Jan Sugar helps senior leaders communicate with authority, listen with precision, and lead with a voice that's unmistakably theirs.
A new vice president at a major healthcare company was asked to present his work to the executive team. He had everything he thought he needed — the slides (75 or so with 15 bullet points on each), the data, the results, the team. What he didn't have was a way to make any of it matter to the people in the room.
He bombed.
His leadership worried about him and brought me in to help him find his voice and ability to tell a story without losing his authority. In this voice, he was understandable, trustworthy, and someone people felt lucky to call their leader.
The new CEO and COO started seeking his counsel. His relationships with peers flourished. His ideas spread across the organization.
That is what I do.
I see in senior leaders what they can't see in themselves. I work with them on the things that matter most — the high stakes presentation, the keynote, the ability to repair when things have gone sideways — the communication up and down — from the Board to everyday conversations with all levels of team.
My client became a speaker. And masterful in the rooms he needed to win whether speaking to one person across a table or one thousand people from a stage.
How do we do that together?
Through storytelling. Through strategic communication. Through the insight of someone who understands that communication done well is both career changing and life changing. Through modern frameworks I created and ones that are 2000 years old — Aristotle was a genius.
We do it, too, through the kind of deep, exquisite listening that changes conversations and nurtures trust because your people feel heard. And that's not only in the workplace, but everywhere.
One of the tools I bring to this work is G.R.A.C.E. — A Radical Listening Manifesto.
It's a simple, practical framework for leaders who want to listen like every person counts.
“Working with Jan, I had a real sense of being deeply listened to. She made connections across my stories that I couldn’t see and offered them back to me more beautifully. What she does is a kind of unlayering. She knew my story was there and found it — something that no one had ever done. I came away with a much clearer sense of what I do and why it matters, and a new way of seeing myself. She put all the disparate pieces together and created a coherent story. Nobody else does what Jan does. She is truly one of a kind.”
Political Ecologist
The Netherlands
“Jan helped me find a narrative I didn’t know I had. Working with Sugar Ink has become critical to my confidence and my leadership with other doctors. I have never experienced or witnessed anyone who listens as profoundly or understands as deeply as Jan Sugar.”
Neurologist
University of Chicago Hospitals
“I want to hug my words. I never thought I could speak like this.”
Co-Founder and Brand Ambassador
Allen Global Companies
Data Solutions Delivery Analyst
Unite US
Recorded after Leadership Communication Workshop with Jan
“My company landed the biggest contract in its history because of Jan Sugar’s work
with my most talented content matter expert who could not talk to people. Our company would no longer exist had she not worked with us to change the way we talk to our clients, vendors and each other.”
CEO
Award-winning lighting design firm
“Jan you are a gem. Our closest folks don't always know how to respond to feelings of distress. It's always easier to respond with hindsight and time than in the moment. Thank you, I appreciate and love you immensely.”
Talent Acquisition Partner
GE Healthcare
“Jan is the rare speaker who completely engages with her audience with an authentic presentation of intriguing and valuable concepts,
conveyed in a profoundly engaging manner. She excels, too, at the difficult conversations we all need to have.”
VP, Private Banking Compliance
BMO Harris Bank
“Jan is a ROCK STAR and my HERO. I was at a point of finalizing my message for a project and no matter how many times I worked it, something was missing. If you need someone who really sees your story, Jan is your expert.”
Cybersecurity Specialist
Jan Sugar, M.Ed. is the founder of Sugar Ink, a boutique communications firm and trusted advisor to senior leaders navigating communication that connects.
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