About Us

I’m Dr. LaChrystal Ricke, though most people call me LC.

I’ve spent more than 20 years working at the intersection of communication, strategy, leadership, and execution — in corporate, academic, and nonprofit environments. I hold a PhD in Communication, but the most valuable lessons in my career haven’t come from theory. They’ve come from leading real teams, advising real clients, and communicating through high-stakes, high-pressure moments where clarity wasn’t optional.

That’s the foundation SpeakForward is built on: communication training that works because it comes from someone who has done the work.

A career built on clarity under pressure

For more than a decade, I worked at a market research and consumer insights firm specializing in field-based research and due diligence for hedge funds, private equity groups, and corporate clients. I started knowing very little about financial markets or institutional research, what I had was a strong ability to solve problems, ask better questions, and turn complexity into clarity.

That grew into a long-term leadership career, eventually as Managing Director, where I led multi-country research programs, served as a primary advisor across complex client engagements, and worked across operations, finance, data, and client service teams to turn messy questions into clear, executive-ready recommendations.

But the part I’m proudest of is the teams I helped build, cultures rooted in accountability, curiosity, communication, and low-ego problem solving. I learned that great work happens when people feel trusted, supported, and clear on where they’re going. That belief is at the heart of how I coach and train today.

Leadership beyond the boardroom

My understanding of communication isn’t only corporate. In 2013, I founded Reggie’s Friends, a 501(c)(3) animal rescue, which turned out to be one of the most formative leadership experiences of my life. Running a nonprofit demands strategy, fundraising, operations, crisis communication, and the ability to rally people around a mission with limited time and resources.

I’ve also served in board leadership and volunteer roles with organizations supporting children, families, and communities. That work taught me something corporate life can’t: how to communicate clearly in high-emotion, high-stakes situations, and how to lead with both structure and heart.

It’s also why I understand the nonprofit world from the inside, and why mission-driven organizations are part of who SpeakForward serves.
Why SpeakForward

At the center of everything I do is a simple belief: communication is how we build trust, solve problems, lead through complexity, and create meaningful change.

SpeakForward brings together every thread of my career — research, strategy, people, leadership, and communication – into practical coaching and training that helps individuals and organizations communicate with more clarity, confidence, and impact. Whether I’m working with an executive preparing for a board presentation, a team learning to collaborate better, or a nonprofit making the case for its mission, the goal is always the same: to make the work easier to understand, easier to act on, and easier to move forward.

I’d love to help you do the same.