Last of three parts

Trust isn’t just a value — it’s a choice. These women are leading with purpose and backing it with proof, refusing to compromise impact for performative polish. From showing the mess behind the magic to turning real-world results into deep-rooted credibility, their leadership is bold, honest and deeply resonant.

This group, which includes inspiring members of the Dreamers & Doers community, is reimagining what it means to earn trust in today’s world — not through perfection, but through alignment, intention and meaningful action.

Yewande Faloyin 

CEO and founder of OTITỌ Leadership & People Development, helping growth-stage companies build strategic leaders, high-performing teams and a results-driven culture that delivers exceptional value to clients, investors and the business.

I used to see trust-building as a one-time task. Now, it’s baked into how I work and how I support clients, such as by creating ongoing space for human connection. Especially in high-stakes environments, trust quietly erodes when stress hits and people shift into default survival modes. Consistently reigniting real connection has helped my clients build cultures where trust compounds over time instead of being something they scramble to restore when it’s gone.

Jasz Joseph 

Founder of Jasz Rae Digital, a HubSpot consultancy helping sales and marketing teams ditch the chaos and make smarter decisions with clean data, seamless automation and scalable strategies.

When the market shifted and clients needed true ROI — not just visibility — I pivoted from content marketing into sales enablement. Ditching fluffy marketing metrics and instead having raw, honest conversations with my clients about revenue and sales numbers has helped us build real partnerships and deliver strategies that drive actual growth instead of surface-level success. By focusing on what would actually generate revenue, I reinforced that I was in their corner for the long haul, not selling the same services we had always done together.

Ila Corcoran 

CEO of Sengo, a fintech platform unlocking access to capital and private market investing through community.

Initially, we thought we’d be leading with technology, but now we lead with education and transparency. Whether through our grant program, investor tools or personalized fundraising assistance, we prioritize helping founders and funders with an emphasis on support rather than coercion. This community- and relationship-centered approach to closing the funding gap is helping unlock a radically more inclusive private market.

Chen Lizra 

Founder and somatic coach of Power of Somatic Intelligence, a leader in helping high-achieving women heal what is blocking them from bold impact and in love through embodiment and somatic coaching.

After years of trial and error, we’ve created a one-year, low-cost membership that delivers such extraordinary value that trust becomes inevitable and soft selling flows with ease. We do that by delivering exceptional value at every stage, turning free offers into powerful trust-builders that result in high conversions to other services and deeper, longer-lasting customer relationships.

 

Nathalie Molina Niño 

President of Known, an asset management platform that deploys, structures and shifts capital in ways that are healthy for the planet and the people on it.

 I swear by the 4-to-1 ratio for building trust. This means that I try to make sure I’ve been of service in some meaningful way at least four times as often as I ever ask anyone for anything. The premise is to bank generosity everywhere and cash out only rarely. You never know where the seeds you plant will end up growing.

Jesse Clarke 

Founder of JN Clarke Consulting, helping charities and nonprofits win funding and influence with the Canadian government.

When I began my business, I focused on being the expert with all the answers and waited until I was 100% sure of my position before speaking out. As the economic climate has shifted and become more uncertain, I’ve been more authentic and vulnerable with the challenges I face — both as a business owner and as someone who works with the government. I don’t always have the answers, and I’m open about my own worry and confusion. I also share what works for me.

Sandra Acham 

Founder and CEO of Ulumous LLC, a brand marketing company for local small businesses providing premium, elite services typically reserved for big companies at an affordable price.

I support brand marketing at the local level (think caterers, dry cleaners, hair stylists, etc.). Taking time to visit businesses in their physical locations has allowed me to hear about boots-on-the-ground challenges and learn more about the knowledge gaps related to great brand marketing. By doing this, I’ve earned the trust of a handful of businesses — and it’s growing. I also structured my business model around quality paired with affordability. For example, because I’m hyper-focused on affordability, I’ve learned to pair my offerings with enablement, helping businesses learn to do bits of marketing on their own where they can.

Catalina Parker 

Co-Founder and CEO of Relatable Nonprofit, helping nonprofit professionals launch consulting careers so that they can build lives with freedom and impact.

In the high-ticket online education space (where many have been burned), we’ve built trust by leading with real stories and measurable outcomes, not hype. We also clearly communicate the effort and time required to see results so people join with full clarity and commitment. This honesty has become a competitive edge in a noisy, overpromising space and has fueled strong retention and organic growth through referrals, even in a market full of skepticism. 

 

Katrina Padron 

CEO of Wake Me Up When I’m Famous, helping clients build partner programs that fill their pipeline with buyers and not busywork.

 Instead of canned responses or PDFs, I send personal video replies to warm leads. No makeup, no script — just a one or two minute video where I say their name, reference something they shared and walk them through exactly how I’d approach their challenge. Most people skip this because it’s not scalable, but I’ve found it’s the fastest way to go from stranger to trusted expert. I recently sent a video reply to a potential client who’d filled out my inquiry form but was clearly on the fence about working together. She replied immediately with, “Wow! I’ve never had someone respond like this. I feel like you actually get what we’re trying to do.” She booked the next day and went on to refer three other clients in her industry. It’s not just about standing out — it’s about seeing people. That’s where trust starts.

Catharine Montgomery 

Founder and CEO of Better Together Agency, transforming communications by integrating AI tools to optimize operations, develop campaigns and address systemic biases in generative AI. 

As our business has grown from startup to recognized industry leader, we’ve evolved from simply stating our values to proving them through impact. For example, we pioneered the first-ever consumer survey on biases in generative AI, creating actionable data that helps organizations make more equitable decisions. This transparent approach to exposing uncomfortable truths has positioned us as the go-to partner for companies that are serious about inclusive innovation, leading to partnerships with Fortune 10 companies and multiple industry awards.

Sarah Loughry 

Founder and CEO of Em Dash Content Studio, a boutique team of expert writers and strategists that help small businesses show up on search and establish them as thought leaders in their space. 

In my experience, building trust has always started with honesty. Sometimes, that means admitting that our services aren’t needed or encouraging clients to allocate their budget elsewhere. Sometimes, it means admitting I don’t know something. Early in my career, I would have never done this for fear of being perceived as inexperienced or lacking knowledge. The reality is that we can’t know everything. If I’m asked a question and am not sure of the answer, rather than offering an educated guess, I simply say that I don’t know but that I will find out. I’ve learned that honesty (and a bit of humility) goes very far in building trust. I’ve never been called inexperienced for using this approach. 

Evan Sargent 

Founder and CEO of Leap_year, a strategic and creative agency that gets founders what they need, fast. 

Community and connection are more important than ever. Being more visible, vulnerable, and transparent has helped expand my reach and make genuine connections in unprecedented ways during these uncertain times. I’ve also increased flexibility around what we offer to accommodate a shifting economic climate. Any facade of “everything’s unicorns and rainbows all the time” didn’t connect before … and it certainly won’t now.

Tamara Kostova 

CEO of Velexa, a leading, fully customisable API-based investing platform technology offering global market access across all major asset classes and currencies.

At Velexa, one trust-building move we’re proud of is being honest when we’re not the right fit — even if it means walking away from a deal. It’s easy to overpromise in competitive sales cycles, but saying no when our solution doesn’t truly fit builds far more credibility long-term. For example, we turned down a major bank whose needs didn’t align with our product. Months later, they came back — with a better fit — explicitly because they trusted our integrity. That deal closed and became one of our strongest partnerships. As market conditions have shifted, we’ve moved from a product-led to a partnership-led approach. Clients now value long-term resilience, regulatory expertise and alignment over technical capabilities alone.

Hanna McCarthy 

Financial advisor at Edward Jones, a 100-year-old firm specializing in helping individual investors rather than institutions.

For me, building trust is about pre-planning. I don’t want to be reactive. Instead, I build trust by communicating with my clients, understanding what they want and need when it comes to financial education, offering a frame of reference for how I work from the start to eliminate any uncertainty and reaching out to them regularly. Being a partner means connecting first.

 

Sydney de Arenas 

CEO and founder of The Hive, a business concierge service designed for entrepreneurs and small-to-medium business owners who need structured support to grow without burnout.

One trust-building move I’m proud of is holding space for the real conversation underneath the surface-level one, especially when things feel messy. People tend to open up when they feel genuinely seen, and that creates alignment faster than any strategy deck. I’ve seen it turn strained client relationships into collaborative partnerships almost overnight.

How are you evolving your trust-building strategies to meet the changing demands of today’s markets, clients and teams?

‍All individuals featured in this article are members of Dreamers & Doers, a curated community that amplifies extraordinary women entrepreneurs and leaders by securing PR, forging authentic connections and curating high-impact resources.

Read Part 1 and Part 2 of our collaboration with Dreamers & Doers