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Clarity, steadiness, and impact for people doing work that matters

I’m Louisa Smith, founder of A Quiet Shift.

I work with leaders, teams and organisations who are doing meaningful work — but are feeling stretched, stuck, or unsure what needs attention first. 

Often, nothing is “wrong” in an obvious way. It just feels harder than it should.

Three women talking outdoors at a social gathering with umbrellas overhead, in colorful summer dresses. The woman in the middle has blonde hair, is smiling, and facing the camera.

You might be carrying a lot

Decisions feel heavier.

Conversations take more energy. 

Things that used to feel straightforward now require more effort. 

People often come to me when: 

  • they’re juggling competing priorities 

  • the pressure on their team is increasing 

  • communication feels strained or unclear 

  • decisions carry more consequence than they used to

  • they sense something needs to shift, but can’t quite name what 

Two smiling women sitting at a booth desk, with informational pamphlets and brochures, at a conference or expo event. In the background, there are people walking and various exhibition booths, with a large sign overhead reading '30' and 'GRIEFLINE'.

My role is to help make sense of what’s going on — calmly and without judgement — so you can regain clarity, confidence and direction. 

At it’s heart, this work is about protecting and strengthening impact — by improving how decisions are made when pressure, scrutiny or responsibility increases.

Much of my work sits upstream of strategy and action — helping organisations understand their readiness, align leadership and culture, and see what needs care before choices are locked in or strain builds further.

A woman with short blonde hair smiling at a podium with microphones at Hotel Chadstone, wearing a black outfit and large earrings.

There’s no need to arrive with a clear brief or solution.
A short conversation is often enough to work out what would be most helpful — and whether I’m the right kind of support for you.

How people engage

Let's connect

What people are saying

  • Lou’s the name that pops up on your phone that makes you drop what you’re doing to answer the call.

    — Nick Parker, Founder, Framework 

  • Working with Louisa over the past year through our partnership between Good Mourning and Griefline has been such a joy. In fact, she's one of my favourite people to collaborate with.

    — Sally Douglas, Senior Communications Consultant | Co-founder of Good Mourning | Podcaster | Speaker | Changemaker 

  • Lou has a presence that motivates people to act for all the right reasons. She gets incredible buy in from her team, board, stakeholders and customers because she intuitively and genuinely looks to understand how every party can benefit from a relationship.

    — Francis Nicholls-Wunder, Partner & Director @ Light Creative, Stacked & A1 Studio 

If you're seeking clearer direction, stronger communication or strategic guidance, I’d love to connect. 

Start a conversation