Brightwood Consulting
Strategic Thinking & Insights for CEOs, Directors, and Team Leads.
Get the insights that move your mission forward.
About Us
Partnering directly with C-suite and senior leadership to turn team stories into strategy.Based in the small, Northwest neighborhood of Washington, D.C., Brightwood Consulting is a firm specializing in strategy, innovation, and team effectiveness. Leveraging a unique background in oral history, anthropology, and innovation consulting, we provide businesses, nonprofits, and social enterprises with deep qualitative insights, ethnographic research, and storytelling-driven strategies to create meaningful change. Learn more about our work and who we serve.Our human-centered approach helps organizations better understand their stakeholders, enhance collaboration, and foster innovation through experiential facilitation and tailored interventions.Learn more about our Founder, Desmond Austin-Miller.
About Our Founder
Desmond Austin-Miller is a Washington, D.C. native and the founder of Brightwood Consulting. He holds a B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from Lafayette College and an M.A. in Oral History from Columbia University — an academic foundation that shaped his human-centered approach to strategy, research, and innovation.Desmond began his consulting career at Deloitte's
Greenhouse, where he designed and facilitated immersive working sessions for Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies. He later joined the law firm Reed Smith in an innovation strategy role, helping to modernize the firm’s operations and develop forward-looking solutions for legal professionals and their clients.After years working at the intersection of innovation, storytelling, and human-centered design, Desmond launched Brightwood Consulting to help organizations uncover the insights, experiences, and aspirations that drive breakthrough strategies and lasting growth.Desmond continues to live and work in Washington, D.C., drawing inspiration from the neighborhood he grew up in — Brightwood — and from the belief that real change starts with deep listening.
What We Do
As our company grows, so will our services-- and we want you to help us shape them! Click here to take a 2-minute survey that will assess your team's readiness and register your interest in our services.Here's what we're currently offering:
I. Rapid Insights Package
🞜For education orgs gathering voices across departments to inform planning.🞜
A fast, focused research sprint designed to uncover the key narratives, patterns, and themes within your team or organization. Through interviews and light-touch analysis, we deliver actionable insights you can use immediately to shape strategy, culture, or change efforts. Ideal for teams looking to make informed decisions without months of planning.What you'll walk away with:
• A prioritized list of 5–7 clear opportunities
• A one-page Insights Summary you can share with your team
• A 60-minute action-planning workshop
II. Experiential Strategy Labs
🞜For professional services firms designing new offerings or ways of working.🞜
A collaborative workshop experience that blends qualitative insights with creative facilitation. We help you turn real stories, needs, and aspirations into strategic clarity. These labs are perfect for aligning leadership teams, designing new initiatives, or rethinking how your organization works and grows.What you'll walk away with:
• Much-needed collaborative and social time with your team, especially in today's virtual environment
• A clear, achievable target future state
• An executive summary deck to share with stakeholders
III. Pulse + Progress Check-Ins
🞜For teams rolling out change and needing recurring feedback from the ground.🞜
For clients seeking ongoing support, this service provides a lightweight rhythm of check-ins to track change over time. We gather feedback through interviews or listening sessions, analyze what’s shifting, and advise on next steps. It’s ideal for initiatives that need sustained momentum and real-time learning.What you'll walk away with:
• A recurring snapshot of how your team or stakeholders are responding to change
• A simple Insights Memo after each check-in round, highlighting risks, needs, and momentum
• Recommended micro-adjustments you can act on between big strategy moments
Who We Serve
We partner with mission-driven organizations, ambitious teams, and values-oriented leaders who are navigating moments of growth, change, or creative challenge. We’re a great fit for teams who care deeply about how they work — and want thoughtful support to move forward with clarity and confidence.We specialize in working with:💼 Professional Services Firms
Law firms, consultancies, design studios, and other people-centered businesses who are evolving how they collaborate, lead, and serve their clients.🎓 Education & Workforce Organizations
K–12 schools, higher education institutions, and workforce development programs looking to align teams, better understand students or stakeholders, or improve internal strategy.📢 Advocacy & Policy Nonprofits
Civic and community organizations working in areas like housing, environmental justice, voting rights, or public policy who need to connect deeply with their constituents and align diverse voices.🎭 Arts, Culture & Storytelling Institutions
Museums, theaters, media platforms, and community arts nonprofits defining their narrative, designing more inclusive programming, or engaging diverse audiences.🏥 Public Health & Human Services Agencies
Teams working in care delivery, health equity, or human services who need research, facilitation, and strategy tools grounded in lived experience and stakeholder insight.🚀 Mission-Aligned Startups & Social Enterprises
Founders and early-stage teams building businesses rooted in values — especially in education, technology, storytelling, or social impact — who need smart, insight-driven support to grow with purpose.
📘 What We Mean By...
💡Innovation
Not just tech or invention — innovation here means finding smarter, human-centered ways of working. We help teams unlock new approaches to strategy, collaboration, and growth using insight and creativity.🔍 Qualitative Insights
These are the stories, themes, and patterns we surface through interviews, observation, and open-ended conversations. Unlike surveys or dashboards, qualitative insights tell you why things are happening — and what to do next.📝 Ethnographic Research
A method borrowed from anthropology. We study how people behave and make decisions in real work environments — uncovering tensions, habits, and opportunities that often go unnoticed.📖 Story-Driven Strategy
We use real stories and lived experiences as the foundation for building strategy. It’s not fluff — it’s a way to make decisions that are grounded in what people actually care about and how they work.🧪 Lab
A Lab is a facilitated, high-engagement session where teams come together to explore a challenge, make decisions, or design solutions. Unlike a typical meeting, a Lab is structured for creativity, alignment, and momentum — with clear outcomes by the end.⚡ Rapid Engagement
Quick, focused consulting projects (usually 3–6 weeks) designed to deliver value fast — without long timelines or bloated budgets. Ideal for teams that need clarity now, not next quarter.
Thank You!
We'll get back to you soon.