Ellen Williams is the CEO of The Salient Strategist, a business strategist and analyst who helps organizations that feel stuck rediscover direction, efficiency, and growth. With a career that spans technology, consulting, entrepreneurship, and deep personal transformation, Ellen’s story is one of resilience, reinvention, and purpose-driven leadership. Humans of Fuzia is proud to feature Ellen for her honest journey of self-empowerment and her commitment to helping others—especially women—believe in themselves, reclaim their confidence, and build lives and businesses that truly align with who they are. Her story deeply resonates with our 5-million-strong global community working toward empowerment, equality, and collective growth through She for She and He for She.
Q: Ellen, could you start by introducing yourself and the work you do?
Ellen Williams:
I’m Ellen Williams, the CEO of The Salient Strategist. I offer business analysis services for organizations that feel like they’ve reached a point where they can’t move forward. I work closely with leadership to understand what they want from their business and then speak with people across the organization to see how things are actually functioning. From there, I recommend process improvements and the right technologies to support growth in a meaningful and sustainable way.
Q: Who do you typically work with, and where are your clients based?
Ellen Williams:
Because my services are fully remote, I can work with organizations anywhere in the world. My clients range from startups that need early guidance to established businesses that want an objective, outside perspective. Often, leaders are too close to their own operations to see what’s holding them back, and bringing in someone external helps uncover what needs to change in order to move forward.
Q: How did your journey into business strategy and technology begin?
Ellen Williams:
My original dream was very different—I wanted to be a Broadway dancer. I moved to New York at 18 and spent years immersed in dance, even co-producing a small dance company. Like many creatives, I needed a stable income, which led me to a job at Broadway Video. One day, someone put a computer on my desk and simply said, “Learn it.”
I didn’t receive formal training, but people shared tips as they passed by, and I realized that technology came naturally to me. That moment launched my career in tech and consulting. Over time, I became less interested in just implementing systems and more passionate about stepping back, understanding a client’s business, and helping them choose solutions that truly supported their goals.
Q: How did that passion evolve into entrepreneurship?
Ellen Williams:
As technology evolved and options multiplied, I found myself drawn to conversations about business models, strategy, and long-term vision. I enjoyed helping leaders understand not just what tools to use, but why. Over the years, I moved between being an employee and an entrepreneur, and eventually returned to entrepreneurship full-time—offering business analysis as my core service because that’s where I felt most aligned.
Q: AI is rapidly changing the business landscape. What are your thoughts on its role today?
Ellen Williams:
AI is a powerful but double-edged tool. Many platforms already have AI embedded in them, often to improve efficiency and automate tasks. That can be incredibly helpful. However, AI should never be adopted just for the sake of it. You need to understand why you’re using it, what it’s doing, and where its limitations lie.
There are also ethical considerations—AI still has biases and needs human oversight. It’s great for efficiency, but anything factual or sensitive must be reviewed carefully. My perspective is: adopt AI thoughtfully, stay aware, and always keep a human in the loop.
Q: How can people maintain authenticity while using AI tools?
Ellen Williams:
There are two healthy ways to use AI authentically. One is to write something in your own voice first and then let AI refine it for clarity. The other is to use AI to get started and then shape the content so it genuinely sounds like you. Either way, AI should support your voice—not replace it.
Q: Women empowerment is a deeply personal topic for you. Can you share your perspective?
Ellen Williams:
Women empowerment is at the core of my life story. I was once in a verbally abusive marriage where my confidence was slowly stripped away. I went from being self-assured to constantly second-guessing myself. There came a moment when I realized that although I had everything society said should make me happy, I felt completely empty.
That realization sparked a spiritual and personal journey. I began rebuilding my confidence, surrounding myself with people who saw my potential, and slowly learning to trust myself again. Eventually, I found the strength to leave that marriage, rebuild my career, and step into roles that aligned with who I truly was.
Empowerment, for me, meant reclaiming my voice, taking responsibility for my growth, and choosing not to give my power away. Today, I carry those lessons into my work—helping others, especially women, recognize their worth and step into their own strength.
Q: What message would you like to leave with our readers?
Ellen Williams:
Believe in yourself—even when others don’t. And if you’re working hard but something feels off, listen to your body. Pause when you need to. Not everything is urgent. Taking time to rest and reflect can bring clarity, rebuild confidence, and help you move forward with renewed belief in yourself.
“Believe in yourself, listen to your body, and give yourself permission to pause—clarity and confidence always follow.” — Ellen Williams
Connect with Ellen Williams
- Website: https://thesalientstrategist.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellenwilliamsny/
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