About Me
Meet Barbara Roos
(pronounced "rose")
Six years ago, I began the hardest change project of my life — losing 230 pounds.
I don't share that for applause. I share it because that journey taught me something I now see playing out in leadership teams everywhere: real transformation isn't a systems problem. It's a behavior and mindset problem. It requires discipline, the willingness to confront uncomfortable truths, and people who are genuinely rooting for you while refusing to let you off the hook.
You cannot sustain it alone. And you cannot shortcut the hard middle part.
I didn't know it at the time, but I was learning the same lesson at work. For 25 years, including seven years in senior leadership at Intel, I helped large, complex organizations navigate the messy reality of change: the misalignment that forms between strategy and behavior, the gap between what leaders say and what culture actually rewards, and the resistance that builds quietly before anyone names it.
AI has accelerated that dynamic to an uncomfortable speed.
What I Do
Through Trailhead Communications, I work with leadership teams navigating the human side of AI adoption. The part that doesn't show up in vendor demos or technology roadmaps.
Most organizations don't struggle with AI because they chose the wrong tools. They struggle because leaders moved fast on tools before aligning on purpose. Because culture quietly resisted while everyone performed optimism. Because managers were handed new expectations without new support. Because success got defined in ways that guaranteed early failure.
That's where I work. I help leadership teams build the alignment, clarity, and behavioral foundation that makes AI adoption actually stick — not just launch.
My Background
In 25 years of strategic communications and organizational transformation, I have led initiatives affecting 5,000+ employees, stood up a Center of Excellence for change and program management at Intel, and supported $100M+ in revenue enablement and $11M in cost savings.
The lessons weren't about scale. They were about alignment. Transformation succeeds when strategy and behavior move together — in reality, not just in slides.
I'm drawn to complexity. I see strategy, politics, emotion, and incentives in the same frame. I'm known for naming what others sense but don't say: the hidden resistance, the gap between the leadership narrative and what employees are actually experiencing, the tension between ambition and what the culture can actually absorb.
Who I Work With
I work best with leaders who are done performing confidence they don't feel. Who know something isn't working and want a peer-level partner to help them see it clearly and move forward deliberately.
My primary focus is leadership teams at organizations where an AI mandate exists but the alignment, culture, and change infrastructure haven't caught up. I also work with marketing and communications leaders navigating AI's impact on their teams and function, and with AI-driven founders building credibility in a skeptical market.
I'm not the right fit if you're looking for surface messaging, implementation execution, or someone who will validate a plan without questioning it.
If you want someone who will name what's real and help you do the hard work — let's talk.
Testimonials
Pete Kronowitt
Founder, Face the Music Collective
Barbara provided invaluable knowledge which allowed us to jumpstart a seemingly impossible project. Our entire team was guided to become more productive and skilled in a short amount of time. Barbara also helped assess how to practically use and understand AI and its limitations. What truly set her apart was the thoughtful preparation she brought to every session, ensuring our time together was consistently focused and impactful.
Laura Barbaro
Former VP of Customer Experience, Intel
Barbara was brilliant in building our customer advocacy and customer-first culture strategies that inspired our customers as well as our employees. Her staff and co-workers consistently raved about her leadership style and coaching. She’s collaborative, always looking for ways to build a win-win, and she listens and follows through on her promises.
Mark Hocking
Former VP of Sales Excellence, Intel
Barbara is an excellent leader. She quickly learns issues from all sides and builds change and communication strategies that align business goals with what people on the ground truly need. Her team consistently gave her top scores because she created clarity and support in an environment of rapid change. Barbara brings people together, builds trust quickly, and drives high-quality work to completion.
Amit Perry
CEO & Co-Founder, ApplAI
Barbara has been a game-changer for our team. She excels at turning complex ideas into clear, actionable strategies and communicating them even to those unfamiliar with the subject. She’s a strategic thinker, a strong leader, and someone who improves outcomes simply by being in the room. Her impact on our group’s success cannot be overstated.
Lina Stukov
Former Senior Sales Leader, Intel
Barbara leads change initiatives with exceptional skill and dedication. What stands out most is her ability to connect with sellers in a way that makes complex changes easy to understand and adopt. Her clarity, empathy, and communication style helps build trust and engagement across teams.
Gareth Williams
Digital Transformation Consultant
Barbara is that rare partner who thinks strategically and can also activate that strategy with effective change management and communications frameworks. She turns complex, enterprise-scale change into something people can understand and act on. Barbara brings sharp thinking, clarity, and incredible stakeholder focus. If you need a strategic partner to clarify and lead major change that sticks, she’s exactly who you want.
Isabella Villegas-Torres
Global Sales Enablement, Civica
Barbara has a natural talent for organizing large, complex teams and objectives with remarkable clarity. Her attention to detail, people-first approach, and ability to streamline processes while keeping morale high make her an invaluable leader.