Danny Smith

Consultant

Armakuni

Pole Star EAM

Chief Operations Officer

Oyster®

Consultant - Remote Workplace Design & People Ops

Delocate (acquired by Oyster)

Principal Consultant

RED Academy

VP Technology

Global Curriculum Director, Technology

Lead Instructor

Ada. National College for Digital Skills

Curriculum Designer & Lecturer

CharlieHR

Senior Software Engineer

Sparta Global

I wore *a lot* of hats as we grew from a 3-employee startup to 80+ folks

All Sorts

Royal Air Force Air Cadets

Adjutant, Central Training Team, HQ RAFAC

COO & Consultant | Creating high-performance remote organisations 👨‍💻🌍

I work with leaders to intentionally design remote organisations & ways of working, laying the foundations for rapid scaling, long-term organisational health, and a globally distributed workforce.

I spent 2021 at Oyster, scaling their fully-remote (globally distributed) company from 14 to 500 people (and a $1bn valuation). Which was absolutely wild.

I work mostly at the intersection of system design, human behaviour, remote work & operations. I'm convinced that knowledge work has no borders and the "remote work revolution" has the power to make the world a fairer and more equal place for everyone. Globally distributed companies are the future.  And the remote workplace should be diverse, safe & supportive for all.

I talk about "Organisational Health" a lot because healthy orgs feel calm when ploughing through unknown waters at 1000mph and can operate on the edge of chaos without being chaotic: much better for our people, and our business. Since systemic health problems have a disproportionately large effect on distributed remote teams (and quickly compound with scale), I'm on a mission to help folks be more intentional about how they design & transform remote-first orgs.

➡️ Read more on this → https://danny.is/writing/organisational-health

I love meeting new folks, so hit me up if you wanna chat 🙂☎️

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Wanna learn about remote best practices? 👇

· Oyster Reef → https://oysterhr.notion.site/Welcome-to-The-Reef-Oyster-s-Open-Source-Employee-Guide-fc482e3f107c4afd8c85ed217f1d0c1d
· Some tiny remote working tips → https://danny.is/remote

If you've read this far you *might* be interested to know...

· I've a sporadic sideline in personal coaching and team facilitation.
· I used to be a software engineer, but realised I have a much bigger impact when I help others do their thing better. And now that's my thing. (I still code, but just for fun.)
· Before that I was a blues musician. I still perform and jam lots: music has this weird ability to transcend language and cultural barriers.
· I'm a generalist. Obviously. Sorry not sorry.


In the past, my desire to "make work better for everyone" saw me doing:

· Education → curriculum design, learning design, teaching etc.
· Engineering process → DevOps, architecture etc
· Agile coaching & delivery process (SAFe still gives me nightmares).
· Design systems before they were hip.

🏡 Kim Rohrer

PeakHR

PeakHR is a cohort-based training program for the next generation of progressive HR practitioners, elevating the role by empowering the leaders and educating the broader industry. Featuring modern, practical courses from a diverse group of the industry’s leading voices, our programming is intentionally inclusive and radically authentic, creating a new opportunity for practical career education.

I do the talkie talks and the writey writes. Also big, sometimes impractical ideas. And sometimes I break the internet.

Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer

Patchwork Portfolio

Officially rebranded in 2024, Patchwork Portfolio blends progressive HR/People practices with thoughtful, compelling narratives. Community, storytelling, and action, for your company and for the world. 
Advisory | Consulting | Coaching | Content

More detail on my equity advisory work can be found in the Volunteer Experience section.

Focus areas include:
- product development and pitching (PeopleTech, FamTech, FemTech, EdTech)
- values-based company development and internal communications (workplace, culture, people practices)
- personal and executive coaching and mentorship with a side of tarot

Founder

Tremendous

Freelance Writer

TendLab

Creating a better future for working families. Transforming work culture with parenthood and building healthier companies not just for caregivers, but for everyone. We officially closed our doors in August 2024 in order to pursue other passions (and frankly, paid work).

Co-Founder

Like a Principal Engineer, but for People Stuff. 
Winner: Connected Culture + Runner Up: Caregiver Program of the Year (Transform 2023)

Principal People Partner

We're on a mission to create a more equal world by making it possible for companies everywhere to hire people anywhere. And that starts with us. At Oyster, Employee Experience is a strategic function with a seat at the table. We are designing a remote workplace for the future world of work, with inclusion and belonging at the heart of everything we build. We work collaboratively with folks from across the company to create an experience that we hope will be the best one of our teams' careers. Sound like fun? Hop aboard this rocketship! oysterhr.com/careers

Head of Employee Experience

Interim Head of People

Organization Organizers (OrgOrg)

In November 2010, I co-founded OrgOrg as a resource for Office Managers at San Francisco startups. Over the years, it has grown into a crucial community resource for people working in Office and People Operations. We have over 3,000 members, representing folks across the People Operations field at hundreds of companies across the globe. OrgOrg was historically run by an entirely part-time volunteer team, before being acquired by Eden Technologies in 2018, and then by OfficeNinjas in 2022. It is currently self-maintained by the incredible community.

OrgOrg's goal is to help people realize the potential of their roles and provide resources that will help them to be their most successful selves - we believe that working together makes us all better.

www.orgorg.co
https://www.orgorg.co/blog/big-news-from-orgorg-eden
https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/23/eden-acquires-office-managers-social-network-orgorg/

Cofounder and Equity Advisor

Stride

Built a team and ran all things people and culture. Created and implemented not just compliant policies, but also introduced livable best practices to improve internal operations and foster a values-driven culture. Laid off during covid-19 crisis RIF.

VP People

Zeta Global

After Disqus was acquired in November 2017, I focused on Business Operations for Zeta SF, specifically the Disqus Business Unit, with an emphasis on internal communication and global company integration.

Head of Business Operations for Disqus

Disqus

Joined as Office Manager in 2010. Took on HR in 2012. Lead PeopleOps since 2013. I handled all things people and culture.

VP, People and Culture

Extra Space Storage

I freelance for Extra Space Storage, writing articles about all sorts of topics.

Featured Blogger

TL;DR Passionate people person with a penchant for pursuing potential partnerships. Macgyver Yente. 
Writing at icaretoomuch.substack.com

Currently: Free agent, providing advisory and consulting services to companies and individuals. Chief Creative Officer and Cofounder at PeakHR.

Advisorly: PeopleTech Partners, Mirza, Pando, CareSprint (more information in my Volunteer Work section). 

Formerly: Oyster, Google, Pixar, Disqus, Stride, Fantasy Recording Studios, Berkeley Repertory Theater, OrgOrg, TendLab, OfficeNinjas Education, First Round Fast Track Mentor

I started out in theatre, focusing on literary management and dramaturgy (analysis, research, criticism), and eventually worked my way into the tech world. I really enjoy taking the research I have collected and finding ways to present it so that it is easily accessible, understandable, and useful to a wide variety of audiences. I have experience in collaborating and working with groups of all sizes, from a 2-person literary department staff to a team of over 200 engineers, and I've worked with diverse personality types from librarians to students to software developers to actors to rock stars to children.

I first created and led a People function at Disqus, with a focus on integrating our culture into the holistic employee experience and supporting our team through both growth and reduction, including an eventual acquisition. Most recently, I ran all things People (with a side of Operational Effectiveness) at Stride, implementing policy and practice to foster a thriving and positive culture while up-leveling our company operations. I also co-founded the Organization Organizers, a resource group for People Operations practitioners (Office Managers, Assistants, HR professionals, and other such folks) at startups. I joined TendLab as a cofounder in 2020, to further the movement to create a better future for working parents. And most recently, I spent time on scaling an incredible employee experience at Oyster during massive, global hypergrowth. 

I'm obsessed with creating new ways of doing things. I surround myself with people who are smarter than me. And I love connecting people to each other...professional-yente-style.

Specialties: organization, building community, event planning, customer relations, team building, creative problem solving, staying calm, research, collaboration, creating training guides, networking (ick), office management, proofreading/editing, overcommitting, maintaining a sense of humor

I used to do tarot readings every Tuesday. I like alliteration, so #TarotTuesday felt like a thing. But as with most traditional routines, my #ADHD brain couldn't keep it up after a few months. So I've switched it up a bit, and now I just try to do readings every week, when it feels right. The flexibility helps me return to something I enjoy without it feeling like a chore.

Anyway, today happened to be Tuesday, and I happened to have a social call with Lauren Schneider where I folded laundry and we talked about everything from our children subsisting on spite and air (and the occasional inexplicable vegetable) to authentic and relevant consumer marketing strategies for #HRTech products. 

And because we both like getting a little witchy, I drew a card. Say hello to the Five of Cups - the card that asks, "Are you focusing so much on what's not going well that you're missing the good stuff?" 

It's a pretty obvious message, not exactly a deep-thinker of a card, but sometimes the best lesson is the one you've heard a million times. 

As a perpetual optimist, I'm inclined towards hope. But times are tough right now, both in my own little world and in the world outside my front door. And I've been wallowing a bit after some tough news, so I was glad for this very simple reminder to focus on what's good.

Not just in appreciation, but in action. 

This card pushes me not only to be grateful for what I have, think of the glass half-full, etc. but to actually work on the things that are working. 

So here's to finding what *is* going right, and doing more of that, please.

🏡 Kim Rohrer (she/her)

Free agent. Strategy + Storytelling, PeopleOps + Parenting. Co-Host/Producer @ HR Confessions. Co-Founder x3. Writer, Advisor, Mama. HR Moon + Marketing Rising. ADHD/OCD.

The Five of Cups card from the Everyday Witch tarot deck shows a sad witch in a blue dress and black hat and cape, kneeling at the ocean's edge and looking at her three spilled cups of wine. Behind her is a party of a picnic, with balloons, food, and two glasses of wine next to what appears to be a full bottle. The wind blows the balloons and the trees, and her calico cat looks on from atop the table.

You've done it again, Courtney Pitts Mattern ✨ 

📣 McKinsey’s “Women in the Workplace” study found women are described as “resilient” and “adaptable” far more often than “innovative” or “decisive”. Those traits sound flattering. But, according to the study, they don’t correlate with promotions nor raises. 📣

AI could never. | Marketing with guts @ Franchise Sidekick.

View Courtney Pitts Mattern ✨’s profile

Men disrupt. Women adjust.
3 hours into a tattoo session, my artist clocked it. 

“We’re dangerously adaptable,” she said.

Dangerous to the system. 
Dangerous to expectations.
But also … too often … dangerous to ourselves.

She would know.

A former stay-at-home mom who picked up tattooing just a few years ago, she’s rebuilt a whole life with her hands. I’ve spent 40+ hours in her chair, which is long enough for small talk to evolve into full-fledged philosophy.

Last week, to the hum of her needle, we talked about motherhood, work and all the ways women become experts at surviving their environments.

She told me about the years she stayed in bad situations because she could handle it. Because she could adjust. Because she could adapt.

I thought about how many times I’ve done the same professionally.

How I’ve adapted to low budgets.
To bad bosses. To broken systems and brilliant jerks.
I’ve adapted so well I could’ve written the manual:
“How to survive dysfunction with a smile.”

I’m constantly praised for being the bamboo in the wind. The rock in the stream. The one who "knows how to pick her battles."

“Easy to work with.”
“Resilient.”
“Agreeable.”

A manager once applauded my transformation from rigid to flexible – as if my career were a balloon animal.

I know they meant it as a compliment.
I ate it up. The gold stars. The approval. 
The quiet nods in meetings that said, “she’s got this.” 

But lately, I’ve started to wonder …
what if this label isn’t doing us any favors?

McKinsey’s “Women in the Workplace” study found women are described as “resilient” and “adaptable” far more often than “innovative” or “decisive”. Those traits sound flattering. But, according to the study, they don’t correlate with promotions nor raises. 

Men get decisive.
Men get visionary.
We get the verbs that keep the lights on.
They get the ones that change the room.

Adaptability only leads to endurance. 
And endurance is NOT growth.

When you can survive anything, you start to believe you should.

That’s the danger. The same adaptability that makes women unstoppable in crisis can also keep us stuck in places that don’t deserve us. We become fluent in compromise. Professionals at shrinking to fit.

It’s how we “make it work” until we realize making it work has been working against us.

So, at the encouragement of my tattoo artist – not a therapist, but close – I’m asking myself before I fold:

 👉 Am I adapting because it helps me grow, or because it helps others stay comfortable?

 👉 Am I being flexible, or am I being erased?

Adaptability is a superpower only when it’s a choice. Otherwise, it becomes endurance in disguise -- and there’s nothing empowering about surviving what you were never meant to tolerate.

taplio

The Battle

Danny Smith

🏡 Kim Rohrer

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🏡 Kim Rohrer

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