Meet
Catherine
Richards
AI Truth Teller
Creator of Original Intelligence™
Creativity and commerce have always been my native languages.
Raised in a banking family fluent in business models, I was the creative outlier, drawn to ideas, storytelling, and strategy. I studied commercial art to move people with ideas, then built a design studio, turning abstract visions into brands people believed in.
One small project became
billion-dollar projects
A single pro bono job led to a decade of shaping narratives at Dell Technologies, Adobe, and VMware that leaders carried into their most critical conversations.
AI didn’t sneak in.
It kicked the door down.
When the tidal wave hit, I was an early tester, fascinated by how AI could rewrite the way we create, and lead. I built internal use cases, launched governance frameworks, trained executives, and started The AI Truth Teller blog to cut through the noise to show how creators with deep domain expertise can turn AI into their most strategic advantage.
I run toward the gaps everyone else avoids.
When I see a blind spot, I go there. And when I do, things move. AI brings the motion, but structure and clarity keep it from spinning out.
Original Intelligence™
is the leadership edge you can’t fake
Today, I work with leaders to navigate the AI era with strategies that withstand pressure, accelerate growth, manage risk, and keep people at the center. Original Intelligence™ is the confidence, creative judgment, and strategic discernment AI can’t replicate.
Leadership should flex, not fracture.
In the AI era, leadership is like a kinetic sculpture, built to move with the forces around it without losing integrity. It flexes, adapts, and surprises, but every motion is intentional. I help leaders build systems of thought and action that stay clear under pressure, adapt with purpose, and hold their shape as everything else shifts.
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Jerrica Stovall,
Director, Collegiate Communities, American Marketing Association
Catherine brought exactly what our collegiate audience needed. Clarity, depth, and honest guidance on how to lead with AI. I invited her because I knew she would show up with purpose, and she did. She made the conversation real and left a lasting impression on the room.
Juliana Posada Cardona
Head of Communications LAD, Oracle
Catherine is a standout professional with a strong business and market vision. Her guidance helped me think more strategically and make key decisions that now empower me to better connect our communications and marketing teams in Latin America. I greatly value her work and her executive coaching.
Justin Levine,
Senior Manager of Member Relations, Communications Leadership Council at Ragan Communications
Catherine’s presentations engage executive leaders and teams in Fortune 500 companies operating in regulated, high stakes environments as they navigate AI. She blends strategic clarity with creative, real world application, leaving participants with actionable approaches that deliver measurable impact.
Clay Sharman,
Co-founder and Head Creative, @ Krateo
Catherine brought the kind of presence moderators hope for. She came ready, stayed sharp, and made the conversation stronger. Her take on AI was clear, grounded, and full of examples that stuck with the audience. When the ethical line came up, she answered with clarity. No hesitation.
Efe Abugo,
Technical Product Marketing, Microsoft M365 Copilot
Catherine brought a clear voice to a room full of pressure and possibility. Her take on AI was grounded in the realities of enterprise work but never lost sight of people. She made space for nuance, asked hard questions with respect, and moved the conversation in a direction that mattered.
Jeff Johnson,
Retired Global Marketing at Dell Technologies
Catherine is just one of these amazing people that just knows the right way to do things. She has such talent in marketing messaging and great instincts. Collaboration with her is always productive and fun. She is a really great member of our team and a wonderful colleague.
I don’t wait for permission. If I see a gap, I move, and I bring the room with me.
VALUES
- Human-Centered Leadership AI should serve people, not replace them.
- Creative Rigor Creativity without purpose is noise.
- Integrity & Trust Strategies leaders can defend ethically, legally, and publicly.
- Discernment Over Hype Cutting through the noise to focus on what truly drives growth.
- Build Over Talk Confidence leads to fluency, and fluency delivers lasting value.
Book Me to
SPEAK
Let’s skip the sugarcoating and get real about what it takes to lead in the age of AI. I give audiences clarity, confidence, and practical steps to move from uncertainty to action starting the very next day.