Nobody is in charge of your career except you. It’s easy to say. Harder to actually act on, especially after 14 years of building something stable inside some of the world’s biggest, and most influential, companies.
Sarah Storelli, founder of Expressions Consulting, did act on it. In 2025, after a career that took her from a global PR agency to an ad tech pre-IPO to IBM and Amazon Web Services (AWS), she launched her own go-to-market advisory firm. And what she learned in the process about timing, about trust, about the infrastructure nobody tells you to build, is the kind of thing a business school education doesn’t cover.
The itch that kept getting stronger
Sarah is clear that leaving wasn’t a sudden decision. The pull had been building for years. What finally pushed her over the edge wasn’t a breakdown but a slow drift: her role at AWS kept changing, and she kept finding herself further from the work that actually fulfilled her and made her excel in her job. “I no longer was really able to do what I do best,” she says. “My superpowers of where I thrive.”
So she started doing what she’d always done: going to her people. A personal board of directors — and importantly, not “yes people” — she’d been quietly assembling since college through genuine involvement in boards, volunteer committees, and student government. When she sounded them out about making the leap, the response was a reinforcement to what she already knew in her gut: do it.
The board that actually matters
One of the most practical things Sarah talks about is the idea of a personal board of directors. This is a deliberate, curated group of people who will challenge you, tell you the truth, and bring perspectives you don’t already have. Most of hers aren’t marketers or comms people. They’re engineers, sales leaders, executives from completely different industries. That was intentional.
Her advice for building yours: don’t manufacture it. Get involved in something you actually care about: a volunteer board, a community organization, even a run club. The people who end up in your corner are almost always the ones who’ve seen you show up for something real, before you needed anything from them. “I definitely just didn’t miraculously get a board of directors by sitting on my couch,” she says.
The infrastructure nobody talks about
Before she sent a single client proposal, Sarah hired an attorney, a CPA, and a CFA. Not glamorous. Not the part people write about. But she’d spent 14 years in companies where legal was one ping away and finance was down the hall. Going independent meant all of that was now on her and she wasn’t going to wing it.
The surprise? How quickly the Wild West revealed itself. Within days of launching, her inbox filled with people offering services she hadn’t asked for, framed as help. Founders wanting access to her network and clients, without referrals. Having the right advisors in place meant she could move fast, stay protected, and not lose sleep. “I can’t emphasize that enough,” she says, “for anyone who’s thinking of making this move.”
The corporate safety net is real. Betting on yourself is a risk. But as Sarah puts it: if something doesn’t work, you can always go back. The regret of not trying runs a lot deeper.