Professional Development
FOUR TO SIX
PEOPLE
We’ll review and build cohorts of four to six people to keep conversations manageable, dynamic, and impactful. With this personally curated cohort approach, this experience not only enhances your individual skill set, but also strengthens your broader network of professionals committed to industry advancement.
TWO HOUR
SESSIONS
Each of the five weekly sessions with your cohort will be two-hours. We will unpack various branding and communication themes on a high level and I’ll guide group conversation to examine relevant, real application of the teaching.
ONE-ON-ONE
SESSION
The final session is a personalized 60-minute one-on-one coaching session with me, where I'll provide tailored guidance on a business-specific project or challenge, using the tools and knowledge you’ve learned to support your path toward a solution.
What is The Branding and Communications Collective?
While we unpack various branding and communication themes on a high level, I’ll guide group conversation to examine relevant, real application of the teaching. With that in mind, as applications are received, we’ll review and build cohorts of four to six people to keep conversations manageable, dynamic, and impactful.
This is a six-week long section of study. The first five weeks run with your cohort (two-hour sessions), and the final meeting is a personalized 60-minute one-on-one coaching session with me, where I'll provide tailored guidance on a business-specific project or challenge, using the tools and knowledge you’ve learned to support your path toward a solution.
For $1,950 per person, this program offers exceptional, customized professional development at a value comparable to a traditional conference—without the added costs of travel and accommodations. With this personally curated cohort approach, this experience not only enhances your individual skill set, but also strengthens your broader network of professionals committed to industry advancement.
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*Please note: A $500 deposit will be due with your application. This deposit will go towards the overall cost of the cohort. It will be fully refunded should your application not be approved.
Meet Your Teacher: Stefanie Santos McLeese
Hi; I’m Stefanie Santos McLeese, and with 20 years of experience building brand equity for global organizations using communication as an instrument of strategy – and as an entrepreneur who's had to grow my own brand – I'm ready to share my propriety frameworks related to brand and communication strategy with you.
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You can learn more about Stefanie here.
Pick Your Cohort
I’m offering FIVE cohorts to choose from at this time. If you don’t see a group description that matches your exact needs, please reach out and let me know; we may be able to build an additional cohort if there is a specific need from a group of professionals who express interest. ​
Marketing, Communications, and Branding Professionals
First, we have three different sections for marketing, communications, and branding professionals:
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Junior
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Senior
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Executive
All levels cover similar principles, however, based on the experience of each group, I’ll lead us through conversation and case studies, theories and philosophies that appropriately stimulate the intellect around the table and inspire creative solutions to the challenges your organization faces today.
Communications, branding, and marketing professionals. This is an immersive, hands-on cohort designed to elevate your expertise in brand strategy and corporate communications (with light conversation on the marketing/creative campaigns). This program will equip you with strategic insights and practical tools to strengthen brand positioning and engagement with your target audiences. Our curriculum covers the PESO (Paid, Earned, Shared, Owned) Media Model; building a brand narrative; and how to help your organization “live the brand” to truly own your place in the market. Junior Senior
Executive Independent Professional Services
If you’re a professional interested in building your own personal/professional subject matter expert (SME) brand, this cohort is for you. This group will likely be comprised of professionals who manage their own book of business under a corporate brand, like an insurance company or financial services institution. You'll gain the skills to build cohesive, impactful brand narratives that resonate across all touchpoints in your sphere of influence. A brand is this: The perceptions you own, and the promise you make. We will talk about how to consistently deliver brand-bolstering experiencing to influence the perceptions you want to own with your target audiences.
Executive Leader Brand
If you’re in the C-suite or on the leadership team in your organization, this is the cohort to consider a framework for intentionally defining a brand identity that aligns with the opportunities you want to attract. This is the time to consider the adage, what got you here, won’t get you there. During our time together, we’ll talk about the four brand dimensions that define an authentic leadership brand identity. Once we understand a bit more about the four dimensions, our cohort will spend time discussing ways we use those dimensions as an operational filter for how we lead and influence the perceptions we want to own.
This intentionality attracts new opportunities (from business deals to industry talent) and inspires teams to follow your lead. Carrying a heavy executive persona can lead to overwhelm and burnout. Our cohort conversation will focus on the balance between an authentic leadership brand that feels natural and true to your core essence, while still packing all the punch necessary to make big, bold moves that advance your organization’s business objectives.