Shootman
In this solo teaching segment, I dive into how personality types show up in teams. This clip highlights my ability to distill complex concepts and make them accessible, actionable, and engaging — especially in virtual learning environments.