Maria Ross is a brand strategist, speaker and author who believes cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive. She is the founder of Red Slice, a consultancy that advises entrepreneurs and fast-growth businesses on how to build an irresistible brand story and authentically connect with customers. Maria is a keynote speaker who regularly speaks to audiences on crafting an engaging brand story that drives growth and impact. She is the author of The Empathy Edge, Branding Basics for Small Business and the Juicy Guides ebook series for entrepreneurs. Maria started her career as a change management consultant at Accenture and went on to build marketing and brand strategies for companies such as Discovery Communications, Monster.com, BusinessObjects (now SAP), and several technology start-ups, before starting her own business. As a brand strategist, she has worked with brands such as Microsoft, Dropbox, Alteryx, Talemetry and GSK, as well as entrepreneurs and smaller niche industry leaders. Maria has been featured in and written for numerous media, including MSNBC, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneur.com, Huffington Post, and Forbes.com. Maria understands the power of empathy at both a brand and personal level: in 2008, six months after launching her business, a ruptured brain aneurysm almost killed her. Her humorous and heartfelt memoir about surviving this health crisis, Rebooting My Brain, has received worldwide praise. Maria uses this experience to be a voice for brain injury survivors and has shared her story to educate and inspire attendees at medical, business and women's conferences. Maria lives with her husband, young son, and precocious black lab mutt in the San Francisco Bay Area.