We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tori Williams. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tori below.

Tori, appreciate you joining us today. One of the most important things small businesses can do, in our view, is to serve underserved communities that are ignored by giant corporations who often are just creating mass-market, one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how you serve an underserved community.

At Lemonade Coaching & Consulting, our mission is centered on helping nonprofits grow, thrive, and create meaningful impact—especially for those who are too often underserved. While I work with organizations across a wide range of causes, my current focus is on one that’s especially close to my heart: expanding access to veterinary care. With a background in strategically developing one of the country’s first low-cost veterinary hospitals, I’ve seen how life-changing it can be when families—regardless of income or housing status—are able to care for their beloved pets. The human-animal bond is powerful, and I believe everyone deserves the opportunity to experience it.

I bring a strong foundation in project management, marketing, and strategic growth to help nonprofits tackle complex challenges and build sustainable solutions. Whether I’m supporting a team through a new initiative or helping an organization refine its long-term strategy, my work is always rooted in equity, compassion, and impact. Right now, that means championing access to care—but no matter the mission, I’m committed to helping nonprofits serve those who need it most.

Tori, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

With over a decade of experience in the veterinary and sheltering industry, I’ve built a career around driving meaningful change in organizations that serve both animals and people. My work spans leadership in operations, veterinary services, and strategic consulting—and at its core, it’s always been about increasing access, building stronger teams, and creating systems that allow organizations to grow while staying rooted in their mission.

I’m the founder of Lemonade Coaching & Consulting, where I help organizations—nonprofits, mission-driven companies, and startups alike—strengthen their operations, grow sustainably, and expand their impact. I offer a range of services including strategic planning, marketing support, project management, and leadership coaching. While I work across sectors, my current focus is on expanding access to veterinary care—a deeply personal mission that began when I led the opening of one of the country’s first access-to-care-focused veterinary hospitals at the Richmond SPCA.

Since then, I’ve held senior leadership roles at the Dumb Friends League and served as Chief Operating Officer at Fear Free, LLC. In those roles, I led initiatives that drove year-over-year revenue growth, launched employee engagement programs, restructured revenue-generating services for efficiency, and led culture-shifting efforts grounded in accountability and growth. I’ve also managed multi-million dollar budgets, supported cross-functional teams, and helped organizations align their day-to-day work with long-term vision.

What sets me apart is my ability to bridge mission with strategy. I understand the challenges organizations face—tight budgets, limited bandwidth, evolving goals—and I bring both the operational expertise and big-picture thinking to help them move forward with clarity and confidence.

I’m especially proud of the impact I’ve had helping organizations do more with purpose. Whether it’s supporting a team through a new initiative, launching a care-access program, or helping a founder scale their mission, my work is always centered on sustainable growth and meaningful outcomes.

Outside of work, I live in Colorado where I spend as much time outdoors as possible with my pets. I’m an avid fiction reader and a passionate world traveler—both of which keep me creative, grounded, and curious.

More than anything, I want clients and collaborators to know this: I believe in mission-driven work, whether you’re a nonprofit, a startup, or a growing company. I’m here to help you turn vision into action—strategically, sustainably, and with impact that lasts.

Have you ever had to pivot?

One of the most significant pivots in my career came when I made the decision to leave my executive role as Chief Operating Officer to pursue a path that aligned even more deeply with my personal passions and long-term vision. I was incredibly proud of the work I was doing and deeply connected to the team I had built and grown with over the years. Walking away from that was not easy—but I felt a strong pull to focus more directly on the areas that fuel me: nonprofit growth, animal welfare and veterinary strategy, and, most importantly, expanding access to veterinary care for all communities.

It was a leap into the unknown in many ways, but it was also an intentional step toward work that I believe can drive lasting change. I launched Lemonade Coaching & Consulting to help mission-driven organizations—nonprofits and beyond—build stronger strategies, more sustainable operations, and programs that truly serve those who need them most.

This pivot wasn’t just about career growth; it was about aligning my values with my work and using my experience to create broader impact. Looking back, it’s one of the most rewarding decisions I’ve made—because it allowed me to not only continue contributing to causes I care about, but to do so in a way that’s scalable, personalized, and deeply fulfilling.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

What’s helped me build a strong reputation within my market is a consistent commitment to delivering results while staying true to mission-driven values. I’ve earned trust by combining strategic thinking with a deep understanding of the challenges that organizations—especially in animal welfare and veterinary care—face every day. My experience spans from frontline operations to executive leadership, which allows me to connect with people at all levels and offer solutions that are both visionary and practical.

A key part of my approach is building meaningful, long-lasting relationships where we truly help each other. I genuinely care about the success of those I work with and am always on the lookout for opportunities that could benefit them, with no expectation of something in return. I believe in the power of collaboration, creating a space where we can tackle challenges together and celebrate wins along the way. I also believe work should be enjoyable! I like to have fun, laugh, and bring positivity to the process—because when you enjoy the work, it becomes that much more impactful.

Additionally, I always follow through on what I say I’m going to do. Reliability and integrity are the foundation of every relationship I build, and I know that when people see you doing what you say, it strengthens trust and deepens connections. Whether it’s launching a new veterinary hospital, restructuring programs for greater efficiency, or guiding teams through growth, I focus on collaboration, joy in the process, and doing what I promise. That’s how I’ve built a reputation that’s rooted in authenticity, accountability, and success.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.consultingwithtori.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tori-williams061313