We've navigated uncertainty ourselves. That's why we do this work.
Our Story
In our work, we saw organizations that at times ran on autopilot — moving fast, but disconnected from the purpose and identity that should have been guiding them. Then we realized the same thing had happened at times in our own lives.
We'd already built tools to help organizations get clear on who they are and let that understanding shape their strategy and storytelling. We started to wonder: could those same tools help us and other individuals do the same?
That question is what became Find North & Next. We work with organizations to reconnect strategy to purpose, and with individuals to reconnect their next move to what actually matters to them. Different contexts, same starting point — taking the time to get clear about values and vision before moving forward.
We're not here to hand anyone a map. We're here to help you draw your own.
Our Team
Our expertise spans strategy, storytelling, and design, giving us the perspective to help people and organizations move forward with purpose.
Kurt Ahlm
Strategy Lead
Kurt has spent more than two decades helping people and organizations navigate important decisions during periods of growth, transition, and uncertainty.
Working across higher education, executive leadership, marketing, and organizational strategy has given him a unique perspective on how people and organizations discover what makes them meaningfully distinct and how that understanding shapes the decisions they make.
He believes strategy is not the starting point. Understanding is. By helping people and organizations discover what is true about themselves before deciding what comes next, he enables them to move forward with greater confidence, clarity, and intention.
David Duncil
Experience Lead
David has spent his career designing experiences and building the systems that support them — helping organizations scale without losing the culture and creativity that make them thrive. As a former designer and design operations leader, he approaches organizations the way he'd approach any complex system: mapping how people, processes, tools, and structures work together, identifying what creates friction, and then building an environment that fits the organization's purpose and the people who are part of it.
For David, the goal isn't a new process for its own sake — it's an organization that runs the way it was always meant to, with less friction and more room for people to do their best work.
Sam Jemielity
Storytelling Lead
Sam’s career focus has been on helping organizations, brands, and publications tell engaging, effective stories.
His work spans journalism, editorial leadership, content strategy, higher education, agency work, and brand content and communications. Sam starts from the perspective that every individual and organization has compelling stories to tell.
He’s passionate about spending the time to go beyond a surface level understanding working collaboratively to uncover those unique and powerful stories and express them with creativity, authenticity, and care.
This is ever more important in a time of generic AI-generated storytelling.
What Sets Us Apart
We Champion Purpose as Strategy
Purpose and values function as the central decision-making engine that shapes how people lead, grow, and make decisions — and how organizations grow and evolve. Purpose isn't adjacent to strategy. It is strategy.
We Build for Long-Term Transformation
Patience, reflection, experimentation, and strategy are fundamental to meaningful change and growth. We foster daily habits of consistency and resilience that create lasting impact.
We Humanize Innovation
In a rapidly changing world, we help you stay connected to the human side of progress — making sure technology, especially AI, is guided by purpose, empathy, and expansive thinking.
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