As 2025 comes to a close, we’ve been reflecting on what it really looked like to help organizations unlock their innovation potential in a year defined by complexity, ambition, and meaningful stakes. This conversation with our founders, Kristin Pardue and Brad von Bank, offers a candid look at how Rêve showed up for clients, evolved as a purpose-driven company, and continued to define what it means to be a new breed of partner. Their reflections highlight a year grounded in clarity over chaos, collaboration over prescription, and progress that lasts well beyond any single engagement — an embodiment of the human-centered, purpose-led approach at the heart of Rêve’s brand
Looking back at 2025, what are you most proud of in how we helped clients unlock their innovation potential?
KP:
What stands out most is how often we helped teams move from problem to action. Many clients came to us feeling overwhelmed, not because they lacked ideas but because their mandates were ambitious and high stakes. We helped them make sense of complex systems, human behavior, and competing priorities, then turn that clarity into progress. Seeing leaders regain confidence once they had a clear path forward was deeply rewarding.
BVB:
I am proud that our work helped clients strengthen their ability to innovate beyond a single engagement. We worked closely with teams to co-create solutions they believed in and could sustain. One of the strongest signals of impact this year was hearing clients say their teams were working differently and making better decisions long after the project ended.
How did we evolve as a purpose-driven company this year, and what impact are you most excited about?
KP:
This year pushed us to be more intentional about how purpose shows up in daily decisions. Purpose guided the problems we chose to work on, how we partnered with clients, and how we defined success. I am especially excited about how we extended our impact beyond client work by sharing our thinking more openly and investing in building capabilities that help others lead with clarity and care.
BVB:
Purpose shaped how we grew and where we focused our energy. We were thoughtful about partnerships, transparent about tradeoffs, and clear about the kind of legacy we want to help our clients create. That clarity strengthened relationships and allowed us to build momentum in a way that felt aligned and sustainable.
What did this year teach us about being a new breed of partner, and how did that shape our client relationships?
KP:
This year reinforced the value of showing up with curiosity, authenticity, and a willingness to work through uncertainty together. Clients were looking for partners who could help them navigate complexity with confidence and care. Trust deepened when we acknowledged the realities of change and designed approaches that reflected how organizations actually operate.
BVB:
Being a new breed of partner meant staying close to the work and to the people doing it. We collaborated directly with client teams and shared accountability for outcomes. That approach led to more open conversations, faster alignment, and solutions that teams felt ownership over.
In what ways did our team stretch creatively or strategically in 2025, and what new capabilities or bold bets are on the horizon?
KP:
Our team stretched by taking on more complex, systems-level challenges where strategy, behavior change, and execution collide. We pushed ourselves to integrate emerging tools, new research methods, and sharper facilitation approaches, all while staying grounded in human needs. Looking ahead, we’re making bold bets on turning more of our thinking into accessible tools and platforms, so our impact can travel further than any single engagement.
BVB:
Strategically, we leaned into experimentation, testing new ways of engaging clients, packaging our expertise, and staying relevant in a rapidly changing landscape. The next chapter is about scale with integrity: expanding our capabilities without losing what makes Rêve, Rêve.
If you could offer one piece of advice to future Rêvers based on this year’s journey, what would it be?
KP:
Stay anchored in human insight and approach each challenge with humility and rigor. Meaningful change comes from deep listening, thoughtful synthesis, and the courage to act on what you learn.
BVB:
Invest in relationships and take the time to earn trust. When trust is strong, collaboration becomes easier and the work carries lasting impact.
Taken together, these reflections tell the story of a year where impact was measured not just by outcomes delivered, but by confidence built, capabilities strengthened, and relationships deepened. In 2025, Rêve leaned into complexity with curiosity, paired rigor with humility, and made deliberate choices about how purpose guides both strategy and day-to-day work. The advice Kristin and Brad offer future Rêvers — stay anchored in human insight, invest in trust, and have the courage to act — captures what continues to set Rêve apart. As we look ahead, this foundation positions us to scale our impact with integrity, helping more teams navigate change with clarity, care, and momentum.
