The Grow Expand History & Leadership

Julia C. Rock is a nationally renowned Chief People Officer, leadership consultant, and certified executive coach. She is distinguished for transforming workplace dynamics, drawing on her 20+ years of experience helping companies retain top talent, reduce turnover, and future-proof their leadership pipeline. As a senior finance leader in the global energy sector, Julia managed and scaled high-performing teams, overcoming challenges such as burnout, disengagement, and inequality. Her personal mission is to help organizations retain top talent, elevate their leadership culture, and re-energize their workforce to achieve sustainable growth and profitability.

As the Founder and CEO of Rock Career Development, Julia partners with organizations to uncover and address leadership gaps, reduce turnover, and elevate employee engagement. A certified executive coach and certified DiSC® practitioner, her insights have been featured in publications that include Fortune, Business Insider, Entrepreneur. She is proven to be a compelling speaker, having been a keynote speaker on stages including TEDx and the National Urban League. She’s coached and trained more than 1,000 professionals worldwide to succeed in executive roles, driven measurable team outcomes, and built sustainable careers aligned with purpose.

Julia holds multiple certifications, including Certified Executive Coach (CEC), and is a Forbes Coaches Council member. Her signature framework uncovers the human dynamics behind sales performance and build leadership systems that scale. Time after time it has helped organizations tackle the root causes of disengagement and poor leadership, creating a strategic alignment between culture and business performance.

Shanté Smith-Daniels, MBA, is a seasoned operations executive and the founder of SSD Consulting, LLC, specializing in fractional COO services for growth-focused organizations. With over 15 years of experience optimizing and scaling both back-end and client-facing business operations, Shanté is recognized for her ability to audit, streamline, and elevate core processes-empowering clients to achieve sustainable growth and scalability.

As a fractional COO, Shanté partners with purpose-driven CEOs and founders, particularly those leading businesses with $5M+ in annual revenue, to identify operational inefficiencies, implement lean business strategies, and align teams around common goals. Her approach is rooted in lean business optimization: conducting comprehensive audits of existing workflows, eliminating waste, and reinforcing the systems and procedures that drive measurable results. This enables leaders to delegate with confidence, focus on strategic priorities, and unlock new levels of performance across their organizations. Shanté’s expertise spans multiple industries and includes hands-on leadership in building high-performing teams, designing scalable systems, and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Her track record includes:

Shanté’s credentials further validate her operational excellence. She is a Certified Employee Engagement Coach, a graduate of the Black British Business Awards Accelerator Cohort, and holds certifications in emotional intelligence, performance management, strategic development, and inbound marketing. Her leadership roles at global organizations like The Economist, combined with board service and active participation in executive communities such as Fractionals United, underscore her commitment to operational best practices and executive partnership.