Your Business Has a Plan for Emergencies—But What About This?
Every leader prepares for fires, floods, and IT failures. But few are ready for the human setbacks that silently cost businesses billions—sudden loss, illness, and unexpected change.
Not sure if you’re ready? Start with the Solo Readiness Self-Check
Not sure if you’re ready? Start with the Company Readiness Check
Most businesses - regardless of size - have no plan in place when challenging events happen that impact them.
We help company leaders, solopreneurs and fractional executives create simple, strategic blueprints to protect business stability and respond with confidence when the unexpected happens.
You don’t have to be a part of the $225B financial hit American businesses suffer annually due to grief and loss events.
What’s Your Plan for Life’s Inevitable Setbacks?
Most businesses plan for external risks—cybersecurity threats, supply chain issues, and natural disasters. But what about the internal risks that impact your people, your performance, and your profits?
A key employee or loved one gets a devastating diagnosis.
A team member loses a loved one (including a pet).
A leader struggles after an unexpected layoff or company restructuring.
A disaster—fire, flood, or storm— strains business operations overnight.
The emotional impact of these events is unavoidable. But business disruptions don’t have to be.
That’s where we come in.
About Compassionate Response Consulting
Who We Are
Compassionate Response Consulting brings together two experienced leaders who share a passion for helping organizations navigate the human side of business with empathy and clarity.
Between us, we’ve worked inside businesses that handled loss and uncertainty with grace—and others that struggled. We are also both solopreneurs who recognized we have challenges to our own business continuity in the face of certain life events. These experiences drive our commitment to helping leaders and teams respond better, with clear strategies that sustain trust, productivity, and culture, even in difficult times.
Together, we deliver The Workplace Resilience Blueprint (for companies) and The Readiness Playbook for Unexpected Events (for solos & fractionals), equipping you and your leaders to manage change, loss, and uncertainty with compassion and confidence.
Michelle Arentz | Strategic Talent Rx
Maureen Desmond | Navigating Change & Loss
How We Work
We partner to deliver a seamless experience through Compassionate Response Consulting. Depending on your needs, you may engage with one or both of us at different points in the programs. No matter who you speak with, you’ll receive consistent support, a unified process, and a shared commitment to helping you, your leaders and your business thrive.
Contact either of us directly to take the next step. We coordinate behind the scenes to ensure your experience is smooth and personalized.
After the Blueprint…
For organizations seeking ongoing support beyond the Workplace Resilience Blueprint, you can choose to work further with either of us through our respective services—whether that’s leadership and workforce strategy or specialized grief and loss support. We’re here to continue supporting your leaders and teams, in the way that works best for you.
Choose the Right Readiness Plan for You
Whether you lead a business team or work independently, we offer tailored solutions to ensure you're prepared for the inevitable.
For Company Leaders:
The Workplace Resilience Blueprint (A Leadership Guide to Navigating Change With Stability)
Equip managers with clear, actionable response strategies
Reduce interruptions to productivity and performance
Strengthen employee trust and resilience
For Solopreneurs & Independent Leaders:
The Readiness Playbook for Unexpected Events (A Solopreneur’s Guide to Business Stability in Uncertain Times)
Protect your business from unexpected disruptions
Have a continuity plan before a crisis hits
Maintain client trust, productivity, and revenue stability
Be ready—before you need to be.
Why This Isn’t Just Another HR Policy or Leadership Training
This is NOT:
Grief counseling or emotional hand-holding
A reactive crisis response
Another EAP benefit or one-size-fits-all HR policy
A “nice-to-have” that sits in a folder unused
This IS:
A proactive business strategy to reduce disruption
A practical, structured framework for managers and teams
A fast, easy-to-implement process for businesses of all sizes
Your fire drill for workplace resilience.
Ready to Future-Proof Your Business?
Not sure you’re ready? Start with the Company Readiness Check
Not sure you’re ready? Start with the Solo Readiness Self-Check
Michelle Arentz and Maureen Desmond, Grief and Loss Coach & Consultant with Navigating Change and Loss have partnered to bring business leaders and solopreneurs a proven, practical approach to handling workplace challenges caused by unexpected life events. Combined, we are Compassionate Response Consulting.
Together, we provide leaders, managers, and independent professionals with the tools, strategies, and confidence to respond effectively—ensuring both personal resilience and business continuity.
For businesses → Train managers to navigate workplace challenges with confidence and empathy while minimizing disruption.
For solopreneurs and fractionals → Create a personal readiness plan to maintain business stability and client trust during unexpected events.
Our response framework can be implemented in a day and ensures you're prepared before a crisis happens—whether it's the loss of a loved one, a serious diagnosis, organizational change, or disaster disruption.
We bring the human touch to the most common human experience.
Back to Explore More Workforce Solutions
“Retaining disengaged employees through compassionate practices saves an organization about $9,000 per employee annually, avoiding the much larger costs of replacing staff.”
— Gallup