Why Do Clients Work With Narrative Architecture?
Narrative Architecture combines two forms of expertise rarely found in the same firm. Kate and Amy bring deep institutional experience across journalism, public health, media, and digital platforms — and know precisely how to blend rigor with engagement.
But perhaps most importantly, both Amy and Kate have been in the trenches of serious mental health challenges and know exactly how high the stakes are.
Amy O’Leary, Partner
Amy (she/her) has spent her career at the intersection of storytelling, strategy, and digital innovation — and passionate about how the right narratives can solve the world’s toughest problems.
At The New York Times, she was promoted seven times in seven years while co-authoring the newsroom’s groundbreaking Innovation Report that shaped the paper’s digital strategy for a decade.
She later served as Chief Story Officer at Upworthy, leading a teams of over 40 creators to reach hundreds of millions of people on progressive, values-driven storytelling, and led content for the mental health and meditation company, Headspace, helming breakthrough new products and services.
She was originally trained in storytelling at public radio’s This American Life. Her award-winning journalism work includes a Knight-Batten Award, a Loeb Award, and three Emmy nominations.
As a parent and caregiver in a neurodivergent family, Amy has spent years navigating complex health care and education systems to advocate for children with ADHD and related learning differences. Through firsthand experience, she has developed a deep understanding of the gaps, risks, and emotional realities families face — and brings a strong systems-level perspective to questions of care access, communication, and support.
Kate Speer, Partner
Kate (she/they) works at the intersection of mental health, storytelling, creator ecosystems, and public trust.
She first gained national attention through viral storytelling on Instagram, where her honest posts about survival reached audiences in the millions. At the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Kate led the recruitment of a 1,400-member creator cohort that brings science-backed messaging to social media.
Her perspective is shaped not only by professional experience, but by firsthand experience navigating serious mental illness and complex care systems. She has spoken publicly about surviving misdiagnosis, major depressive disorder, psychosis, PTSD, dissociative fugue, and more than 20 psychiatric hospitalizations — experiences that now inform her work helping institutions think more deeply about trust, communication, and care.
Previously, she served as CEO of The Dogist, helping grow the brand into a major social-impact media and e-commerce company with an audience of more than 5 million people.
Kate is also the founder of The Healing Lab, a platform focused on mental health recovery, and the intersection of peer-reviewed research and lived experience.