Julie Sellers,
CEO & Client Strategist

After a bold move from Europe to the US, Julie Sellers founded Ellevated Outcomes to offer a new service for creative entrepreneurs: customized business strategy to change the trajectory of their businesses and lives.

In early 2017 Julie completed her Executive MBA in Paris, France while simultaneously building a multi-million-dollar financial services business in London, England. Prior to London, Julie resided in Boston, Massachusetts where she advised c-suite executives on where to expand their business internationally, new products to add to their company’s portfolio, and how to streamline sales and operations to increase revenue while decreasing effort.

After years spent developing her personal business strategy, Julie packed up her family and moved to Nashville: the ideal place to build a company that married Julie’s love of business and unique international experience with a longing to work with creative entrepreneurs.

Julie has worked with new and existing businesses in several dimensions:

• Optimizing existing businesses, priming them for sustainable growth.
• Realigning businesses with target markets and pricing that magnify their strengths and create more profitable opportunities.
• Assessing new business opportunities – advising when to expand and when not to.

Julie leads with intention, thoughtfulness, and attention to detail. She complements these attributes with confidence, clarity, and holding herself and others accountable for excellence in execution. Internally and externally, she attracts people who want to create truly exceptional lives and businesses, reaching beyond what they’ve seen role modeled before.

Her strategy superpower is Marketing & Finance.

Cara Jackson,
Client Strategist

Cara is a well-known, attention-commanding lawyer and business manager in the Nashville Creative market. She began her career in NYC at Rodale Inc, working in corporate communications, business development, and business affairs. In 2007, Cara relocated to Nashville to work at Bass, Berry & Sims as an associate in the Intellectual Property & Technology Group, where she counseled start-ups to publicly traded companies on IP matters. She later transitioned into a business development and strategic role with the firm, as the Managing Director for the Corporate & Securities Practice.

In 2015, Cara jumped into entrepreneurship, launching a business management firm for creative businesses, with 40+ clients, whose needs ranged from business formation and capital raising, to building infrastructure and streamlining processes.

Cara studied English at Vanderbilt University, then earned her J.D. from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in NYC. She is licensed to practice law in New York and Tennessee.

She spends most of her time, professionally and personally, supporting the arts and creative community. She’s served as President of the Board of Directors for the Nashville Opera and on the Board of Ten Thousand Villages.

A former New Yorker and East Nashvillian, these days you can find her living in Brentwood (a bit reluctantly). However, she’s found the upsides of suburban life to be: plenty of space for her husband, sweet old dog, and room to exercise her love for interior design. When she’s not dreaming up new designs for her home, you can find her shopping, spending time in the mountains of NC, and getting lost in cult documentaries.

Her strategy superpowers are Legal & Business Development.

Julia Sweitzer,
Client Strategist

Julia is a process and leadership communication architect, who has honed her craft in organizations of all sizes and industries, across multiple functions of the business. She’s worked in product development, marketing, and stakeholder management.

In her early career in Washington DC, Julia learned to love spreadsheets and strategy while analyzing innovation for Fortune 100 companies. In 2016 she moved to Nashville, immersing herself in the fashion industry at the Nashville Fashion Alliance and then at VF Corporation. Driven by her love of design, in 2018 Julia jumped at the opportunity to co-found and launch Nashville Design Week (NDW).

In 2021, Julia’s leadership and entrepreneurial experience at NDW, coupled with a personal wellness journey, inspired her move to the wellness mecca of Los Angeles. There, she deeply studied human-centric organizational growth, while earning her MBA at the impressive UCLA Anderson School of Management.

Julia’s love for design, wellness, process, and communication knows no bounds. Post-It notes pepper her walls and in her free time she “indulges” in leadership and personal development podcasts. A perfect night is hosting a small Sweitzer Soirée dinner party or attending a design event. Otherwise, you can catch her on the backpacking trail, shooting film photography, or writing for her personal newsletter, Chartreuse Muse. Julia is currently based in Boston with her husband, a landscape architect, and their cat, Pegasus.

Her strategy superpower is Process and Leadership Communication

Dana Meeks,
Client Strategist

Dana is a strategist, super-connector, and financial analyst with more than 15 years of experience, helping individuals and businesses understand and strengthen their financial health.

She began her career at The Northern Trust Company in Chicago, later bringing her expertise to Nashville’s famed Music Row, where she blended her love for finance and music at SunTrust. There, she worked with musicians, songwriters, publishers, and business managers. Eventually, she returned to Chicago to serve as Director of Strategic Initiatives in the Family Office unit at Bank of Montreal.

Dana thrives in deep financial analysis, but she’s just as skilled at zooming out to design sustainable solutions that honor both data and emotion. Endlessly curious and deeply intuitive, Dana is known for forging spark-filled connections and bringing clarity to complex challenges. Her precision, process-oriented mindset, and love of structure make her a powerhouse behind the scenes.

She holds a Finance degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with additional studies in Advertising (an analytical creative, through and through). She also maintains Series 7, 63, and 65 licenses.

Outside of work, Dana is happiest exploring parks with her son, cheering on Chicago sports teams, or learning new skills, like Artificial Intelligence and Digital Scrapbooking. She lives in Hinsdale, IL with her husband Andrew, their son Elvis, and their labradoodle Maggie May.

Dana’s Strategy Superpowers are Finance & Process.