From Campaign Trail to Co-Founders: How Two Best Friends Built All In Strategic Consulting on the Power of PR Meets Social Work

When Anna Michaels-Boffy and Abby Leeper Gibson met in 2013 on the campaign trail, they were young idealists united by a shared passion for public service. Then they went their separate ways. Abby spent years honing her public relations expertise in the private sector as well as serving as the public information officer for the Colorado Tourism Office, mastering the art of storytelling and media relations. Anna earned her Master's in Social Work from the University of Denver, managing social service programs for various local nonprofits.

For years, they tossed around the idea of starting a PR firm that could bridge the gap they both kept seeing: organizations doing meaningful work but struggling to truly connect and communicate with the people they served. Then 2020 arrived, and they were both ready for a different work-life balance. They made the leap.

Today, All In Strategic Consulting serves nonprofits, government agencies, and small businesses across Colorado, combining Anna's systems-level understanding of how policies and programs impact real people with Abby's expertise in helping communities share their stories. Their complementary skill sets have produced impressive results: they helped the Denver Basic Income Project achieve fundraising milestones that exceeded expectations and secure national media attention. As their client Mark Donovan put it, their partnership was "pivotal in turning our bold vision into a reality."

As best friends and business partners, Anna and Abby have built something rare: a mission-driven firm where their different backgrounds—social work and public relations—don't just coexist but actively strengthen each other. Their tagline says it all: "Change won't happen until we come together to find common ground—until we're all in."

In this conversation, Anna and Abby share how they turned years of separate experience into a unified business model, how they divide responsibilities while maintaining their friendship, and their advice for other women considering the risks and rewards of starting a business with a close friend.

Question 1: You two met in 2013 on the campaign trail and then went separate ways – Abby honing public relations skills at places like the Colorado Tourism Office and Senator Hickenlooper's office, and Anna earning a Master's in Social Work and managing social service programs at Illuminate Colorado. What made you realize years later that you wanted to partner up and launch All In Strategic Consulting together? How do your complementary skill sets in PR and program management work together in practice, and what did each of you bring to the table that the other couldn't do alone?

After spending years in the public sector, we both saw a consistent challenge—organizations were doing meaningful work but struggling to truly connect and communicate with the people they served. For years, we’d tossed around the idea of starting a PR firm that could bridge that gap, but we didn’t think it would ever become a reality. When 2020 arrived, we were ready to move on from our jobs and find a different work life balance and so we made the leap. 

Anna brought deep experience in social work and nonprofit management, with a systems-level understanding of how policies and programs impact real people. Abby brought expertise in public relations and media, honed through years of helping communities share their stories and strengthen their local economies. Together, we realized that combining those strengths—communication and community insight—could create something unique: a strategic communications firm designed to help mission-driven organizations, small businesses and government agencies tell their stories and connect with those they serve with authenticity and impact.

Question 2: You've worked with high-profile clients like the Denver Basic Income Project, helping them achieve fundraising milestones that exceeded expectations and secure national media attention. Your client testimonial says your partnership was "pivotal in turning our bold vision into a reality." As co-founders, how do you divide responsibilities and decision-making, and have there been moments where your different backgrounds – PR versus social work – led to creative tension or breakthroughs in how you approach client work?

We love working together because our different backgrounds naturally complement each other. As best friends and business partners, we genuinely enjoy problem-solving side by side and bringing both perspectives to every project. Over time, our roles have evolved to match our strengths: Anna tends to take the lead in grant writing, content development, and social media and marketing design, while Abby heads up media relations and crisis communications.

Our differing experiences—Anna’s deep understanding of nonprofit systems and Abby’s expertise in storytelling and media—often spark creative breakthroughs. What might start as two different approaches usually turns into a stronger, more well-rounded strategy. That balance is what makes All In uniquely effective for the mission-driven clients we partner with. 

Question 3: Your tagline is "Change won't happen until we come together to find common ground – until we're all in." You work with nonprofits, government agencies, and small businesses in Colorado on messaging, program management, and community connections. As female co-founders building a mission-driven consulting firm, what advice would you give to other women considering starting a business with a close friend or colleague? What have you learned about maintaining both a strong business partnership and a healthy personal relationship?

We knew there were risks to starting a business with your best friend, but it’s been one of the best decisions we’ve made. From the beginning, we set clear guardrails—both for how we’d work together and for the kind of projects we wanted to take on. As a strategic communications firm, we also use our own communication tools with each other: checking in regularly to stay aligned on clients, project priorities, and workload, and to address any conflicts openly and early.

We’ve both worked in environments that didn’t always make us feel confident or supported, so creating a partnership rooted in trust, positivity, and mutual respect has been incredibly rewarding. We’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders, and that daily encouragement keeps our work—and our friendship—strong.

Are you a woman leader with an inspiring journey to tell? Founded by Women is on a mission to elevate and amplify the voices of women making an impact.

If you're breaking barriers, driving change, or paving the way for others, we’d love to feature your story. Get in touch with us today!

👉 hi@foundedbywomen.org