American Hospital Association

An Axe & Arrow Proposal Prepared For:

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Kevin Brown, CMP, DES
Senior Director, Strategic Events & Travel
American Hospital Association

Axe & Arrow builds leadership programs people actually use. We work on the parts of the job that don't show up in a process document — how you manage your own capacity, how you move decisions you don't control, and how you use new tools without losing time to them. Every program is built for a specific team and a specific problem. This one was built for yours.

What is the presenting need?

The team is coming back into the office for the first time since renovations began, and this retreat is the reason they're making the trip. The day has to be worth the commute. Underneath that, three pressures exist for this group:

Recovery isn't happening. The team travels hard — seven-day onsites are routine — and returns to a hybrid schedule where the workday never fully closes. Coming off conference season and heading into planning for the next one, the group is running on whatever's left rather than on anything deliberate.

Influence is the job, but authority isn't. In their roles they shape decisions they don't ultimately make. That's true internally across departments and externally with properties and vendors. Most of them are doing it by instinct and relationship, which works until the ask gets asymmetric.

AI adoption is uneven and quietly stressful. Copilot is sanctioned and some of the team has leaned in; others use it to draft an email and stop there. Meeting planning also has real limits on what AI can do — it isn't checking a BEO against specs — and nobody has drawn that line clearly. The result is pressure without a shared standard.
These aren't three separate problems. They're one problem seen from three angles: the team has more demand than room, and no shared system for managing it.

Ingrid and her team exceeded all expectations when upskilling our Talent Enablement Team of 300 with the skills to Build Strategic Partnerships.

Her program divided the teams into cohorts of 20 and took them through three unique experiences. Her three separate modules were the highest rated live training of 2023 across Pinterest. The Axe & Arrow content is the right mix of science based theory, playful activities and surgical application for our Pinterest associates. Every exercise feels relevant and no time is wasted. Ingrid's team was able to manage the communications and schedules for over 300 of our people with no complaints.

Ingrid is a joy to work with and remains a valuable partner for our team.

- Charlie Hall, Global Head of Talent Enablement, Pinterest

"I've now partnered with Axe & Arrow on two large events for our entire team of 120 pharmaceutical sales leaders. Ingrid was an excellent collaborator, engaging in multiple discussions with our team to make sure the content was tailored to our specific needs. She asked the right questions and steered us in the direction that resulted in an 80% Very Good to Excellent session rating. Our teams consistently talk about her events and value they got from her thoughtful delivery. As a company, we have seen sustainable change in the effectiveness of team dialogues under Ingrid's ongoing support. "

- Alex Davis, Biosimilars Director, Brand Marketing Strategy, Organon Pharmaceuticals

What is the suggested solution?

A three-hour, in-person working session built around the team's actual year rather than around three training topics. Each act maps to a phase of the conference season the team is living in right now — coming off one, ramping into the next.

BLOCK	WHAT HAPPENS	WHY IT MATTERS
The Season Map 8:00 - 8:10 10 min	The group maps their own year: where the calendar takes capacity, where it gives it back, and where the pattern repeats.	Frames the session around their work cycle rather than three training topics. Also surfaces the specific pressure points the rest of the session will build against.
Act 1 - Recover 8:10 - 8:55 45 min	The energy work — four domains, the switching tax, rest versus recovery — built for the return from a seven-day onsite and hybrid weeks that never close. Each person designs a personal reset protocol.	This is the piece the team has been asking for. It's deliberately personal first — useful at home whether or not it's useful at work — which is what makes it land rather than read as another productivity mandate.
Apply - AI for Recovery 8:55 - 9:10 15 min	A hands-on block that puts AI to work on the energy plan just built. The specific application is selected with your team after the pre-session survey. Everyone builds something and tests it before the break.	Everyone leaves a retreat with intentions. Almost nobody leaves with something that follows up. Choosing the application with you means it fits how this team actually works rather than how a generic room does.
Break 9:10 - 9:20 10 min
Act 2 - Perform 9:20 - 10:05 45 min	Influence when you're at capacity and don't hold the decision. Read the stakeholder, select tactics, sequence them deliberately. Run live against a real ask each person is carrying, then pressure-test in pairs.	The team shapes decisions they don't make. Most are working on relationship and instinct, which holds until the ask gets asymmetric. Sequence is what separates a pitch from a strategy.
Apply - AI for Influence 10:05 - 10:35 30 min	A working block turning the influence framework into something usable after today. Scope is set with your team in advance based on where the group is losing the most time. Each person builds, tests against a real situation, and judges the output.	Nine tactics is a lot to carry into a Tuesday meeting. This converts the framework from something to remember into something to use — and the critique step means people leave knowing where the tool helps and where their own judgment has to override it.
Cross-Test 10:35 - 10:50 15 min	Pairs trade what they built and stress-test against a scenario the other person didn't design for. Refine on the spot.	Exposes gaps. Spreads technique across skill levels.
Close 10:50 - 11:00 10 min	A 72-hour commitment from every person, named out loud.	Retreats fade on the drive home. A specific, short-window, public commitment is the difference between a good day and a changed one.

Before the Session - Two things happen before anyone walks into the room:

A short pulse survey goes to every participant — five minutes, anonymous. It tells us where the group is losing time, how they're currently using AI, and what asks they're carrying that aren't moving. Anonymity matters here: people are more honest about what isn't working when their name isn't attached.

A framework call with Kevin and Sarah to review what the survey surfaced and lock the two applied blocks. You choose what the team builds, based on where the time is actually going.

Program Outcomes

A recovery practice built around the travel calendar this department actually runs. Participants design their own protocol for the return from intense travel. Self-designed rather than prescribed, which is the difference between a practice that holds through conference season and one that lasts a week.

A tested influence strategy. Participants build a stakeholder read and an ordered approach, tested live against an ask already on their desk. Because the whole team learns the same sequence, it also becomes common language — a way to talk about a stuck approval or a vendor negotiation without starting from scratch each time.

Applied AI, built on their own work. Each half of the session ends with a hands-on block where the team puts AI to work on what they've just designed — using their own material, not a sample case. Participants don't watch a demonstration; they leave having used AI on two problems they actually care about, which is what moves a mixed-adoption team forward.

Ingrid and her team have been amazing to work with. They are experts and great partners in developing leadership training for our team. I lost count as to how many participants have said the training they received was the best they have ever taken. My organization identified a need to build strong leaders. We worked with Ingrid to co-create a program to address areas such as influencing, compelling conversations, and executive presence. Despite participants having to get out of their comfort zone, they were completely engaged, embraced the learnings, and had fun throughout the experience. I have nothing but high regards for Ingrid and her team!

- Willie Lee, VP of Marketing Operations, GOOGLE

Investment Options

OPTION #1	OPTION #2	OPTION #3
$5,000 + travel The Retreat Session	$7,500 Session + Sustainment	$9,500 The Full Season
3-hour in-person facilitated session	3-hour in-person facilitated session	3-hour in-person facilitated session
Up to 25 participants	Up to 25 participants	Up to 25 participants
Pulse Survey + framework call	Pulse Survey + framework call	Pulse Survey + framework call
Follow-Up: Participant toolkit + prompt sheet	Follow-Up: Participant toolkit + prompt sheet + 60-min virtual AI follow-up at 4–6 weeks · Custom prompt library built on your workflows	Follow-Up: Participant toolkit + prompt sheet + 60-min virtual AI follow-up at 4–6 weeks · Custom prompt library built on your workflows + a second 60-min virtual session timed to conference ramp-up · Leadership debrief with Kevin, Sarah and Kim
Expenses: T&E not to exceed $1,400 (transport, airfare, hotel, meal)	Included	Included

Why Option 2 delivers the most value

Every retreat has a half-life. Whatever the team builds on the day will be competing with a full inbox by the following Tuesday, and the AI tools are the most vulnerable piece — new tools get abandoned faster than new habits, because a habit only needs memory while a tool needs to be opened.

The follow-up session lands at four to six weeks. That timing is deliberate. It's late enough that people have tried what they built, hit real friction, and formed actual questions instead of theoretical ones — and early enough that the tools haven't yet been quietly dropped. A group that has used something imperfectly for a month asks far better questions than a group that has just been taught. That hour is where adoption either holds or doesn't.

The custom prompt library is built after that session rather than before it, so it reflects what the team actually reached for — including the things nobody predicted in the pre-session survey. It's a permanent asset for the department, and it's the piece that keeps working for people who join the team next year and weren't in the room.

Option 2 also absorbs travel entirely, which removes the one variable line from the budget.

At $7,500 all-in, Option 2 is $1,100 more than the base option once travel is accounted for — and it's the difference between a strong day and a change that's still in place when conference season starts.

Meet Your Coach

INGRID WIESE
Founder & CEO, Axe & Arrow Solutions

You are not getting a trainer. You are getting a coach who has sat at the table in some of the most high-stakes conversations in the world — and learned how to move people who were under no obligation to listen.

Ingrid began her career with the U.S. State Department in Eastern Europe, coaching political leaders through conflict resolution and peace negotiations. She had no authority over anyone in those rooms. She went on to execute strategies that raised over $100 million for major NGOs, then turned her expertise to the leadership and technology challenges of the world's most iconic organizations.

For the past fifteen years, Ingrid has worked inside the fastest-moving technology companies in the world — Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, Salesforce, Starbucks, Nike, and Verizon among them — helping thousands of leaders communicate more effectively, influence more strategically, and use emerging tools with confidence. She has been working with AI applications in leadership and sales contexts since before most organizations had an AI policy, which is why her AI work is practical rather than theoretical: teams build and test on their own material in the room.

Marriott brought Ingrid in to design and deliver the influence, energy, and AI curriculum for Marriott Exchange 2026, where she led sessions for corporate and association meeting professionals across two days.

As senior faculty for the McKinsey LEAD program, she regularly works alongside the teams shaping the future of global business.

Academic credentials: Advanced Certificates in Influence and Leadership, Harvard Law School · Master's Certificate in Leadership, M.I.T. · Master's in International Relations, Syracuse University.

What makes Ingrid exceptional isn't the résumé — it's what she does with it in the room. She will tell it like it is, show up without pretense, and make sure your team leaves with tools they'll actually use the next day. Not inspiration. Results.

Why Axe & Arrow?

Real Connections, Real Presence
Axe & Arrow coaches show up without pretense or ego. From the moment you join the first session, you will be in an environment built on trust — one where honest conversation is not just encouraged, it's the whole point.

You Will Be Challenged
These sessions are not designed to confirm what you already know. Axe & Arrow coaches speak out, push back, and are not afraid to challenge you when it means a more successful outcome. You will be invited to think differently — and you will leave with deeper insight each time.

Practical Tools, Not Theory
Every framework you learn, you will practice immediately. Axe & Arrow's approach is built on the conviction that awareness alone doesn't change behavior — application does. You will leave each session with something concrete to try the next day.

An Experience You'll Actually Enjoy
Axe & Arrow believes great learning happens when people are genuinely engaged. Expect a fast-paced, energized environment that uses self-reflection, group discussion, simulation, and real-world practice — designed to be as enjoyable as it is impactful.

Proven at the Highest Level
A 98% participant satisfaction rating and a client roster spanning Google, Disney, Oracle, and McKinsey — plus the influence, energy and AI curriculum Marriott commissioned for Marriott Exchange 2026. Whether the room holds fifteen people or three hundred, the standard is the same.

“I was challenged to bring a performance management program to over 300, globally dispersed managers. Our managers were effective at leading for technical results but needed to accelerate their transformation as people leaders.

Axe & Arrow hit the right note across a diverse level of needs. They used surveys, interviews and a pilot to create a highly engaging, rapid, applied learning program to meet our leaders where they most needed help. This enabled them to apply their new skills immediately back on the job.

Over the course of one year, Axe & Arrow elevated the quality of four key performance conversations with 300 of our managers across the globe. Now our leaders are having more frequent and meaningful performance and career conversations and are receiving higher engagement ratings from our employees.

Axe & Arrow Coaching has produced lasting results for my organization. They continually provide fresh ideas in the most current leadership practices. They also vastly increased the confidence of our managers and helped us scale our programs quickly. If you are looking for a world-class learning partner that takes time to understand your needs then you have found them."

Julie Hasset, VP, Chief of Staff, SaaS Engineering, Oracle