Amy Rannebarger
Amy Rannebarger is a Business and People Strategist and CEO of Wingman Growth Advisors, serving as a trusted advisor to organizations navigating growth and leadership effectiveness.
Whether she’s leading a strategy session or stepping onto a stage, Amy’s mission is simple: help leaders make better decisions, build healthier organizations, and create workplaces that don’t suck. She works with founders, owners, and leadership teams navigating the real tension of growth, scaling fast without breaking their culture, burning out their people, or losing what made the business worth building in the first place. Her work centers on aligning people, priorities, and performance so growth is sustainable, intentional, and human.
With more than 20 years of experience spanning people operations, finance, compliance, risk management, and organizational development, Amy brings a rare, integrated perspective to business strategy. She is respected for her ability to translate complexity into clarity and is known for saying the hard thing in the room, with heart. Her career is defined by helping organizations move beyond performative leadership and outdated norms toward cultures built on trust, accountability, and grown up decision making.
Amy is an international best selling author and co author of Discovering Your Purpose in Today’s World, a sought after keynote speaker, and a deeply committed community leader. She is currently authoring The Myth of Too Much, a book that explores how embracing one’s full muchness allows individuals and organizations to thrive without compromising values or impact. She serves on the Board of the National Human Resource Association of St. Louis, the Executive Board of Salute Services, and is an Ambassador for the Job Seekers’ Garden Club. Amy is also a Chapter Leader for Women Empowering Women National in the St. Louis area. In 2025, she was named Volunteer of the Year for her leadership and service.
Outside of work, Amy is a proud mom of two incredible humans, wrangler of five rescue dogs, and partner to an endlessly supportive spouse who keeps her grounded when life gets extra. Music gives her life, and on a good day you’ll find her in her Jeep, top down and playlist loud, chasing the sun. She’s a fierce advocate for women in leadership, an active community builder, and a relentless champion for a life in pursuit of happy-ness.
• Lindenwood University - MHRM
• Volunteer of the Year - JSGC 2025
• National Human Resources Association - St Louis
• Job Seekers' Garden Club of St. Louis
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to curiosity, humility, and a well-timed sense of humor, especially in moments that take themselves far too seriously. I pay close attention, listen before reacting, and ask the questions most people feel but hesitate to voice. I have a deep commitment to authenticity, both my own and others’, and a practical ability to name reality when things get complicated.
I work from a place of grown-up leadership and zero bullshit. I don’t sugarcoat, posture, or hide behind language. I help people think clearly, take responsibility, and make decisions they’re willing to own. My work resonates because it respects people, values honesty and expects leaders to act like adults.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve ever received was:
“Success is where preparedness and opportunity meet.”
That advice, given by a complex and wildly successful business man named Robert Griggs, has always stuck with me because it puts responsibility where it belongs. You can’t control timing, but you can control how ready you are when the moment shows up. It has shaped my approach to not only build my own business, but with the organizations and leaders that I advise.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Learn the business as deeply as you learn the people. Credibility comes from understanding how decisions, money, risk, and consequences actually work, not just how things should work. Build real skill, develop your judgment, and don’t confuse being agreeable with being effective. Confidence grows fastest when it’s grounded in competence, and influence lasts longest when it’s paired with integrity. Protect the perspective you bring, especially the one shaped by experience, curiosity, and good judgment.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in my field right now is that many leaders are being asked to manage people, risk, and growth without ever having been taught how to do any of those things well. They’re smart, capable, and well-intentioned, but they’re operating without clear frameworks, honest feedback, or support that goes beyond surface-level advice.
The opportunity is that organizations are finally recognizing that growth doesn’t come from pushing people harder, it comes from aligning how work actually gets done. When people understand expectations, trust the system they’re operating in, and aren’t spending energy compensating for dysfunction, growth accelerates naturally. Companies that treat people strategy as a growth strategy, not just an HR function, are scaling with more stability, stronger performance, and far less wasted time and energy.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that matter most to me are authenticity, integrity, and clarity. I believe in showing up honestly, keeping my word, and making decisions I can stand behind. Clarity matters because it creates trust, momentum, and respect. Integrity matters because nothing meaningful works without it.
In my work, those values show up in how I advise leaders to think critically and use discernment to make decisions. I focus on clear expectations, honest conversations, and choices that people can stand behind. Trust is built through action by doing what you say you will do, making decisions with intention, and creating environments where people are not spending energy managing around confusion or performance.
In my personal life, those same values guide how I live. I value being present, laughing out loud as often as I can, and staying connected to what is real. I choose to show up, heart-whole and soul-free, living life in pursuit of happy-ness.
My Mantra:
Do No Harm
Take No Sh*t
And Be Kind...
It's really not that hard.