when what you say has to

do more than ever before

A star-shaped graphic with alternating gold and white points against a black background.
A stylized star with alternating yellow and white points on a black background.
A graphic star-shaped emblem with alternating gold and white points, set against a black background.

for your brand vision

STAND up and stand OUT. CRAFT A BOLD VISION THAT rallies hearts and minds around what fuels your soul.

for your business pivot

Pivot with purpose. align opportunities with core values to navigate change with confidence.

for your startup venture

Locate YOUR NORTH STAR. Define the VISION AND VALUES THAT ground YOUR ENDEAVOR WITH CLARITY AND PURPOSE.

for your high-stakes pitch

Command attention. Deliver pitches that resonate, persuade, and win the room.

for your major launch

DISRUPT FROM DAY ONE. Go to market in ways that turn heads, make headlines, and ignite curiosity.

for your big event

Create unforgettable moments. Host meaningful experiences that inspire, engage, and leave a lasting impact.

for your thought leadership

Claim authority. Move your industry forward with ideas that challenge and transform.

for your spotlight moment

Own the stage. Strengthen your presence and influence with every word you speak.

A stylized starburst with alternating yellow and white points on a black background.
A star-shaped graphic with alternating yellow and white points, set against a black background.
A star-shaped design with alternating yellow and white points on a black background.
High-stakes creative advisor helping leaders find language, clarity, and alignment when the path forward depends on what gets said next.

  • The scale, visibility, or stakes of what you’re leading have changed

  • You’re stepping into a bigger role, platform, or moment

  • What you’ve been saying no longer moves people the way it used to

  • The message that got you here no longer fits what you’re leading now

  • Alignment, momentum, and trust matter just as much as polish

Bring me in when…

Wondering who the heck I am and what I do?

I’m happy to let CBS, ABC, & FOX do most of the talking…

Innovation and change can be exhilarating.

They can also be disorienting.

Visionaries don’t run out of ideas. They reach moments where familiar language can no longer express the scale or complexity of what they’re building.

That’s when the work becomes precision. Language that creates coherence, aligns understanding, and gives meaningful direction to action.

A white card with an Apple logo at the top, and purple text expressing a message about enriching lives, helping dreamers become doers, and giving more than taking, with a colorful purple and pink gradient background.

The kind of work I do is embodied in the 171 words I authored for Apple’s Credo.

Read about it on Medium.

ways the work takes shape

A circular diagram showing inner yellow sections labeled 'BRAND,' 'VISION,' and 'STORY,' with outer purple layers labeled 'COACHING,' 'CREATING,' 'SPEAKING,' 'FACILITATING,' 'ADVISING,' and ' supporting areas.

  • Trusted counsel at moments of change, scale, or consequence.

    Strategic partnership on vision, story, and direction, when judgment, clarity, and alignment matter more than answers alone.

  • This is calibration, not self-improvement.

    Private work for leaders who feel the gap between who they are, what they know, and what their role now demands, and want to close it with integrity.

  • Writing that holds and carries vision.

    I create language and artifacts that continue to shape understanding, alignment, and action long after they’re released into the world.

  • Clarify and claim the truth at the center of what you’re leading.

    This work surfaces the beliefs, declarations, and language that give your vision coherence and authority, so it can be clearly understood, trusted, and carried forward at scale.

  • Design presentations for moments where clarity, credibility, and conviction matter.

    This work translates complex vision into language, visuals, and models that align stakeholders, support decisions, and move rooms toward action.

  • Keynotes that set the tone for what follows.

    I speak to moments of transition, responsibility, and possibility, offering language that helps audiences orient around what matters now and move forward with clarity and conviction.

  • Work with senior teams at moments where clarity and shared language determine what happens next.

    I facilitate conversations where alignment must be real, decisions must stick, and the cost of getting it wrong is not theoretical.

book a discovery call
Television news interview featuring two women discussing remote work, with a split screen showing a woman in a bright pink dress smiling on the left and a woman with curly hair wearing a colorful top and headphones on the right, with a background of
A woman standing on stage in front of a large blank wall, dressed in a long striped dress with her hands clasped, with stage curtains to her left and a microphone on a stand nearby.
A woman with curly brown hair, wearing a colorful striped dress and a chunky green necklace, is standing against a plain background, speaking and gesturing with her hands.
Audience members seated in a theater, clapping and watching a performance or presentation.
A woman standing on a stage with a blue curtain, facing a blank wall, with a podium on the left side of the stage and some audience members watching.
A woman with curly hair, wearing a colorful top and black-and-white patterned dress, is sitting on a white chair reading papers in an office or library space, with bookshelves and decorative items in the background.
woman in a colorful sleeveless top and black-and-white zebra-print dress working on a laptop in a cozy, wood-paneled room with bookshelves and framed pictures.
A woman in a white top and colorful patterned skirt holds a microphone and a tablet, smiling while speaking at a conference table with multiple people in a meeting room.
A woman in a white top and colorful skirt speaks into a microphone in front of an audience at a celebration with white floral decorations and disco ball decorations in a decorated room.
A woman sitting on a cozy armchair with a Dalmatian dog resting its head on her lap in a warmly decorated room, holding a notebook and pen, with colorful clothing and jewelry, and large windows in the background letting in natural light.
Two women smiling and sitting in a cozy room with a large window. One woman is on the left, holding a notebook and pen, with curly hair and colorful earrings. The other woman is on the right, with short hair and large hoop earrings, looking at the fi
Television news broadcast with a female anchor on the left and a woman speaking remotely on the right, discussing mental health stories, with news graphics and weather info at the bottom.
Two women in a split-screen video call, smiling, with a purple banner at the bottom that reads, "The Power of the Multi-Hyphenate Personal Brand: Your Superpower Explained." The woman on the left has short blue hair, glasses, and is wearing a colorfu
A woman with short curly hair stands in front of an audience, gesturing with her hands, during a presentation or lecture in a room with acoustic panels on the wall.
A woman with short, curly dark hair and blue eyes smiling, wearing a dark jacket, standing in an indoor setting.
Woman standing in front of a blue background with circular and wave patterns, smiling and gesturing with her hands, wearing a polka dot outfit and black blazer.
A woman with curly hair and bright lipstick speaking during a virtual event, with a decorated bookshelf behind her containing various books, vases, and decorative items, including a pink flamingo and a fuzzy white creature.

select visionary leaders and brands i’ve supported

Featured work

The blog post that launched a company.

The manifesto that won a pitch competition.

The speech that transitioned a family company to its third-generation leader.

The Apple Credo.

  • Anita gets brand.

    “Anita gets brand at the soul level — and I don't say that lightly. Equally adept at story, strategy, and design, her point of view would be valuable in any setting where creativity, communication, culture, innovation, and vision are critical. Her presence is a joy, too — she's as fun and collaborative as she is talented, and would be an indispensable asset to anyone lucky enough to have her on their team.”

    Musa Tariq, CMO — GoFundMe, Airbnb, Ford

  • I wish I met Anita 20 years ago.

    “Anita is among the most talented people I’ve worked with. Her off-the-cuff, 25-minute advice about my blog post was tone-perfect, high-impact, and spot-on. I’ve been a writer-in-CEO-clothing for about 20 years, and worked with dozens of agencies, writers, CMOs, and more. And all I can say is I wish I met her 20 years ago.”

    Mark Palmer, CEO — TIBCO

  • I sounded like me, but better.

    “I had a big speech at a critical transitional moment in our company. My father was retiring and I was stepping into the role of CEO. Normally, I'd wing it, but this was too important. I needed to set a vision for the future that rallied the team around my leadership. Anita blew me away. I don't know how she got me, our history, and my vision so fast. What she wrote sounded like me, but better.”

    Adam Franklin, CEO — Franklin Sports

  • Anita wrote. We won.

    “Verb was competing in a startup pitch competition. I had five minutes total to present. I spent four talking about the business, the market opportunity, and financial forecasts. I spent the last minute reading the brand manifesto Anita wrote. We won.”

    Suzi Sosa, CEO — Verb Inc.

  • God-given brilliance.

    “These words sing to my heart. I feel honored to have your hands and brain and heart and soul and spirit, just give it all you have. You brought this manifesto to life. This is God-given brilliance that you are blessed with to provide to others.”

    Candace Spears, Founder — Ambition, Honey, and Hustle

  • A rare talent.

    “It can be challenging to find exceptional creative talent with exceptional organizational and follow-through capabilities. I know that when I work with Anita, she will deliver what I asked for when I asked for it, and she will not be overly attached to what she delivers. Instead, she is attached to the best outcomes for the client, which is also pretty rare.”

    Kelsey Ramsden, CEO — MindCure Health Inc.

  • Passion and compassion.

    “I wanted to personally drop you a note to say thank you very much for all you did to assure The Credo reflected the sentiment of our Retail employees. They loved it and truly felt it fully respected and represented them. That was the ultimate goal, and you did it. Thank you so much again. I sincerely appreciate all your passion and compassion throughout. Really brilliant.”

    Angela Ahrendts, Senior Vice President of Retail — Apple Inc.

  • Anita changed my life.

    “It sounds cliche, but Anita made me believe in myself. But it's not even just believing in a thing — it's like I understand now what it is to believe. And it's not something I can forget. I talk about Anita as one of the most incredible people l've ever met. And her impact on my life is — I mean, I work with people for decades and nothing scratches it. Anita changed my life. Literally.”

    Chris Petescia, Founder — Kessel Run Ventures

  • Anita made my words more impactful.

    “I loved working with Anita! I felt like she really got what I was trying to say and found ways to make my words more impactful and memorable to other people—while ensuring that they still felt like my own.”

    Vanessa Bohns, Associate Professor — Cornell University

  • Now I see the path forward...

    “I was stuck and struggling to bring clarity and my voice to my evolving business. Now I see the path forward, and have an unshakable foundation to launch from. When I got the draft of the brand voice, it literately bought tears to my eyes. Anita pulled out my soulful essence and gave it a LOUD, BEAUTIFUL, and POWERFUL VOICE!”

    Josh Meeder, CEO — Great Things, LLC

About

Close-up black and white photo of a woman smiling outdoors with sunlight on her face, wearing a sleeveless top and earrings.

Your vision deserves a partner who creates an electric environment where you and your ideas thrive.

Anita Stubenrauch is an ex-Apple creative veteran who worked her way from retail store employee to executive speechwriter over a 13-year career, designing presentations given to Steve Jobs, authoring Apple’s Credo, and speechwriting for Angela Ahrendts, Eddy Cue, and Tim Cook along the way.

Today she’s running Cause:Effect Creative, building The Land of Make and Believe, and hosting the Hyperactive Imagination podcast.

A message from Anita

My process is equal parts logical reason, deep feeling, uncanny intuition, and wild imagination. I listen to the said and unsaid. I look for the seen and unseen. I work and play to touch the live wire at the core of the issue, idea, or identity at stake.

A yellow lightning bolt.

Then I light up the world.

Contact

Put your vision on a mission.

email
book
call