About Aligned
Inner state shapes outer result.
Aligned is a human systems transformation company. We work with founder-led companies at the place where leadership, culture, and operations meet — starting with the person at the center.
Aligned is a human systems transformation company. We work with founder-led companies at the place where leadership, culture, and operations meet — starting with the person at the center.
The first is Operating Systems — structure, process, strategy, execution. Many companies have this handled. The second is Human Systems — how people lead, relate, decide, and grow together. The third, and the one almost no one has handled at depth, is Energy Systems: the self-awareness, beliefs, and inner presence of the leader that everything else runs on.
Aligned exists to solve that — not with another performance framework, but with genuine change in the inner world of the leaders and teams who make everything else possible. The health of a company is downstream of the health of the people leading it.
External excellence is built on internal mastery.
The conviction at the center of everything we do
Rigor and humanity in the same room — the inner game and the operator's chair, held together.
Founder of Aligned
Chris is the visionary and founder of AlignedWay Business and the Soul Coaching growth and transformation method. His purpose: unleash the power of the human spirit within individuals, leaders, and organizations — connecting people with their natural genius, gifts, and purpose.
Chris is an expert in culture, change management, human systems, and organizational growth and development. His love of coaching and mentoring others began 30 years ago while leading his marketing and advertising agency. Clients respond to his easy-going nature, candor, and his ability to make the client-team partnership feel organic and a place of belonging — known for active listening, empathy, and facilitating transformative meetings and workshops that are fun, useful, and collaborative.
Chris's coaching and leadership development practice evolved naturally from his role as an advisor and consultant in business. For 13 years he owned a full-service marketing and advertising agency, acting as advisor and business strategist to hundreds of companies, their owners, and management teams.
He earned a Bachelor's in Communications and Marketing/Advertising from Ferris State University in 1989, and his coaching education from the Coaches Training Institute in 2003. Since then, he has coached over 20,000 hours with hundreds of individuals and organizations, and developed a 140-hour training and certification course for coaches and leaders. Chris lives in Rochester Hills, MI with his wife Kristen, their three sons, and their dog Wesley.
Partner
Jillian is an entrepreneur, investor, and business leader with 26 years of experience building and scaling companies. She co-founded The Barre Code, a nationally ranked fitness franchise acquired by barre3 in 2023, and is now a Venture Partner at Exit Quotient Ventures.
Jillian co-founded The Barre Code, a fitness franchise that scaled nationally and ranked on the Entrepreneur Franchise 500 for four consecutive years before its acquisition by barre3 in 2023, forming one of the largest independently owned, women-operated fitness brands in the industry. Under her leadership, the company developed wellness programs accredited by NASM and AFAA. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc., The Wall Street Journal, Vogue, Self, Glamour, and Fit Pregnancy.
She is a Venture Partner at Exit Quotient Ventures, investing in portfolio companies and advising founders on scaling and exit strategy. In 2024, Michigan State University awarded her an honorary doctorate in business and invited her to deliver the university's commencement address. She continues to serve MSU's Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation as an Entrepreneur in Residence, External Resource Council member, and Venture Coach, and was named Spartan Innovator of the Year in 2018. She has also mentored Women in Entrepreneurship initiatives at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Before founding The Barre Code, Jillian spent a decade at Accenture, advising global businesses across industries and geographies. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Michigan State University and completed a leadership series at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
Start with a conversation. We'll talk about where you're stuck, and whether Aligned is the right fit.