Phello Transformation
Turning Experience Into Opportunity.
Meet Colleen
Colleen Lonsberry has spent more than 20 years helping companies clarify their message, strengthen their brand, and grow with intention.
As a strategic marketing executive and fractional CMO, she’s built narratives for organizations at pivotal moments of transformation.
But when she began exploring new full-time, consulting, and board opportunities herself, she found the landscape had shifted.
“Nearly 70% of the jobs I was applying for required a personal website.”
It wasn’t a suggestion. It was an expectation.
Colleen Lonsberry (Ciak)
The Backstory
Colleen wasn’t new to storytelling. In fact, it’s what she’s done for her entire career — helping businesses articulate who they are and why they matter.
But turning that lens inward felt different.
She asked a question many accomplished leaders quietly ask:
Why do I need a personal website?
A résumé had always worked. LinkedIn offered visibility. Her experience spoke for itself.
And yet, the competitive environment told a different story.
She considered building a site on her own. It was doable — but it meant starting from scratch, deciding what to emphasize, and guessing at what hiring authorities and boards would actually want to see.
That uncertainty mattered.
Because positioning matters.
The Turning Point
Rather than treating her website as a side project, Colleen approached it strategically.
Using the Phello framework, she worked through a structured process designed to help executives articulate their leadership clearly and cohesively.
“With Phello, I was able to get all the tools I needed. It was a simple process.”
But what made the difference wasn’t just the platform.
Kurt Phelps reviewed her site and offered perspective through a recruiter’s lens — helping her refine how her experience was framed and what signals truly resonate in executive search.
It wasn’t about rewriting her story.
It was about sharpening it.
Colleen Lonsberry (Ciak)'s Personal Website with Phello
The Strategy Behind the Shift
Colleen approached her personal site the same way she approaches brand strategy:
Start with clarity.
Define what she wanted to be known for — and why.
Use structure.
Rather than staring at a blank page, she followed a guided framework.
Refine with outside perspective.
Recruiter insight helped ensure her positioning aligned with real-world evaluation criteria.
Launch intentionally.
Her site became a central, cohesive reflection of her leadership philosophy and impact.
The Results
The shift was tangible.
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Nearly 70% of the roles she pursued required a website — she was prepared
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Her personal site now averages approximately 1,300 views per month
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Her leadership story lives in one thoughtful, accessible place
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Conversations begin with shared context, not explanation
Her website didn’t replace her résumé.
It strengthened her presence.
What She Learned
Personal branding isn’t about promotion.
It’s about clarity.
It’s about making it easier for others to understand your impact.
For Colleen, building a personal website wasn’t about adding something new to her career — it was about articulating what had always been there.
With intention.
Colleen Ciak, The Personal Website (Youtube)
For Leaders Navigating a Competitive Market
If you’re exploring new opportunities — whether full-time, advisory, or board — you may find the expectations have evolved.
For Colleen, a personal website became a way to:
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Take control of her narrative
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Present her leadership cohesively
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Meet modern search expectations confidently
Not louder.
Clearer.
A Community of Leaders Owning Their Story
Colleen’s experience reflects what many executives in the Phello community are discovering — that taking ownership of your narrative isn’t about self-promotion, but about strategic clarity.
When leaders choose to tell their story with intention, visibility becomes a byproduct.
And opportunity often follows.