Northstarr Strategies

09/04/2026

09/03/2026

Quick truth for leadership teams: delegation isn't dropping a task on someone's desk — it's handing off ownership, context, and trust all at once.

Our leadership and project consultancy work often starts right here.

What's one thing you could hand off fully this week?

09/02/2026

09/01/2026

We had a wonderful and meaningful retreat with the thoughtful, engaged board of the Indianapolis Propylaeum.

There is something powerful about stepping outside the structure of a regular board meeting and creating space to pause, reconnect and renew focus.

We love working with boards to facilitate the conversations that strengthen relationships, bring priorities into focus, and help organizations move forward with greater clarity and purpose.

Thank you to the Indianapolis Propylaeum for inviting us into this important work!

08/31/2026

One of the sweetest parts of being working moms is when our professional and personal worlds get to collide. 💛

We were in Greencastle leading a strategy session for a client, and the timing worked out perfectly for lunch with Dana’s son, PJ, who is a freshman at DePauw University.

We love the work we get to do, but moments like this remind us that sometimes the best part of the workday is not on the agenda.

08/28/2026

08/27/2026

Ever wonder what actually makes a business partnership work?

It's not the friendship. It's not the shared history. It's what's underneath both of those things.

In Andrea's latest blog post, she shares what she’s learned from more than two decades of friendship and several seasons of working alongside Dana, from the Indiana University Foundation to Franklin College to Northstarr Strategies.

Read it here: https://www.northstarrstrategies.com/choosing-the-right-business-partner-look-beyond-the-friendship/

08/26/2026

We have always loved this Dolly Parton quote:

“If you don’t like the road you’re walking, start paving another one.”

As we mourn Dolly’s passing, we are thinking about the wisdom and courage she shared throughout her life.

Sometimes you reach a point when you realize the road you are on is no longer taking you where you want to go.

Dolly was such a wonderful example of what it looks like to keep evolving. Throughout her career, she dreamed bigger, tried new things, built businesses, took risks and reinvented herself without ever losing sight of who she was.

Northstarr exists because we both reached moments in our lives when we were ready to imagine a different road. We know how much courage it can take to choose something new, especially when the road you are already on looks perfectly good to everyone else.

You do not have to stay on a road simply because you have spent a long time walking it.

You can change direction. You can dream again. You can build something new.

You can even pave the road yourself.

Thank you, Dolly, for showing us how. ❤️

Dana & Andrea

08/25/2026

Strategic planning starts long before goals are written or action steps are assigned. It begins by bringing people together, building excitement around what is possible, and creating a shared understanding of the process ahead.

Northstarr Strategies recently had the opportunity to facilitate a kickoff session with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Bloomington as they begin developing their next strategic plan.

We spent the evening reflecting on the organization’s story, inspiring big-picture thinking, and preparing the group for the important work ahead..

There is something powerful about a room full of people who care deeply about an organization and are ready to help shape its future.

We are grateful to be guiding the conversation—and excited to see where it leads.