I grew up in The circus.

No, seriously. I mean that literally.

I spent the first 20 years of my professional life learning to manage and develop strong, effective teams in the most chaotic, complex, and impossible business environment you can imagine. 

We performed over 500 shows a year, operating 365 days with a cast that included 65 horses.

I had the tremendous good fortune to be able to follow my instincts as a leader and fight for the changes I thought were necessary. 

Which is not to say my ideas found a supportive reception—mostly the opposite was true. But because it was my family business, I wasn’t afraid of getting fired—so I didn’t back down when I felt I was right. It’s no fun to fight with your boss or your dad—it’s even less fun when they’re one and the same person. But, hey, it’s his own fault for raising me to have high expectations, drive, and strong opinions. 

I didn’t really have a job description, so in addition to writing and directing the show, choreographing acts, designing costumes, developing performers and running rehearsals, I took on the project of revamping and restructuring departments—one at a time. 

Everywhere I looked there was room for improvement, and my goal was always the same: How can we do this better and cheaper?  

Time after time, I reorganized our many departments to achieve those goals, both downstairs (the performers, technicians, guest services, waitstaff and bar) and upstairs (marketing, accounting, PR, customer service). 

The greatest achievement of my circus career happened when the financial crisis hit and we had to cut our budget by 25%—$3 million!!—with no hiccup in performances. 

Not only did I hit that target, but I managed to simultaneously improve every conceivable metric—employee engagement and retention, customer service, food quality (did I mention we served 1,000 meals per show?), and guest satisfaction.

I was 28 years old. 

I landed in Tucson, Arizona, with my incredible partner—who I’ve been with since college and who has stood by me through all the drama and trauma and chaos—and who believed in me enough that I had no choice but to figure out how to believe in myself again, too. 

Luck was on my side when I met Laura Alexander and Jenny Carrillo, business partners and consultants in the field of Organizational Development and Fundraising whose motto is Do Good. Better. I convinced them to take me on as an apprentice, promising I could make myself indispensable.

They adopted me and taught me how to find my voice and trust my instincts. 

I’ll never forget the moment when I hesitantly offered an opinion about something and Laura said to me, “You’re a consultant now, Hanna. Your job is to have more opinions!” 

I knew I had found my calling! ;-)

With their support and encouragement, I pursued professional development, which I didn’t even know existed when I worked in the circus. Learning to twirl fire or square dance on horses was roughly our equivalent, which is a ton of fun—I can do both—but those skills are not especially transferable to other careers.  

Next, I participated in the Greater Tucson Leadership program where I discovered that leadership was my passion in life. During that experience, I won my first award—for Outstanding Leadership.

This award was made infinitely more meaningful because I was selected by my peers.

I took the Clifton® StrengthsFinder assessment and was transformed by the affirmation that I can stand in my own strength and that I didn’t have to try and tone down my talents. 

I became a Certified Strengths Coach and discovered a robust language to describe what made each individual unique and powerful—a shortcut to helping people understand and value themselves and each other. 

I pursued a Master’s in Leadership and Organizational Development with a focus in Executive Coaching, and was stunned to discover that all my reorganization efforts in the circus—which I accomplished flying by the seat of my pants—were completely by the book. 

The two-and-a-half years I studied the science of Leadership and Organizational Development was the most valuable thing I ever did, because it showed me that I have incredible instincts for this work.

And, I was exceedingly proud to graduate with the highest honors.

I’m finally able to look back and recognize the enormity of my achievements in running the circus. 

I realize that I developed exceptional leaders at every level of the company because I’ve always recognized what makes individuals stand out. I’ve believed in cultivating the strengths of others and I’ve supported them in overcoming the barriers that hold them back.

The magic of the circus happens when a diverse and complex collection of individuals come together to build something bigger than anyone can build alone. That magic of course, isn’t exclusive to a show. Every team has the potential to become something greater than the sum of its parts.

And every leader needs support if they are going to step into their spotlight.

The skills that made me a great ringmaster make me uniquely qualified to help leaders and teams achieve something truly exceptional. 

That’s how Ringmaster was born.