Co. Defined

Founder

When a company's leadership reimagines the long-term vision by reframing its perspective and how it can influence the future, the company, its employees and its clients can triumph in an ever-changing world.

I thrive on working with leadership teams to solve the challenges that broaden horizons and transform people and companies for the better. 

I focus on guiding the creation of internal development strategies that work to build a strong brand position, identity and culture directly related to the company's business strategy. 

These strategies serve as an organizational principle to: 

-Drive growth and create coherent signals that turn into exceptional experience, value perception, and genuine authentic relevance.

-Assure the business through sustained and supported knowledge sharing.

-Unify the company and its clients through a clear purpose and vision. 

-Activate an inspiring company culture that is a business advantage to attract and retain talent.

Internal Development Consultant

Andersen in Switzerland

Andersen in Switzerland is an independent tax firm with a worldwide presence through the member and collaborating firms comprising Andersen Global.

My role as Communications Manager overlaps with that of a Client Relationship Manager and I am chiefly responsible for maintaining solid internal partnerships to lead strategic communications that meet business goals; and building the positive and productive internal organisation relationships necessary for business growth. My success in the role is demonstrated by my strong, continuous track record of meeting business needs through proposing and customising existing business communication practices; and of managing and identifying key communication initiatives closely aligned with business strategy and goals.

Additional Responsibilities

• Developing an understanding of both client needs and short- and long-term departmental goals and planned initiatives.

• Scheduling regular internal meetings and discussions, and proposing initiatives to strengthen client relationships, communications and business objectives.

• Providing Partner support and handling business communications effectively and discussing business needs with Managing Partners and collaborating with internal teams to address internal and external needs.

• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge about Swiss and International service lines and ensuring the firm and employees adhere to global brand guidelines.

• Acting as a point of contact for complaints, and escalating issues with Managing Partners as appropriate.

Additional Achievements

• Ensured the timely and accurate handling of requests and addressed identified concerns promptly and professionally.

• Recommended new ideas and initiatives based on research.

• Informed internal and external stakeholders about Swiss, European and global organisation updates, guidelines, policies and procedures.

• Developed and proposed new strategies to improve client satisfaction.

Communications Manager

Assistant to the Partners

ScuoLaLingua Sagl

Offering Professional Business English Support, I was primarily responsible for assisting professionals and high-level executives with communication and documentation for business English needs.

Business English Support

Hirslanden Klinik

The Klinik Hirslanden is a modern, private clinic in Zurich which belongs to Hirslanden, the leading private clinic group in Switzerland.

In this role, I was responsible for a team of Radiation Therapists in the areas of treatment planning and simulation; and engaged with all areas of clinical practice including the review, creation and implementation of strategy and protocols at a high level.

Advanced skills in the area of team and knowledge development strategies have been the greatest asset having being heavily involved in advancing the training of staff and students.

Radiation Therapist

Kantonsspital Winterthur

Kantonsspital Winterthur is a hospital and health care company located in Winterthur, Switzerland.

In addition to the standard areas of clinical practice, at this institution I was strongly involved in Quality Assurance and the development of team and knowledge strategies in practical application of new technologies.

Mater Radiation Oncology

The Mater Hospital is an international leader in patient care.

In a Senior Radiation Therapist role, I oversaw Quality Assurance roles for patient planning and treatment, as well as engaged with all areas of clinical practice pertaining to Radiation Therapy. As the Clinical Educator, I developed team and knowledge strategies to support real-time training to colleagues in the clinical setting. Particular interest in creating supported knowledge harmony in the areas of patient care and well-being as well as staff education were motivation to initiate, develop and implement 3 major programs; 

• PartiKidz- a program for pediatric patients, their families and treating staff. 
• Patient Information & Education- a face-to-face and interactive program for patients and their families. 
• Manual Handling & OHS- a program for staff education and assessment.

Radiation Therapist and Clinical Educator

How often do you wonder why leading with humanity at work goes unnoticed?

You hold your team together, care deeply, and give your best. 

Yet your impact is easy to miss in a world that rewards something else.

You are not imagining it.

Most workplaces simply are not built for human-first leadership, even though it is needed more than ever.


I know what it means to want more “human” at work while juggling real life and leading in a way that feels right.

I moved from working in oncology, where being human was the norm, into corporate, where it is rare. And as a mum to a five-year-old with autism, I live this commitment every day.


You do not have to toughen up or become someone else to be recognized.

You deserve to have your way of leading valued and supported, without burning out, without asking permission.

You also deserve a safe community to share and grow. That is exactly what I have built and continue to build for leaders like you. 

It is a zero-noise community for human-first leaders who are done being overlooked.

If you want your impact to be visible, your well-being to come first, and your leadership to create real results, I can help.


Here is how I help individual leaders like you:

- Translate your invisible work into business language and metrics others understand

- Provide practical tools to help you capture, share, and advocate for your real wins

- Support your well-being and growth, with steps that fit your life and energy


If you are ready to stop being overlooked and want practical, private support from someone who truly gets it, I invite you to connect.

Send me a DM with the word "UNIFIED" to start a real conversation about making your impact visible and your leadership sustainable. 

No permission needed. This is a space dedicated to your personal growth and well-being as a human-first leader.

Laurie Banfi

I stopped defending caring as "the right thing."

I accepted it without apology as who I am.

And the relief was immediate.


I'd been exhausting myself building cases.
Justifying every empathetic decision.
Apologizing for prioritizing people.

Always trying to prove caring had business value.

I was defending caring as right instead of translating it into results they could see.


Then I just... stopped arguing morality.

I accepted: I'm a caring leader.

I started showing the real results instead.


→ That's when my confidence shone.
→ That's when my clarity returned.
→ That's when I refused to accept anything less.


I made caring decisions without preamble.

Adjusted workloads when I saw burnout coming.

Protected boundaries without explanation.

Not because I convinced anyone.

Because I knew it was right. For me.


Here's what shifted:

When I stopped defending, 
↳ I relaxed.

When I led with inner confidence,
↳What mattered to me followed.

When I trusted myself,
↳ I started growing again. The way I wanted to.

The ROI appeared when I stopped trying to prove it.


Three steps that take guts at first, but you'll be so glad you did!:

1️⃣ Name it out loud: "I'm a caring leader."
Make it your daily mantra. Say it until you believe it.

2️⃣ Make one decision this week from that place.
No justification. No case-building. Just decide.

3️⃣ Notice what happens when you stop apologizing.
Track it. Your confidence changes everything.


Self-acceptance as a human leader where your inner power lives.


What would you do differently if you fully accepted your caring leadership style?


♻️ Repost for the leader done defending who they are.

💾 Save for when doubt creeps back in.

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for leadership grounded in self-acceptance, not approval.

I help human-first corporate leaders who are quietly cracking end the recognition gap | Build proof of your impact, advocate without exhaustion & decide (stay/grow/go) with peace | Oncology-trained. Corporate-tested.

What happens when you're building trust in a culture that only rewards charisma?


You become invisible to the people making decisions.

I've navigated this for years in corporate.

And like the leaders I work with, I've learned:
↳This is where translation actually matters.


1️⃣ First you watch charisma win.

→ The flashy leader gets included.
→ The loud voice gets the promotion.
→ How do I compete with that?

2️⃣ Then you realize you're building something different.

→ They come to me when things are actually broken.
→ My team tells me the truth, not what I want to hear.
→ Wait, isn't trust more valuable than performance?

At this point, some leaders accept being undervalued.
If not...

3️⃣ Then you think trust should speak for itself.

→ My work is solid.
→ My team would walk through fire for me.
→ Why do I need to explain this?

4️⃣ Finally, you realize translation gives YOU clarity.

→ "Strong team relationships" feels vague even to me.
→ "Team delivered €2M project ahead of time with zero escalations" 
→ Now I can see my own strategic value.
→ Translation isn't for them. It's for me to accept what I'm actually doing is valuable.


And on the other side, here's what happens to you:

✅ You finally stop fighting yourself.

The relief is real. You accept quiet isn't broken. It's strategic.

Your confidence returns because you're not performing anymore.

✅ You reconnect with who you were before loud culture told you to change.

That leader is still there.

Still effective. Still building trust. Still you.

✅ You start growing again. The way you want to.

Not louder. Not performing.

Just leading from who you actually are with clarity about why it works.


Yes, translation feels completely uncomfortable at first.


But the human-first leaders I work with all say the same thing:

"Once I accepted quiet as strategic instead of their definition of broken, my confidence returned. That's when I started growing again. My way."


Which stage are you in right now?


♻️ Repost for the quiet leader navigating loud culture.

💾 Save for when trust feels invisible to decision-makers.

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for strategies that translate authentic leadership into recognition.

You hit the targets. 
You deliver above expectation.
You lead for your people, first.

Everything to be proud of.

So why does it feel meaningless?


I've been talking about this with several clients recently.

The pattern is eerily consistent:

→ They spent years putting the business first.
→ Doing what was right. For people. For the company.
→ Delivered the holy grail. The strategic milestone the exec team desperately needed.

And then... Absolutely nothing.

The business got the win.

And they're left. Empty. In a void of nothingness.

With this quiet panic: 

"If THIS wasn't enough, what will be?"



Here's what they finally understood:

The depletion isn't from the work itself.

It's from pouring everything into building success that the business couldn't even see - even as they benefited from it.

↳ They got their strategic outcome.
↳ They moved forward with what you built.
↳ They didn't understand the magnitude. Or value what made it possible.


And that realization? It's a blow.


It's time to get clear on what success means to YOU.

Here's the steps I took to find that clarity:


1️⃣ Name one achievement that left you feeling empty.

The strategic milestone. The crisis you solved. The outcome they needed.

Write it down. 

Let yourself feel the disappointment honestly.


2️⃣ Ask: Who was I building this for?

The exec team? The business strategy? The outcome everyone needed but no one saw?

The answer shows you where the misalignment lives. Not where you've failed.

This is the clarity that lets you choose differently going forward.


3️⃣ Identify what you were hoping this would give you.

Recognition? Visibility? Proof that your work matters at that level?

That's your real need underneath. Name it clearly.


4️⃣ Define what would feel meaningful if it was just for you.

Not impressive to leadership. Not strategic for the business. Just true.

What would you build, learn, or become? Start there.


5️⃣ Reflect: What has this taught you about YOUR version of success?

What does the nothingness reveal about what you actually need?

What can you learn right where you are about redefining what matters to you?

Let the answers guide what comes next.



My experience is:

Your spark doesn't come back by achieving more for them.

It comes back when your version of success gets a seat at the table too.



What would success look like if it only had to matter to you?



♻️ Repost for the human-first leader ready to redefine success.

💾 Save this before you chase another win that isn't yours.

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for honest conversations about leading on your terms.

Manager asks "What did you accomplish this week?"

Blank stare. Complete silence.


This is what I call Achievement Amnesia.

It happens to human-first leaders constantly.


Monday: You prevented a team crisis.

Tuesday: You coached someone through a breakdown.

Wednesday: You restructured priorities to support the business strategy pivot.

Friday when someone asks what you did? 

Nothing. 
Blank.


Your brain literally can't retrieve wins when you're focused on everyone else's progress.


What changed everything for me: 

My 10-Minute Weekly Win List.

Not for performance reviews.

Not for LinkedIn bragging.

For training your brain to notice and value my work while it's happening.


Here's my practice:

Every Friday at 3pm (before weekend mode kicks in), I open one doc and write:

1️⃣ What I solved (not just completed - what actually got fixed)

2️⃣ Who I supported (specific names, specific moments)

3️⃣ What I prevented (the crises that didn't happen)

Three categories. Three minutes each.

No filter. No polish. Just capture.


The shift isn't about documentation.

It's about rewiring your brain to register your impact as it happens.


My client did this for one month, and when asked what she'd achieved:

She didn't freeze.
She didn't minimize.
She didn't say "just keeping things moving."

She had actual examples. 

In 10 seconds, not 10 hours of memory excavation.

Best of all, she experienced sheer relief.


That's not arrogance.

That's refusing to let your work disappear into the daily blur just because you're too busy caring about everyone else's wins to notice your own.

Your brain needs weekly proof that what you do matters.

Otherwise, it stops registering it entirely.


Take away: 
You can't advocate for work your brain has already forgotten existed.

Will you try it?


♻️ Repost for the leader who goes blank when asked about their achievements.

💾 Save this for Fridays at 3pm 

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for practical ways to make your invisible work visible without changing who you are.

Every no came with three days of guilt.

That's not boundaries. That's exhaustion.

I'd set the boundary.

Then spend the next three days second-guessing myself.

Did I say it wrong?
Are they upset?
Should I have just said yes?


Here's what I finally understood:

Grace isn't about how you deliver the no.

It's giving yourself permission to move on after.

Without grace, my no became:
↳ Three days of mental rehearsal
↳ Checking Slack to see if they're cold
↳ Pre-emptive explanations in the hallway
↳ Sunday night spiral about whether I damaged the relationship

With grace, my no became:
→ Clear decision made
→ Clean conscience after
→ Full capacity preserved
→ Able to show up fully engaged for what I said yes to


The leaders I work with don't struggle to say no.

They struggle to stop carrying it.

That's what grace solves.


2 simple steps that makes it possible:

1️⃣ Name what you're protecting (not what you're declining)

Without it: "I can't. I'm just really busy right now."
(Vague. Feels apologetic. You'll question it for days.)

With it: "I can't. I'm protecting my capacity for the board papers due Friday."
(Specific. You know why. Clean conscience.)

When you're clear on what you're saying yes to, the no stops feeling guilty.


2️⃣ Close the loop in one sentence

Without it: "I can't right now, but maybe we can revisit?"
(Dangling. They'll follow up. You'll feel guilty saying no again.)

With it: "I can't. Talk to John. He's got context on this."
(Done. They have next step. You can move on.)

Open-ended nos create open-ended guilt.


Notice this:

They're not perfect words.

They're not conflict-free delivery.

But they do give you the ability to say no and actually have it work: 

✅ To protect capacity without paying for it in guilt.

Because a no that leaves you depleted with second-guessing didn't actually save you anything.


What helps you move on after saying no?


♻️ Repost for the leader who says no but can't stop thinking about it

💾 Save for the next time you need permission to move on

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for honest talk about protecting capacity that actually works.

Everyone's saying "people-first" now.

But if you're actually living it, you know.


The difference between saying it and living it:

Saying it gets you likes.

Living it gets you questioned.

Every budget conversation.

Every time you defend why development matters.

Every decision that prioritizes long-term people over short-term numbers.


That's not a hashtag.

That's genuine daily leadership.


And here's what matters:

The phrase became popular because it works.

And it works because leaders like you have been living it.
↳ Before it had a "name".


You already knew that investing in your team wasn't optional.

That retention starts with relationships.

That people do their best work when they're not just surviving.


The phrase caught up to what you've been doing all along.

That's not luck. That's leadership.


Thank you for your courage.


♻️ Repost for the leaders who were people-first before it was trending.

🔔 Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for more on human-first leadership.

You have all the data you need.

So why can't you decide?


It was a struggle I had for the longest time. 

Now:

Every Saturday, before I check my phone, 

I do what I call my Emotion Inventory.

Not just for big decisions. 

For whatever's been circling in my head all week.


Here's what it looks like:

→ Pick the thing that won't leave you alone.

→ Write down the options you're considering.

→ Then for each one, name the specific emotion.

Not "good" or "bad."

Actual words. Relief. Resentment. Excitement. Dread.


Because my body already knows something my spreadsheet doesn't.

This practice doesn't tell me what to decide.

It tells me what I'm actually deciding between.


Last month, I was circling decision for three weeks. 

Had all the data. Still felt unclear.

Saturday mornings. Named the emotions.

Option A: Relief
Option B: Anxiety and excitement

That's how I could see the pattern.

More importantly, I got really comfortable with it.


I wasn't choosing between two paths.

I was choosing between staying comfortable and taking a risk.


For me personally:

Clarity doesn't come from more information.

It comes from my emotional precision.


What decision has been circling in your head this week?

Try this!


♻️ Repost for the leader who needs this Saturday reminder.

💾 Save for next Saturday morning.

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for strategies that help you lead with clarity and confidence.

Your logic comes across hard and they can't hear you.

Hard to admit? - I know.


Here is the paradox I found myself in: 

Because you care, you want to fix it. 

So you bring the data, the plan, and the solution immediately.

And in return? 
→ You get the polite nod. 
→ Zero real acknowledgement. 
→ Zero forward movement.

It's a never ending exhaustion when it feels like you're speaking a different language.

And it's echoed by so many human-first leaders I talk to.


But neuroscience tells us that when your approach makes someone feel uneasy, their brain enters "threat mode." 

Logic bounces right off a threatened brain.

And by "uneasy" I don't mean you are an authoritarian pushing your approach.

I mean you are excellent at what you do. 

To you, their path is clear. 

But for them, they're surrounded by fog.


Here is what I learned working in Oncology about getting your thoughts across:

You don't need better arguments. 

You need to help their nervous system stand down so they can actually hear you.


My Attunement Toolkit to shift from "fixing" to "connecting" (so you can finally move forward):


3  simple scripts to "unlock" a stuck conversation today:

1️⃣ When they are venting/overwhelmed: 

Instead of: "Let's work out a prioritized list to help you." 

Try: "I can hear how heavy this workload feels right now. Before we solve it, what is the one thing causing the most noise for you?"


2️⃣ When they are resisting a change: 

Instead of: "Here are the reasons I've accepted this strategy is good for our team." 

Try: "I know this timeline shift is frustrating. It sounds like you’re worried about quality dropping. Is that right?" (Watch them exhale when you name their fear).


3️⃣ When the conversation is going in circles: 

Instead of: Re-explaining your point again. 

Try: "I feel like we are missing each other here. Let me pause. What is the most important part of this for you that I haven't acknowledged yet?"


Why this works: 

You aren't agreeing with them. 

You aren't caving in. 

You are signaling safety.

Once the brain feels safe (Attunement), 
the logic centers come back online (Solution).


My Formula: 

Safety first. Strategy second.

The Golden Rule: 

Spend the first 2 minutes validating the experience, so you don't spend the next 30 minutes arguing the facts.

Why? 

If you skip the first step, the second step will always feel like a battle.


Which of these scripts do you need most right now?


♻️ Repost to save a fellow leader from circular arguments. 

💾 Save this for your next high-stakes meeting. 

🔔 Human-First Leaders: Connect and Follow me, Laurie Banfi, for practical ways to lead without the burnout.

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