I help owners and founders clarify their goals, streamline their process, and create a captivating virtual presence so their organization can thrive.
As a Mindful Business Development Consultant with over 20 years of experience, we will work together to define your objectives, craft your dream website, create a cohesive marketing plan, design on-brand logos and graphics, increase profit/reserves, improve automation, all while elevating the aesthetics of your virtual presence in the world. We can focus on all of these or just one depending on your needs.
I will be there each step of the way, providing ongoing support as needed so you can actualize the vision for your business or organization.
With a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and Finance, ten years of experience building a successful financial planning business that served over 500 clients, five years of residential mindfulness training at a Zen Buddhist monastery, several years as an Assistant Director at a nonprofit and retreat center, and a lifelong path as an entrepreneur—I offer a wide range of personalized services so you can hire fewer contractors and get the support you actually need.
FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS, & COOPS
Consulting & Design Services:
Mindful Business Development
Strategic Planning
Marketing Plan Review & Strategy
Website Design + Development
Branding + Logos
Graphic Design
Operational Support:
Intentional Email Marketing
Marketing + Messaging
SEO + UX
Social Media Strategy
Content Creation
Digital Systems Organization
By folding in my five years of formal mindfulness training, I bring a unique and fresh perspective to the work I do with clients. In Zen, there is the phrase: beginners mind. It means to bring our attention to the present moment and to see and feel the world as if we were experiencing it for the first time. This approach supports new and creative thinking that can transform an organization and its approach.
Looking for monthly support? I offer consulting and implementation for a small number of clients who are ready to stop doing it all themselves. After a big project—like building your website, crafting a marketing plan, or developing your brand—it’s essential to keep the momentum going. That’s where monthly support comes in: grounded, intentional partnership to help you move forward with clarity and consistency. Learn more.
Project pricing and hourly rates are available depending on the scope of work.
Health & Wellness Businesses Non Profit Organizations Natural Medicine Clinics & Apothecaries Zen Centers & Spiritual Institutions Montessori, Waldorf, & Forest Schools Somatic Therapists & Coaches Naturopathic Doctors, TCM Practitioners, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Bodyworkers, Holistic Nutritionists Businesses that are doing beneficial work in the world.
mountain valley coaching
MOUNTAIN VALLEY COACHING
“Lisa is the most artful, organized, and intuitive consultant I have ever worked with. I hired her in 2023 to help me optimize my business’ web presence, convey the value of my services, and rethink a few key business processes. From the get-go, Lisa was attentive and detail-oriented. She scoped our projects with a great deal of care and intuition, and regularly presented me with well-researched options and recommendations. There is no question that Lisa’s skilled support has enabled me to make smarter business decisions AND dedicate more of my time and energy to my clients.”
– Katharine Smith | Organizational Psychologist, Owner, Mountain Valley Coaching, Bend Oregon
corelink
Corelink bodywork + nutrition
“Lisa at Gentle Leaps did an incredible job on my logo rebrand, website and SEO. The project lasted about two months. She was communicative, clear about expectations and easy to work with. The end result was a beautifully curated website that really feels like me. It is something I am proud to share with others (which was not the case with my previous website) and has elevated my business immensely. Within the first week of the site being up, I had a tremendous spike in my web traffic which continues to climb with Lisa’s expert SEO help. I look forward to working with Lisa at Gentle Leaps more in the future and would recommend her to anyone looking to elevate their wellness practice. It was absolutely worth the investment.”
“Working with Lisa has been such a big deal for our sprouting business! Best money we could have spent! We hired her as a consultant and she has expertly guided us through the process of setting up a firm foundation for our business from the ground up, from naming and messaging, to pricing and our behind the scene process. She has helped us clarify exactly HOW in a practical sense, we do what we do. And this was huge.
Lisa is knowledgable, intuitive, funny and kind. I can really feel her enthusiasm for setting us up for success. Her work is so valuable to my partner and I that we are moving into the next phase of working together where she is taking all the work we have done under her guidance and building that out into our website and launch plan. I cannot say enough about Lisa. I am amazed at all she does behind the scene through her various platforms putting things together in manageable, practical, logical way. I am so grateful for her guidance and find her to be incredibly generous in what she offers for the price.”
– Jessica Formant | Co-Owner, The Somatic Home, Crestone, Colorado
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soccer pants senior paws
“Working with Lisa has been an absolute joy! She is warm, incredibly creative, knowledgeable, organized, collaborative and was the perfect person to help birth my non-profit vision into the world.
Lisa was easy to work with and put my mind at ease, while she did the technical heavy lifting with great efficiency.
Her grounded approach allowed me to just let go and trust while we co-created together. She was also mindful of my budget as a new non-profit, which was greatly appreciated. I highly recommend Lisa’s skill set and talent. I can’t wait to work with her in the future and am sincerely grateful for her!”
“Lisa was an absolute dream with whom to work. Her existing work spoke volumes about her technical knowledge, expertise, skills, and ability to deliver a best-in-class product, so I knew I was in good hands from the start. Through the process of working together, I first came to appreciate her patience. There were times when I struggled to define what I was looking for and other times I would reverse myself from one idea to another. Regardless, Lisa remained unfazed and focused on helping me find certainty when I needed it most. Second, she brings the eye of an artist to her work with a flair for shape, space, color, and composition. Third, I appreciated her ability to collaborate using tools like Trello and Voxer. It really helped us stay organized and on track. Fourth, as work progressed, I was impressed by her work ethic and ability to quickly complete tasks. Finally, she brought a lot of knowledge and technical acumen regarding SEO and other “under the hood” aspects of websites that really impressed me. I highly recommend Gentle Leaps Consulting & Design and look forward to working with Lisa again in the future.”
– Mike Igoe | Owner, Igoe Coaching, Boston Massachusetts
Terrain Natural Medicine
Terrain Natural Medicine
“Lisa has been immensely helpful for the marketing side of our business. She is on top of things and such a joy to work with! She has measurably improved our SEO and website traffic. I really feel like she wants our business to succeed and cannot recommend her services enough!”
– Dr. Kelcie Rosendahl | Naturopathic Doctor & Owner, Terrain Natural Medicine, Bend Oregon
mayu sanctuary
MAYU SANCTUARY
“Lisa has been assisting Mayu with short-term and long-term projects for the past several months. Her ability to simultaneously view the big picture and zero in on the details is remarkable.
As an overworked manager I love how meetings with Lisa are efficient and productive. She asks the right questions, welcomes collaboration, and offers her expertise confidently yet objectively.
She has been attentive to our limited budget, proposing creative alternatives to help us get projects across the finish line. We have seen tangible results within a few weeks, and with her strategic planning we are laying the groundwork for long-lasting stability. I hope to be working with Lisa for a very long time!”
– Cierra McNamara, Owner, Mayu Sanctuary, Denver Colorado
balance bodywork
Balance bodywork + wellness
“Absolutely amazing experience working with Lisa! She was able to take my vision and materialize it into a multitude of areas in my business to help streamline my processes and help my future growth. Her knowledge, expertise and excellent communication skills are beautifully weaved with presence and intention. Highly recommend working with Lisa. She is an invaluable support to any company that goes far beyond the finished product.”
“Working with Lisa has been the best investment we could possibly have made! She has helped take our business from a cool idea to a tangible reality. She is organized, clear, efficient, wise, listens deeply and is an expert in her field. I look forward to every one of our meetings, just to have time to be with her and gain her perspective. The structure she has provided has led us from a scattered, overwhelming vision, to a concise, clear path forward. I cannot recommend her highly enough.”
– Nicteha Cohen, Co-Owner, The Somatic Home, Crestone Colorado
liferoot
liferoot botanicals
“Lisa swooped in and saved me at the perfect time, when I was about ready to throw in the towel. I am a passionate business owner and a busy mom, but didn’t have the organization and knowledge to accelerate my business to where I wanted it to go.
She has been so amazing in helping me every step of the way, empowering me to be organized, to be confident in honoring my unique voice, and communicating my ideal message that reflects what I want for the future of my business.
Her knowledge and presence within my business space has made me a more calm, centered, and effective business owner. I can’t thank her enough for it.”
Lisa Russell, AKA Gentle Leaps Consulting set up my entire sales funnel including website, back end with square space and SEO. She is very knowledgeable and professional. She was very responsive to any questions I had and the finished project is beautiful!! I give her my highest recommendation if you are looking to set up an online presence or need someone to do your branding. Thank you Lisa, you’re the best!
– Dr. Michael Tobey, Chiropractor, Bend Oregon
bwz
bright way zen
“I received an email from Lisa out of the blue, offering her administrative support services to my small but growing Zen center. At first I told her we didn’t have the money to hire anyone, but after some reflection I realized how incredible helpful she could be, and I found the money.
Since then I delighted in working with Lisa – with her help, our website has gotten some major improvements, and we send out a beautiful weekly email newsletter that keeps our members engaged with the Zen center. Lisa is smart, responsible, responsive, skilled, and easy to work with. I highly recommend her!”
– Rev. Domyo Burk, Bright Way Zen, Portland Oregon
Stacey Lum | The Facial
Stacey lum | the Facial
“I have been working with Lisa for over a month and have already felt extremely supported in my business. From the moment I saw her, I felt at ease and confident that she would provide the support that I needed. She is always inspired to give her ideas and has a strong work ethic in getting things executed. She is extremely organized and completely dives into your business first hand and assesses your needs. She always helps you feel supported in your asking questions and following up.
I also LOVE that she is an expert in SO many things on the backend of business and it really makes everything more streamlined. I highly recommend Lisa for business support as she is off the charts talented in what she does, and very dependable, puts an amazing amount of energy into helping you be successful and has impeccable communication skills!!”
– Stacey Lum, Owner, The Facial, Bend Oregon
eliss
Sunny Situation paper company
“Since my consult with Lisa I feel empowered to reach my business dreams. She delivered a concrete plan of action with steps that are manageable and concrete. Our meeting felt immensely insightful and nurturing, all at once.”
“Working with Lisa was a great experience. I wanted to combine the content of a couple of different websites and start getting more exposure for my content and teaching. I knew there were a lot of things I could do, but I wasn’t sure where to start. Then I met Lisa.
Over a couple of conversations and emails, she helped me hone in a message for my new site. Then she organized what needed to be done in building the new site. She also designed new logos and a several looks for the site. She really understood what I was looking for and seemed to have a great intuition for creating my site.
Lisa is a first-call creative, designer, and organizer, and I look forward to working with her again.”
– John Nangle, Owner, Enlightening Body, Denver Colorado
yowa
your wellness academy
“Working with Lisa has been such a breath of fresh air. She is organized, takes direction and executes accordingly. I never needed to worry about her or her work, her research and resources were also an amazing asset to this project. I would work with her again on anything I do in the future!”
– Daniele Della Valle, Owner, Your Wellness Academy, Vancouver Washington
boise zen center
boise zen center
“Lisa completely revamped the website for the Boise Zen Center. She has keen skills in both creative design and technology. We worked together as a team-going back and forth with ideas. The website has arrived into the 21st century through social media and email marketing; it is fresh and welcoming. After completing the project, she compiled a how to guide for the entire website.
What a gift for those of us not so knowledgeable about the ins and outs of website building. She has a dynamic spirit laced with bold guidance. In other words, she isn’t shy about stating what she thinks is important for generating an innovative product. I highly recommend working with her. It has been a joy!”
– Rev. Jisen Coghlan, Boise Zen Center, Boise Idaho
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lupton backflow
My company was in a bad spot because my previous IT company left me waiting with a website that no longer worked. Lisa built me an awesome new web site that was far better than the one I had before. And she did it in much less time than other companies had estimated they could do it. Now I’d like to mention her price, it was very fair. Her skills and attitude are bar none. I wish I had another business so I could hire her to build me another web site, that is how enjoyable my experience was with her.
“Working with Lisa was an eye opener for me and my video business, Captured Light Works. Her solid knowledge of business practice blended with mindfulness is unique in today’s market. She helped me refine my approach to new clients and strengthen my web presence. She even made my web site more approachable, which has made my client interaction stronger.
She continues to answer the hard questions I have and I highly recommend her if you need to take your business to the next level.”
– Stephen McKissen, Owner, Captured Light Works Media Production, Denver Colorado
Branding & Logos
Branding is so much more than just a logo. It’s what introduces your customers to your unique offerings, drawing them in so they want to learn more.
We will work together to flow the feeling and story of your company into beautiful imagery. Branding packages include custom brand colors, fonts, photos, & logo variations, with the goal of creating a cohesive and complete package for use across all media.
Operational support to create marketing materials with your new branding is also available upon completion.
Website Design
Your website is the first place your customers will experience your business online. First impressions are invaluable and happen within seconds. This first impression can either lead to a sale or a new google search.
We will work together to engage your ideal customer through crafting a visually stunning website through a flow of images and brand specific messaging. I will also do the technical heavy lifting on the backend to optimize your site so google and the rest of the world can find you (also known as SEO).
Just getting started? We can begin with completing your branding and then flow that into a new website. I will also advise you on the best website platform for your organization based on needs which can include WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, and others.
Monthly Business Development
For owners ready to grow with grounded, strategic support —
I offer monthly consulting and implementation for a small number of clients who are tired of doing it all themselves.
After completing a larger project—like building your website, creating a marketing plan, or developing your brand—it’s essential to keep that momentum going. This is where monthly support makes all the difference.
With 20 years of experience, I’ve seen how easy it is for plans to sit on the shelf. That’s why I offer thoughtful, steady support that bridges vision and execution—so your ideas don’t just stay ideas.
