Meet Kathryn Boren of CBM Strategic

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kathryn Boren.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My path into marketing and communications has never been linear, but it has always been rooted in purpose. I began as a writer and English major who believed deeply in the power of language to shape how people understand the world. That foundation eventually led me to pursue a Master of Science in Law with a focus on environmental and water law, which sharpened how I think about policy, systems, and the responsibility that comes with public communication.

Over the past decade and a half, my career has spanned government agencies, Fortune 500 environments, community-based organizations, and long-term consulting partnerships. I have helped lead large-scale campaigns, supported organizations through crisis and executive transition, led communications for the pandemic response work for the State of California, and navigated everything from high-stakes public policy conversations to deeply personal community storytelling. The through-line has always been care and intention.

To me, communications is not just messaging. It is stewardship. Marketing helps people make decisions, and communications helps them make meaning, and both require a genuine respect for the audience on the other side. Whether I am speaking to millions of residents or a small group of stakeholders, I approach every project with the belief that how we speak to each other matters. The role of a strategist is not just to inform, but to build trust.

Today, my work sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and leadership. I continue to be drawn to projects where purpose and impact meet, because at the end of the day, the question I ask myself is simple: does this work help people feel more informed, more empowered, or more connected than they were before?

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has not been a smooth road, and in many ways that has shaped the leader I am today. After high school, I experienced a period of homelessness and had to learn very quickly how to build stability for myself. I worked my way through both of my degrees, supporting myself while pursuing an education in English and later earning a Master of Science in Law focused on environmental and water law. Those years taught me discipline, humility, and a deep respect for the power of opportunity.

Entering the professional world without a traditional safety net meant that I often had to create my own path. I learned early on how to advocate for myself, how to navigate complex environments, and how to remain steady even when circumstances were uncertain. Communications is not an easy field, especially when the work involves crisis, public trust, and high-stakes decision-making, and there were many moments that required resilience both personally and professionally.

What I gained from those challenges was perspective. I understand firsthand what it means to feel unseen or unheard, which is why I approach communication as an act of responsibility rather than just strategy. Every campaign or initiative represents real people with real stakes, and that awareness continues to guide how I lead and how I serve the organizations and communities I work with today.

Looking back, I would not describe the journey as easy, but I would describe it as meaningful. The experiences that once felt like obstacles ultimately became the foundation for the work I do now, grounded in empathy, clarity, and a strong sense of purpose.

As you know, we’re big fans of CBM Strategic. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
CBM Strategic began from a simple belief: high-quality marketing and communications should not be reserved only for organizations with large budgets. Early in my career, I found myself drawn to people who were building something meaningful but did not yet have access to strategic support. One of my first projects came from walking into my favorite local restaurant and asking the owner if I could help reimagine her website, menu, and promotional materials. Instead of a traditional fee structure, we worked out a trade that included meals, which at that stage of my life felt both practical and deeply symbolic of the collaborative spirit behind the work.

She was the kind of business owner who reinvested heavily into the community through a nonprofit she had founded, and I remember feeling strongly that my skills could help amplify the impact she was already creating. That experience was more than a project. It was the moment I realized that communications and marketing could be both a profession and a form of service. In many ways, CBM Strategic was born in that exchange, long before it had a formal name.

Over time, that mindset evolved into a strategic communications and marketing practice that now supports a wide range of clients, from public sector initiatives and mission-driven organizations to multi-million dollar businesses navigating growth, change, and complex stakeholder environments. Alongside that work, I founded Dangerous Enough, a platform and community designed to help founders and operators access the kind of strategic marketing and communications guidance that is often out of reach in the early stages of building a company. The mission behind Dangerous Enough is simple: to give founders the clarity, confidence, and operational insight they need to communicate effectively and grow without losing their voice or their vision.

Today, my work sits at the intersection of communications strategy, brand positioning, executive thought leadership, and founder advisory. What sets my approach apart is a deep respect for the audience and a systems-level understanding of communication. I help organizations not only craft messaging, but also build the operational structures that support sustainable marketing and communications. My background as a writer, combined with legal training, shapes how I think about strategy. I view communication not as content alone, but as infrastructure that carries responsibility and influence.

Brand-wise, I am most proud that CBM Strategic has grown without losing its original intent. The scale of the work has changed, but the philosophy has remained consistent. Whether I am advising senior leadership or supporting a founder who is just getting started, the goal is the same: to create clarity, alignment, and trust through thoughtful communication.

What I want readers to know is that my work is not about creating noise. It is about creating alignment. Whether through CBM Strategic or Dangerous Enough, I focus on helping people communicate with intention, build sustainable systems around their messaging, and lead with confidence in a world that often moves faster than strategy.

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
One of my favorite childhood memories is surprisingly still. It is summer break, the kind of heavy, sun-soaked afternoon where time feels slow and endless. I am sitting cross-legged on my bed with the newest Harry Potter book, the spine barely cracked before I disappear into it completely. The box fan hums loudly in the window because we did not have air conditioning, pushing warm air across pages that I refuse to put down. Snacks are scattered around me like little landmarks of time passing, and outside the world continues as it always did, a little rough, a little loud, a little unpredictable.

But in that room, with that book, I had a private world that belonged entirely to me.

I would read for hours, sometimes days, barely moving except to turn a page. The stories were more than entertainment. They were refuge. They were proof that imagination could create space where safety and possibility existed side by side. Looking back, I think that is where my love of storytelling really took root. Those long summer days taught me that words could build a sanctuary, that language could transport you somewhere larger than your circumstances.

Even now, when I think about why I care so deeply about communication and narrative, I come back to that image: a girl, a fan humming in the window, a book held close, and the quiet belief that stories have the power to change how we feel, how we see, and sometimes even who we become.

Contact Info:

• Email: kathryn@charliebea.com

Image Credits
Enrique Meza – Meza Studios, Fresno, CA