Founder story
The Quiet Shift began long before it had a name
For most of my career, I worked in fast-paced environments — media, advertising, digital marketing and later my own consultancy supporting business owners with online reputation management and communications strategy. I loved the creativity and the relationships, but I often found myself drawn to what was happening underneath the work: how people were feeling, communicating, coping, connecting or quietly struggling.
Even then, my strongest work emerged when I could slow things down, make space for clarity and help people reconnect with what really mattered — not just to the business, but to themselves.
That thread followed me into national NFP leadership at Griefline, where I guided teams through growth, community partnerships, digital communications strategy, innovation and emotionally demanding periods, including collective grief and sudden loss. Those experiences taught me something profound: human steadiness is not a nice-to-have — it’s the foundation of every meaningful outcome.
The more I leaned into emotional awareness, grounding, reflective practice and intentional communication, the more I saw people soften, reconnect and find their confidence again. And the more impact we created — not through pressure, but through presence.
I began to realise that this was my real work.
Not just strategy. Not just communication.
But helping people and organisations find the clarity, steadiness and connection they needed to lead with purpose.
So I created A Quiet Shift — a framework, a community and a way of working built around a simple truth: Quiet change is powerful. It creates the conditions for communities to thrive, for ideas to take shape and for impact to grow without overwhelming the very people working to create it.
“Quiet change is powerful. It creates the conditions for people to thrive, for ideas to take shape and for impact to grow without overwhelming the very people working to create it. ”
The Quiet Shift Model — Steady, Simplify, Strengthen, Sustain — reflects everything I believe about meaningful progress: that it starts from within, grows through connection and lasts when we move with intention rather than intensity.
Today, I support purpose-led businesses, community organisations, carers, volunteers and leaders who want to serve others without losing themselves. I work alongside teams navigating emotionally heavy work or high-pressure seasons, helping them communicate clearly, restore steadiness and reconnect with their shared purpose.
My hope is that the work we do together leaves people feeling clearer, calmer and more confident — in themselves, in their relationships and in the impact they’re here to make.
Because when people feel supported and aligned with their purpose, they create change that truly matters.
— Louisa Smith, Founder, A Quiet Shift
“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’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
“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
