LAUREN MASON CARRIS, PHD

Services · 30-min consult starts every engagement

Ways to work together

01

Fractional product leadership

I plug in to your org and team on a fractional basis, owning strategy, prioritization, and execution alongside your founders or exec team. We get the roadmap legible, the team unblocked, and the bets defensible.

What you get

  • Product strategy & 6-month roadmap
  • Discovery, prioritization, and delivery rituals
  • Exec and board-ready narratives
  • Coaching for your senior PMs

Best for

SMBs · startups · teams in transition

02

AI-enabled operating model design

Most teams have AI tools and no operating model. We map the work, identify where AI changes the unit economics, redesign roles and rituals around it, and ship a pragmatic 90-day plan you can defend to your board and your people.

What you get

  • Workflow & role audit
  • AI-in-the-loop operating model
  • Tool selection & guardrails
  • Change plan with measurable milestones

Best for

Ops-heavy SMBs  · scale-ups

03

Ideas to Action

You know what should exist. You just don't have the vocabulary, the spec, or the trust to hand it to a developer. I sit with you, pressure-test the idea, and produce the artifacts an engineering partner can quote and build against. No new language required.

What you get

  • Concept validation & scope shaping
  • Plain-language PRD + acceptance criteria
  • Lightweight wireflows / prototype
  • Vendor or developer brief & shortlist

Best for

Non-technical founders ·  domain experts

04

Talent & org systems

Human-centered talent systems: leveling frameworks, hiring loops that actually predict performance, performance and growth rituals people don't dread, and the org design behind them. Calibrated for small teams; no enterprise theater.

What you get

  • Leveling & career framework
  • Hiring loops, scorecards, and calibration
  • Performance & growth cadence
  • Org design & manager enablement

Best for

Founders · people leads · teams scaling 10 → 80

05

Content & curriculum systems

For teams whose product is the content itself: a curriculum, a catalog, a recommendation engine. I build on the science of how people actually learn and make meaning, so the system reads signals, not just clicks, and helps someone move forward instead of just showing them more of the same.

What you get

  • Content, copy, media, and learning architecture
  • Adaptive, personalized, and recommendation system design
  • Content platform UX audit
  • Compliance-aware content strategy (WCAG 2.2, FERPA/COPPA)

Best for

Edtech · media & content platforms · institutions with large content bases

06

Advisory & coaching

Monthly or bi-weekly cadence for founders, product leaders, and exec teams navigating a hard chapter (a pivot, a reorg, a first hire, a thorny strategic call). Confidential, direct, and accountable.

What you get

  • Standing 1:1 cadence
  • Team off-sites & decision workshops
  • On-call for high-stakes calls
  • Async written reviews

Best for

Founders · exec teams · senior PMs

Proof

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS SPEAK VOLUMES

Lauren saved me over $100,000 in developer costs for the wrong goal. I wish I had her perspective sooner.
Executive / Startup FounderIdeas to Action

Not sure which one fits? Start with a consult. That's what it's for.