About Us

We Understand Where You’re Coming From.

You’ve built a successful career, checked the boxes, and led teams through challenges. But lately, you’re asking deeper questions—about time, purpose, and whether your work still reflects the life you want to live.

This work started when I looked around the professional table and saw good people, doing their best, but stretched thin and unsure of how to reset without losing credibility—or their sanity. I knew there had to be a better way.

There is a Better Way.

At True North Collaboration, we work with leaders, managers, and teams across the organization who find themselves at that very intersection: experienced and accomplished, but also burned out, disengaged, or just craving something more.

For 25 years, I’ve helped individuals and teams gain clarity and traction. And while titles and outcomes matter, what matters more is how we show up—with our teams, in our relationships, and for ourselves. And when these things align, powerful business and personal results follow.

We’ll Show You How.

That’s what True North Collaboration and our signature playbook, The Three Bucket Leader, is all about. It’s a simple, powerful approach and framework that helps leaders, managers, and teams reclaim their time, re-ignite their passion, and engage with greater intention to produce meaningful results.

“When your Minutes align with your strengths, success follows.” – The Three Bucket Leader

Now, through our consulting services, Three Bucket Leader exercises, podcast, and upcoming workshops, we’ll provide a true roadmap to results. No overcomplication. Just a proven method to help you reclaim your minutes and your momentum. 

Do you want to make courageous decisions that unlock performance and peace of mind? You can. Effectiveness isn’t about doing it all. It’s about doing what matters.

And it’s never too late to love what you do.

Karen Gilhooly


Leadership Strategist | Author of The Three Bucket Leader
Podcast Host | Speaker 

Karen Gilhooly is a leadership strategist, speaker, and the author of The Three Bucket Leader. For more than two decades, she’s helped leaders—from frontline managers to C-suite executives—cut through the noise, reclaim their time, and lead with purpose. Through her Three Bucket Framework, Karen equips leaders to focus on what matters most and engage their teams in ways that drive results and well-being.

Before founding The Three Bucket Leader, Karen spent 25 years inside organizations leading talent, culture, and organizational strategy. She has coached executives, scaled leadership development programs, and guided entire teams through high-growth, high-pressure transitions. Along the way, she noticed a troubling pattern: “Too many smart, capable leaders were burning out while trying to do it all.”

That observation became personal. After watching a home video where she barely looked up from her phone during a family celebration, Karen realized she was "present everywhere, but truly present nowhere." That moment led to the framework she now teaches—a practical tool that helps leaders align their energy, influence, and impact.

  • Today, Karen works with leaders and teams across industries—people who want to show up more fully, lead more effectively, and live more intentionally. She is the host of the Make Minutes Matter podcast and a sought-after speaker known for her blend of clarity, empathy, and practical insight.

    Karen’s mission is to help people align their time with their values and lead with intention—so their minutes add up to a life that matters.

Relations Research, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a premier professional services firm that transforms how organizations build and leverage their most valuable asset: relationships. Through proprietary methodologies grounded in human science and advanced analytics, we empower C-suite executives to convert relationship capital into sustainable competitive advantage. The firm's executive-focused solutions include strategic relationship foresight, which identifies emerging partnership opportunities before competitors; transformation architecture, which ensures stakeholder alignment during critical organizational shifts; ecosystem engineering, which optimizes value networks for maximum impact; and AI-enhanced relationship intelligence, which delivers actionable insights for high-stakes decision-making. RR's proven track record spans Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and high-growth enterprises, where they've consistently delivered measurable ROI by enhancing relational intelligence at the enterprise level. In today's hyperconnected business environment, Relations Research stands as the trusted partner for forward-thinking executives who recognize that relationship mastery drives market leadership and long-term value creation.

Meet the Team

  • Nancy Meyer

    Chief Strategy Officer

    Nancy has worked with clients and businesses in the areas of strategy, marketing, research, sales operations and customer success across multiple industries, including banking and technology. Her hands-on experience draws from working in financial services, consulting, marketing and leading her own service-based business for ten years. Her expertise lies in uncovering hidden opportunities in strategy, marketing and customer experience.

  • John Paguaga

    Chief Facilitator

    John is an innovative and dynamic Facilitator and Trainer with expertise in the financial services industry. He has a proven history of designing, developing, and facilitating, in-person and virtual, professional and career development programs across the globe. John has a passionate and authentic approach, engaging and involving audiences, impacting business results, employee performance and employee engagement.

  • Maureen Wilbrandt - Consultant

    Maureen’s experience includes positions of Senior Vice President and Corporate Director for some of the world’s premier global institutions: Citigroup, General Electric, Fifth Third Bank and HSBC among others. For over 30 years, Maureen has achieved success in numerous strategic change programs which have delivered impressive outcomes for her clients including reduced time to revenue, improved customer satisfaction scores, and minimized fraud operating losses. Maureen prepares clients for the challenges of today’s business climate.

  • Tim Koegel - Consultant

    Tim is the author of 2 WSJ best-selling books, The Exceptional Presenter and The Exceptional Presenter Goes Virtual. He’s coached many Fortune 500 executives with their keynote presentations; he has also provided communication training, 1-on-1 advice, proposal consultations, and IPO Roadshow and Funding pitch prep to their teams. Over the years, Tim has advised US Government officials and regularly conducts workshops at the nation’s leading MBA and Executive MBA programs.

  • Tamara Nemo - Consultant

    Tamara has over 25 years of experience working with clients to formulate and execute their business and talent development strategies. Currently, she works with a broad range of clients as a facilitator, corporate trainer, and executive coach based in New York. Tamara has designed, implemented, and led management, leadership, and technical training across the globe.

  • Ryan Schadt - Consultant

    Ryan is a New York based communications consultant with an extensive consulting background facilitating workshops with leaders across all organization levels. His experience stems from 14 years in the investment banking and professional services industries. Ryan’s an accredited Executive Coach and a certified Financial Risk Manager.™