Strategy & coaching
for exceptional leaders

I’m Andrew Phelps. I work with senior leaders as a trusted thought partner—someone to help navigate disruption, find focus, and make decisions with clarity.

I’ve helped drive transformational change at The New York Times, Apple, The Atlantic, and CNN. My approach blends coaching, strategy, and practical execution. Some weeks, that means helping you prepare for a critical conversation. Other weeks, it is about sharpening your roadmap or aligning your leadership team.

Whether you’re wrestling with the product or the team around it, I provide the outside perspective that can feel like a glass of water in the desert.

If you feel the weight of your organization on your shoulders—and could use a partner to talk things through—let’s talk.

Clients & experience

People have said nice things

  • Alex MacCallum

    “Andrew’s expertise in mobile storytelling was transformative for CNN. He guided us to rethink how we could leverage our strengths in video journalism and create an entirely new product. Andrew’s vision and leadership left a lasting impact on our strategy and user experience.”

    Alex MacCallum
    EVP, Digital Products & Services
    CNN

  • “Andrew’s ability to dig deep, synthesize complex information, and deconstruct problems to unearth fresh and innovative solutions is a rare and invaluable talent. His persistence, optimism, and positive energy can elevate any project.”

    Lorelle Atkinson
    VP, Communications & Marketing
    The Aspen Institute

  • “Andrew’s ingenuity and enthusiasm is infectious. With an innate ability to propel big, aspirational, creative ideas into reality, he rallies others to join him on the journey. He looks beyond what is required to uncover what is possible.”

    Jim Quindlen
    Executive Director, Product Design
    The Atlantic

  • “Andrew asked the questions we didn’t think about. He pushed us. He guided us to come up with the solutions for current and future issues. The combination of Andrew’s experience, resourcefulness, diplomacy, and emotional intelligence makes him the perfect partner.”

    Kate Berry
    Chief Creative Officer
    Domino & Saveur

  • “Andrew was pivotal in allowing me to hit the ground running by mentoring and coaching product managers, building our POD team playbook, assessing and recommending roadmap solutions, and providing leadership advice as we navigated fast growth.”

    Tuvinh Vuong
    Head of Product
    The Trevor Project

What could we build together?

Build a product

I join your existing team—or assemble a cast of stars—for a time-limited development sprint. We can turn a whiteboard sketch into working prototype in as little as 12 weeks.

How it works:

  • Study the needs of your business and the opportunity space

  • Talk to real people to understand the problems we’re trying to solve

  • Lead a creative process focused on making things to look at and react to

  • Talk to more real people to validate our solutions to their problems

  • Articulate the vision to internal stakeholders

Want to make something? Let’s talk.

Build a strategy

I embed with your team as an adviser, facilitator, and truth-teller. We’ll bust through the stakeholder drama and make real plans.

How it works:

  • 1:1 time with key leaders to download the prologue, pain points, and politics

  • Deep dive on roles and responsibilities (the No. 1 point of failure for projects)

  • Structured, cross-functional strategy sprints designed to build alignment and clarity

  • Planning for multiple possible scenarios, instead of the one we only hope for

  • Synthesize the story and articulate the vision

Want to strategize? Let’s talk.

More about Andrew

As a journalist, I used the power of storytelling to build audiences. As a product manager, I studied user needs to build apps that millions of people love to use. As an executive leader, I learned to build happy, healthy teams.

Now, as a solo consultant, I am using everything I’ve learned in the real world to help people unlock real transformation.

Let’s talk.