Today we’d like to introduce you to Summer Alexander.
Hi Summer, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I began my career at a global telecommunications company, where I worked in a technical role for several years. Like many people early in their careers, I assumed stability was a given until I was downsized. That experience forced my first major pivot and pushed me to rethink how I wanted to build my career.
I returned to school to study marketing and went on to work closely with a small business owner. For a few years, I was deeply involved in helping grow the business, only to find myself facing unexpected change again when the owner passed away before the business could be transitioned. For the second time, I was suddenly unemployed.
That moment became a turning point. I realized the skills and experience I had gained supporting leaders, building strategy, and helping organizations grow were just as valuable to small businesses and leaders as they were to large corporations. Instead of waiting for the next opportunity, I decided to create my own.
This year, I celebrate 15 years in business. Over time, my work has evolved and sharpened, ultimately landing in leadership development training and coaching. I’ve had the opportunity to work both inside global technology organizations and through my own firm, partnering with leaders who want to communicate clearly, lead with confidence, and navigate change effectively.
What began as a response to unexpected setbacks has become a career rooted in helping leaders grow, adapt, and lead with intention.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Entrepreneurship has not been a smooth road, and I often describe it as the greatest personal development journey you can go on. Running your own business forces you to confront yourself and assess your resilience, courage, and ability to get back up after setbacks. I have faced many along the way.
About seven years into running my business full-time, things were finally well established. I had a strong client base and was deeply embedded in education, government and organizational programs in Chicago, where I’m originally from. Then my family made the decision to relocate to Dallas. We arrived with no existing network – no clients, no professional connections, no family nearby and overnight, my business essentially had to start from scratch.
That transition required difficult choices. I returned to working within an organization to create financial stability while simultaneously rebuilding my business in a new city. It was a humbling reset, but also a necessary one.
Like many business owners, I also navigated the challenges brought on by COVID. The pandemic fundamentally shifted how organizations approached learning and development, accelerating the move to virtual work. While I had been facilitating virtually for years, many of the organizations I partnered with had to quickly build new systems, infrastructure, and comfort with that format. Adapting alongside them required agility, patience, and a willingness to pivot sometimes with very little notice.
What these challenges have taught me is that success in entrepreneurship requires resilience, adaptability, and a deep connection to your purpose. Staying grounded in why I do this work and in the impact it has on the people I serve is what allows me to navigate obstacles and keep moving forward, even when the path isn’t clear.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
My business focuses on leadership development training and coaching, with a strong emphasis on how leaders communicate, influence, and show up in the moments that matter most. I work with leaders in global organizations and through my own firm, helping them build confidence and credibility in their day-to-day work.
What I’m best known for is helping leaders strengthen their public speaking as a core leadership skill, not just a performance skill. This includes everyday moments at work, such as leading meetings, delivering updates, presenting to executives, navigating high-stakes conversations, and speaking when the pressure is on. My approach goes beyond polish or presentation tips. I focus on helping leaders ground their voice in their expertise, think strategically about what they’re communicating, and speak in ways that drive understanding, alignment, and action.
What sets my work apart is that it’s deeply rooted in real leadership experience, adult learning principles, and human-centered design. I don’t teach formulas that sound good but fall apart in real life. Everything I do is practical, adaptable, and designed to work in complex, fast-moving environments where leaders don’t always have full authority but still need to influence outcomes.
Brand-wise, I’m most proud of the trust leaders place in my work. My clients don’t come to me to become louder or more performative; they come to communicate with intention and credibility. Whether through coaching, leadership development programs, or training, my goal is to help leaders use their voice as a tool for influence, power, and positive change.
Personally, I’m most proud of the work I’ve done on a global scale. I come from a small city in the south suburbs of Chicago and have facilitated in-person sessions for leaders as far away as Sydney, Australia, and São Paulo, Brazil. The notion that I could start a little business 15 years ago that would positively affect people around the world makes me immensely grateful.
What I want readers to know is that leadership and communication are inseparable. How you speak at work shapes how you’re perceived, how your ideas land, and ultimately, how far your leadership can go. My work exists to help leaders close that gap so their voice reflects the depth of their expertise and the impact they’re capable of making.
Any big plans?
Looking ahead, my focus is on expanding my impact while staying deeply connected to the communities I serve. I’m excited to continue growing my work on a global level, partnering with organizations and leaders across regions who are navigating change, growth, and increasingly complex leadership challenges.
At the same time, I’m intentionally re-engaging with organizations here in the Dallas–Fort Worth area. I’ve previously served in leadership roles with Women in Digital – Dallas and the Collin County Black Chamber of Commerce, and those experiences reinforced how meaningful local community work can be. I stepped back from formal involvement while completing my Master’s degree in Organizational Leadership, and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with and supporting community organizations across DFW in the year ahead.
In the future, I plan to continue expanding my coaching and leadership development offerings, creating scalable resources that allow me to reach more leaders without losing the depth and intentionality that define my work. Whether I’m working locally or globally, my goal remains the same: to help leaders communicate with clarity and confidence in the moments that shape their credibility and impact.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://summeralexander.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachsummeralexander
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/summeralexander/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@SummerJAlexander
- Other: https://simplytrainingsolutions.com/
Image Credits
All images are fully owned.
