A private, one-on-one strategy session for advocates, creators, and changemakers. (Have an established business or startup you’d like to consult with Ilana on? You’re looking for this page. Office Hours are for individuals only.)
What Are Office Hours?
Office Hours are dedicated 60-minute strategy sessions designed for individuals who want personalized guidance, clarity, and direction on a project, idea, advocacy path, or creative endeavor.
These sessions are not medical advice, personal patient advocacy casework, or therapy.
Instead, they are structured, collaborative conversations focused on strategy, direction, and practical next steps—tailored to your goals and your lived experience.
If you’ve ever wished you could sit down with someone who deeply understands healthcare navigation, advocacy, storytelling, patient community building, and digital influence—this is that space.
Why I Started Office Hours
For more than a decade, I’ve supported patients and creators through my writing, my advocacy work, and my consulting across the healthcare ecosystem.
My background includes:
- Authoring two widely accessible books on healthcare navigation
- Leading programs in rare disease research, nonprofit development, and patient community building
- Connecting patient creators to paid opportunities through organizations like Global Genes, FDNA, and WEGO Health
- Consulting with healthcare companies, startups, digital health apps, and media organizations
- A long career as a patient influencer, working with pharmaceutical and healthcare brands on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok with millions of views
Along the way, people have reached out for guidance on everything from launching nonprofits to navigating advocacy projects, building content platforms, pitching themselves, securing speaking opportunities, and moving an idea from “someday” to “now.”
What I realized is that many people don’t need a full consulting engagement—they need one powerful hour with someone who’s already traveled this road.
Office Hours exists to provide that hour:
Focused, strategic, high-impact support for the ideas you’re trying to bring to life.
What Can I Help You With?
Creative Direction & Idea Development
- Clarifying an idea you can’t stop thinking about
- Turning a “someday” project into an actionable plan
- Deciding which idea to pursue now (and which to shelve)
- Stress-testing whether an idea has real legs
- Cutting through overthinking and decision paralysis
Influencer & Creator Strategy
- Getting started as an influencer without feeling cringey or exposed
- Finding your lane, voice, and point of view
- Understanding what actually makes creators valuable to brands
- Growing an audience with intention (not burnout)
- Transitioning from “posting” to positioning
Monetization & Getting Paid
- Pitching yourself for paid brand campaigns
- Understanding influencer rates, retainers, and packages
- Knowing when to say yes — and when to walk away
- Leveraging an existing audience without cheapening your work
- Turning visibility into sustainable income
Books, Writing & Thought Leadership
- “I think I’ll write a book someday” → figuring out if you should
- Clarifying book ideas, angles, and audiences
- Understanding traditional publishing vs. other paths
- Using a book to build credibility, not just a product
- Leveraging writing to open doors (speaking, media, consulting)
PR, Media & Personal Branding
- Building PR around yourself or your work
- Positioning your story for media without oversharing
- Understanding what journalists, brands, and organizations look for
- Crafting a narrative that opens doors
- Knowing how to show up as credible, not desperate
Networking & Opportunity Creation
- Networking without feeling transactional or gross
- Pitching yourself for opportunities (media, speaking, collaborations)
- Following up without sounding needy
- Turning warm connections into real opportunities
- Knowing when timing — not talent — is the issue
Career Pivots & Professional Identity
- Leaving a role that no longer fits
- Building a parallel path while still employed
- Turning expertise into consulting or advisory work
- Positioning yourself as an expert, not “just experienced”
- Navigating career transitions with strategy, not panic
Strategy for People With Chronic Illness
- Building a career that accounts for fluctuating health
- Creating boundaries that protect your body and credibility
- Advocating without becoming the system’s unpaid labor
- Designing work that bends instead of breaks you
- Planning around energy, not just ambition
Decision-Making & Readiness
- Knowing when you’re actually ready — even if you’re scared
- Identifying what’s keeping you stuck
- Turning clarity into next steps
- Moving forward without waiting for permission
- Choosing momentum over perfection
Can Anyone Schedule a Session?
Office Hours are intentionally limited and selective — not because you need to have everything figured out, but because this time is designed to create plans for your next steps. This is a strategy session and you will leave with the plan you were struggling to complete on your own.
Good applicants for these sessions are coming to the table with an idea, a milestone, a project, or a path and want concrete steps, not abstract reassurance. They may not know what the dash is between A-Z, but they want to find out.
How Much Does It Cost?
A 60-minute Office Hour session is $150.
This rate allows me to offer individualized, high-quality guidance while keeping sessions accessible for the many people who follow my work.
For ongoing business consulting or long-term organizational strategy, separate packages are available upon request.
Can I book more than one session?
If you’re starting a new business or want ongoing support, that moves into my consulting work. I can send over my individual retainer packages if you’d like to explore that.
If you’re just looking for continued guidance after your initial Office Hours session, I offer:
90-minute deep-dive session — $250
45-minute follow-up session — $165
What Are the Next Steps?
- Schedule a time using my Calendly link.
- After booking, please complete the intake form to help me learn more about your goals. (NOTE: YOU MUST COMPLETE THE FORM 48 HOURS PRIOR TO OUR CALL.)
- Once you’re approved for your session, you’ll be sent a follow up email as well as a secure payment link. Your session is confirmed once payment is completed.
- At the scheduled time, we meet for a focused, one-on-one strategy session via Zoom.
If you’re ready for clarity, momentum, or a strategic push forward—I’d be honored to meet with you. Have questions? Send me an email at ilanawrites@gmail.com