We recently connected with Zandra Zuno Baermann and have shared our conversation below.

Zandra, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

The idea didn’t come from a whiteboard session or a business plan. It came from a breast cancer diagnosis.
When I got that news five years ago, everything stopped. And in that stillness, I had to ask myself some hard questions. What am I doing? What do I actually want? What matters?

At the same time, my husband’s work was taking us to Amsterdam. So here I was, navigating a health crisis, packing up our life and high-intensity job in Washington, DC, and landing in a completely new country and culture. It was a lot. But it was also, unexpectedly, a gift, because it forced clarity on what I wanted to do.
At the same time, my husband’s work was taking us to Amsterdam. So here I was, navigating a health crisis of my own, the impending loss of my mother, who was terminally ill, packing up our life and high-intensity job in Washington, DC, and landing in a completely new country and culture. It was a lot. But it was also, unexpectedly, a gift, because it forced clarity on what I wanted to do.

After nearly 30 years in marketing communications, building practices, leading teams, and running campaigns for major corporations and then for one of the largest civil rights organizations in the country, I knew I had a lot of experience. The challenge was narrowing in on where I could add the most value, while also recognizing where the real needs existed in the market. What I kept coming back to was this: I knew what leaders actually needed, and I knew how rarely they got it.

I kept seeing, especially with women leaders and leaders of color, that they were talented and driven, but they were often navigating without a real thought partner. Someone who could sit with them strategically, not just execute. Someone who understood both the craft of communications and the very real, sometimes invisible challenges of leading while being “the only one” in the room. That was the gap I kept coming back to, and the one I felt uniquely positioned to fill.

So with ZW Consultancy, I narrowed in on what I do best: marketing communications strategy and helping leaders build their visibility and voice. It was the most authentic thing I could offer. The agency years, the nonprofit chapter, the multicultural expertise, and the personal experience of being a woman of color climbing and advocating in this industry. And yes, even the cancer and the move to Amsterdam, because those things taught me what resilience actually looks like up close.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Zandra Zuno Baermann, founder of ZW Consultancy, a marketing communications and personal branding consultancy based in Amsterdam. But my story really begins in Chicago, where I grew up as the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, learning early how to navigate between cultures, languages, and worlds.

That experience of navigating between worlds never left me. It actually became the through-line of my entire career.
I spent nearly 30 years in marketing communications, starting early in my career at a leading firm in Mexico City, then building a long chapter at Golin, one of the world’s top communications agencies, where I founded their first multicultural marketing practice. I counseled major brands like Walmart, Nintendo and Kaiser Permanente on how to authentically connect with diverse audiences. Later, I made a pivot that felt deeply personal, joining UnidosUS, the largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States, as their Senior Vice President of Communications and Marketing. For five years I advised the CEO, led a team of 20, and helped shape the narrative around Latino communities in America during some very turbulent times.

Then life intervened in a big way. A breast cancer diagnosis five years ago stopped me in my tracks and forced me to ask some hard questions about what I really wanted and where I could make the most meaningful impact. Around the same time, my husband’s work brought us to Amsterdam. So there I was, navigating a health crisis, a cross-continental move, and a profound career reassessment all at once. It was a lot. But it was also, unexpectedly, a gift, because it forced clarity.

That clarity led me to launch ZW Consultancy in 2023. At ZW, I focus on two things I care deeply about. The first is serving as a strategic thought partner and fractional communications executive for corporate and nonprofit leaders who need experienced, trusted counsel but may not need a full-time hire. The second is personal branding and executive visibility, helping leaders, especially women and leaders of color, get clear on who they are, what they stand for, and how to communicate it with confidence and impact.

The problem I keep seeing, and the one I built this practice to solve, is that talented, driven leaders are often navigating without a real thought partner. Someone who has actually done the work. Someone who understands both the craft of communications and the very real, sometimes invisible challenges of leading while being “the only one” in the room. That was my experience too, and it fuels everything I do.

What sets me apart, I think, is that I bring both deep professional expertise and genuine lived experience to every engagement. My passion sits at the intersection of branding, inclusion and purpose. I’m not advising from theory. I’ve built teams, run national campaigns, counseled CEOs, and navigated some of the most complex communications moments an organization can face. And I’ve done it as a woman of color in an industry that didn’t always make space for voices like mine.

What I’m most proud of is the people. The young professionals of color I’ve mentored along the way. The leaders I’ve helped find their voice and step more fully into their power. The campaigns that moved the needle on issues that actually matter.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The lesson I had to unlearn was that there is only one definition of ambition, and that it is tied to a title, a position, and a salary. Wrapped up in that was something even deeper: the need to be perfect.
As the eldest daughter of Mexican immigrant parents, you grow up understanding without anyone saying it out loud that you carry their sacrifices with you. You work to be the perfect daughter, the perfect student, and you carry that straight into your career. It’s something a lot of first generation Americans know intimately. And for a long time, I wore it as a badge of honor. But that version of ambition is exhausting and ultimately not sustainable.
When I made the pivot from employee to independent consultant, something shifted. Letting go of perfectionism and redefining ambition on my own terms gave me the clarity I needed to build ZW Consultancy into something focused and meaningful. My ambition is now tied to my values and to where I genuinely add the most value. I’m no longer chasing titles and big salaries. I’m choosing intentional, purposeful work. And that shift away from hustle and burnout has led to more targeted projects, deeper client relationships, and a much more fulfilling way to show up every day.

Where do you think you get most of your clients from?

My answer is simple: your existing network. And I say this because so many new entrepreneurs, myself included at first, are tempted to invest energy in cold outreach, LinkedIn campaigns, and lead generation tactics, while overlooking the most valuable asset they already have.
My first two clients came directly from my network. One was a former direct report who had become head of communications at a new organization and reached out when she needed support. The other was a colleague I had worked with more than a decade earlier, who remembered me and my work, and brought me in for one of their clients. Neither of those relationships required a cold pitch. They were built on trust, over years.
Here’s what I’ve learned. If you are making the shift from employee to entrepreneur, it can feel awkward or even presumptuous to reach out to former colleagues and clients. But your network already knows you, trusts you, and is genuinely willing to connect you to others. That is the lowest hanging fruit, and most of us walk right past it.
What it does require is intention and consistency. Today I maintain regular touchbases with people across my entire network, from former supervisors to past interns. It’s not easier than cold calling. It’s real work. But the rewards are far more meaningful, because the connections are real too.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.zwcompany.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zandrazuno/