Community In Times Of Crisis

I remember the early days of Covid. I had a newborn baby, an agency I was desperately trying to keep afloat, and unrelenting postpartum anxiety, exacerbated by a global pandemic. Our valid fears were made worse by fear-mongering. There was so much information to take in, and even more misinformation to make heads or tails of. There was collective grief. There was loss.

During the darkest days, I was grasping for something hopeful to cling to.  I was grateful for the uplifting posts that cut through the dystopian chatter on my social feeds.  I was calmed by the sober, level-headed perspectives shared by those wiser than me. I sought out friends and thought leaders who were choosing more enlightened language and actions that were intentional, helpful, healing, unifying, and fiercely optimistic. 

These messages and conversations were tiny sparks that ignited my creativity in the midst of chaos. I found myself thinking maybe, just maybe, this nightmare is a catalyst for positive change. Maybe this is the darkness before the dawn. The straw that finally breaks the camel’s back. Maybe, on a spiritual level, this is all necessary for our growth. 

In our grief and fear and isolation, we were not just forced to face some external enemy; we were forced to face ourselves. We were given the opportunity to turn inward, reevaluate our priorities, tend to our mental and emotional health, and begin the slow, courageous process of evolution.  

One powerful manifestation of this spiritual reckoning became The Great Resignation, one of the most profound shifts triggered by the pandemic. Worn down and disillusioned, employees across industries stepped away from traditional 9-to-5 jobs, sparking a mass exodus that fed the rise of the gig economy. What emerged was a new generation determined to rewrite the rules and build systems that honor our complex, multidimensional lives.

April Uchitel was early to recognize this paradigm shift. After a celebrated career spanning fashion (DVF), beauty (Violet Grey), and tech (Spring), she watched as peers and colleagues left their high-ranking positions in search of deeper purpose, greater creativity, and the freedom to live and work on their own terms. April was among those who had no interest in idling at the top. Instead she was compelled to build something better from the bottom up. 

Moved by the collective restlessness, untapped creativity, and possibilities within the gig economy, April and her co-founder, Anita Gatto, gathered a small, intentional community of passionate, collaborative leaders and visionaries. Instead of asking, “What should we do next?” they reframed the question: “How do we want to do it?”

This was the beginning of THE BOARD, a community of accomplished leaders, creatives, and strategists who had once shaped global companies, led agencies, and built successful start-ups. Now, they are channeling their collective expertise to redefine the emerging fractional economy, bringing not only their skills but a shared commitment to building a more flexible, purpose-driven future.   

This community, now 300+ strong (I’m one of them), was not created to network. It was created to change the way we work. 

We share opportunities, insights, and resources. We form DREAM TEAMS, bringing agility, expertise, and a sharp focus to solving companies' most pressing challenges. But above all, we are united by a commitment to building an intentional, helpful, healing, unifying, and fiercely optimistic community dedicated to creating what the world needs most right now. 

I asked April to shed some light on the early days of building THE BOARD. Her words are timely. Her work in the world is necessary. And my hope is that our conversation is a tiny spark that ignites creativity in the midst of chaos. 

RRM: THE BOARD started as a conversation, which eventually evolved into a small collective. Who were your first community members?

AU: Anita Gatto (Co-Founder), David Boxser, Jenifer Ritter, Kelly Atterton, Kathryn Paves Beaton, Andrew Pollard, Gina Gretchko, Erica Moore, Kate Dubin, Julie Garza, Lauren Letta, Laura Belsey, Molly Mc Dermott Walsh, Marybeth Schmidt, Noria Morales and Melisa Goldie.

I love that you can literally name them individually! What a powerful testament to starting small, and with intention. What did you want them to know? 

I wanted them to know there is power in joining forces with like-minded humans who saw the same needs I did - to solve for the challenges that arise when you decide to leave a corporate structure and go it alone. 

What did you want them to feel? 

Safe, connected, supported, seen, understood, motived and inspired. 

What did you want them to do? 

Bring their A-game, their generosity, their talent, their knowledge, there networks, their resources into a pool to be shared and to reimagine how we take all of those things and collaborate to help leaders and founders build better businesses.  

What value did they get from participating?

A true community, feeling less alone, deeper connections, inspiration, motivation, up-skilling, greater visibility, relevance, a "stamp of approval" based on quality and caliber of adjacent talent, collaboration, project opportunities, network monetization, and friendship. 

How has your community informed the evolution of THE BOARD? 

My personal community was the foundation of THE BOARD, and then my community brought their community. Today, we have over 300 applications and I prioritize those who have direct connections to other members as there is a like-mindedness, a reference, and a greater sense that "these are my people."

How do you keep members feeling validated for their participation?  

Building community is HARD, and I decided to make it REALLY hard by adding a monetization aspect - so it is a 2-sided marketplace. I never set out for membership to be the sole revenue generator. The membership fee helps cover our operating costs and gives members some skin in the game so they are not in the "call me if you need me" frame of mind. There are MANY communities out there for just networking and programming. I wanted to build one that highly encourages and incentivizes collaboration.

We then add programming around the most pressing topics that the community identifies. Members share their knowledge via Masterclasses and AMA's, and we bring in experts from companies  (Substack, LinkedIn, TikTok are just a few examples) to share intelligence so we are always up-skilling. And we amplify members across social channels via a robust content strategy.

Looking ahead to 2025, what do you see as the most pressing needs for the future of business in America?

I see the need for an overhaul of team orgs and talent access. We need to evolve from traditional org designs that are fixed, archaic, and static, and that create toxic cultures with more time spent on politics and managing personalities then doing the work. The future of work is nimble, focused on specialized experts who leave egos at the door and are there for thought partnership, guidance and execution. When you're growing and evolving (which if you are not - you are maintaining or down sizing) you need expertise in many areas that are impossible to have "on hand" all the time.  There is now such incredible talent available to able to help leaders at all stages without being fully loaded on the P&L.

How can THE BOARD be a catalyst for positive change?

This is exactly where we come in. Our philosophy is that generosity and ambition are not mutually elusive. Many of us left corporate due to the toll those cultures took - and sought a new way forward. I'm most proud of our testimonials regarding what a pleasure it was to work with us, how intelligent, honest, and generous, providing expertise that was bar none.  We believe in the humanity of every interaction  - from meeting brands authentically where they are, helping them assess their challenges, to making the right talent match based not only on skills and experience, but also on culture fit and connection.  We want the overall experience to be value generating from the actual work product, to what else they learned, and how they felt. Building and growing a business is not easy.  We know because we have been there ourselves. We aim to make that skill seeking/talent recruiting process trusted, faster, and more efficient -  as well as remain their go to resource for future stages and needs through out the brand lifecycle. We are your always-on BOARD OF EXPERTS.  We are THE BOARD.

For more information about THE BOARD, here are some helpful links:

Discover Our Expertise

Book Office Hours with an Expert

Read Op Eds from our Thought Leaders

Follow and engage on, LI, IG and TT.

Community is the second part of my 6-part GTM Playbook. If you’re a paid subscriber to The Soul Of Brand, you have access to my GTM Playbook series, which I’ll continue to rollout through the end of the year. If you’re building a brand with soul, I highly recommend you subscribe.