Alison Seibert

“Growing up, my mom used to tell me to 'take healthy risks and be nice to people' before I left for school. Today, that philosophy translates into how I work and run my business.” 

Alison Seibert is the founder and Principal of The James Collective, a PR and integrated marketing agency focusing on food, beverage, travel and wellness clients. She has more than 15 years of strategic business and communications experience, not to mention an International MBA and longtime love of yoga. For the bicoastal boss (Alison splits her time between offices in NYC and Sonoma, CA), success is defined by “building the life you want, one that is filled with people, experiences, and opportunities that you love and are excited about.”

Alison has dedicated herself to uplifting others through partnership and opportunity, both within her business and beyond its walls. This includes hiring practices — “We've partnered with the organization Seize Every Opportunity to place first-generation students in meaningful internships,” she says — and The James Collective’s ongoing giving commitments, like allocating one percent annually to non-profits like the Mtaala Foundation, which supports secondary education for at-risk youth (specifically girls) in Uganda.

“I really boil our work down to building a more connected, culturally-aware, delicious and understanding world through travel, sharing food and beverage, and telling (and listening to!) stories,” says Alison. “That happens to be pretty close to how I try to live my life, while doing my best to stick to the values that my mom instilled in me early on.”

Find Alison on Instagram.