The Stance Practice
Stance precedes strategy.
I work with leaders in environments I know firsthand on the posture shaping how they see, decide, and act.
You don't need to brief me.
I meet you at the right level to challenge what silently drives your decisions in high-stakes situations — fundraising, governance, strategic inflection points.
If you're in a moment where the cost of staying in the same posture is high, we should talk.
Stance /stæns/
Stance is a position or attitude adopted in relation to a situation or issue. It reflects how someone chooses to stand — intellectually or strategically — before acting.
Stance is a standpoint taken on a given matter. It defines what is negotiable, what is not, and what direction is taken.
Stance is the way in which position, perception, and action align. It shapes how a situation is interpreted and how it is handled under pressure.
The Stance: How We Work Together
This work is not about adding more strategy. It is about clarifying the stance from which strategy is shaped.
How you perceive. How you position. How you act — under pressure, with consequences.
90% of your thinking runs on autopilot. That's not a flaw. That's the architecture.
Under pressure, these patterns define what you see as possible, acceptable, or out of bounds. What feels like reality is often an interpretation — running on repeat.
Once seen, these patterns can be rewired. Not through motivation. Through interruption, precision, and practice.
In practice, we:
- Surface the narratives shaping your perception of the situation
- Separate facts from interpretations — rigorously, not intuitively
- Identify hidden tensions, constraints, and non-said trade-offs
- Set an agenda that serves your objectives — there are 168 hours in a week
When is The Stance relevant?
- A fundraising round where the story lands — but the room doesn't move
- A board meeting where alignment is stated — but decisions stall
- A strategic decision where urgency is clear — but nothing moves
- A negotiation where everything checks out — but you can't fully stand behind it
- A team dynamic left unaddressed — already costing you
- A capital allocation where downside is real — and no option is clean
- A role you've outgrown — but your current posture keeps you there
Not generic coaching. Clarity you can act on — immediately, within real constraints. Grounded in business, capital dynamics, and real decision consequences. You don't have to translate — or coach the coach.
If it doesn't materially change how you see, decide, and act, we stop.
Executive Sparring
Marie Tricot
ESSEC MBA, Finance & Law
I have spent my career in environments where decisions carry real consequences — financial, strategic, and reputational.
Investment banking. Structured finance. Asset management. Fintech. Venture Capital — working on both sides of the table, with founders and investors.
I've seen how even at the highest level, patterns that look rational quietly shape decisions.
Today, I work as a strategic sparring partner to founders, investors, and those environments.
You don't need to brief me. I understand the mechanics, the pressure — and I will challenge you when something doesn't hold.
I now live in Paris with my husband and our two sons.
One of my favorite expressions is "breathing large." It's what happens when curiosity leads.
If this resonates, let's have a first conversation.
What limits you is rarely the situation. It's how you interpret it — and act from it.
The Stance: a short note on the layer where decisions are shaped — and curiosity, always.