Meet Audrey Dhanani
In the fast-evolving world of business operations and strategic growth, Audrey Dhanani stands out as a dynamic force driving success. Based in Langley, British Columbia, Audrey currently serves as the Executive Assistant to the CEO at 505-Junk & Bolt Accelerator, where her unique blend of operational expertise, technology insight, and strategic business acumen powers key initiatives. Her multi-faceted background as a Business Consultant, Director of Operations, and Business Development Manager has shaped her into a leader who transforms challenges into opportunities. Audrey’s passion lies in streamlining processes, leading high-impact strategies, and fostering connections that fuel organizational growth. Audrey’s story is one of mastery, influence, and quiet power. She approaches her work with deep intentionality, navigating complexity with ease and turning the invisible into the indispensable.
Where Leadership Began: A Foundation in Vision and Compassion
Resilience and determination have been at the core of Audrey’s path since the very beginning. Audrey’s leadership story began long before her rise in the corporate world. At just 20 years old, she stepped into her first major leadership role managing a retail team, an experience that opened her eyes to endless possibilities. Yet, it was her time as a Kindergarten educator that truly shaped her approach to leadership, a people-first mindset grounded in empathy and intentionality.
In her early 20s, Audrey innovated a training program for new educators across nine schools. This program was designed not only to equip teachers with practical tools like behavioral management and lesson planning but also to provide a supportive space for sharing stories and decompressing. She reflected on this phase with pride: “I knew the sky was the limit.”
By 23, Audrey was the “Site Facilitator Sub,” akin to a Vice Principal, overseeing K-5 grades and managing students needing special attention. These formative years, rich in empathy and structure, laid the foundation for her future operational leadership roles. They also revealed her natural talent for systems thinking and compassionate management. Discover more about Audrey here.
From Consulting to Command: Shaping Operations with Precision
Audrey transitioned from education to business with the same spirit of innovation. One of her earlier roles in this new chapter was as an Operations Specialist at Varsteel, where she quickly gained recognition for bringing human-centered thinking into industrial environments. One standout initiative involved introducing color-coded scheduling to improve manufacturing workflows, a solution that was simple, scalable, and praised company-wide.
“When we stop compartmentalizing our knowledge and start cross-applying what we’ve learned, we unlock more opportunities than we realize,” Audrey reflects.
Audrey’s leadership style is marked by her fearless approach and adaptability, qualities she credits for her success. While serving as Director of Operations at a consulting firm, one of her employees summed it up best:
“Your superhero skill is thinking outside of the box.”
By age 30, Audrey had helped scale the firm from four to eleven employees. Her strategic decision to separate marketing and operations enhanced execution and accelerated growth, cementing her reputation as an operational change-maker with a people-first mindset.
The Power of Self-Worth and Culture Fit
Not every experience in Audrey’s journey was smooth. After earning a promotion in a startup environment, she faced a harsh reality when told her efforts were “willy nilly.” Rather than allowing this to diminish her, Audrey made the courageous decision to step away, a choice that deepened her understanding of leadership and self-worth. She explained this pivotal moment: “It takes self-worth to walk away from a space that doesn’t value you. It takes confidence to stand alone and revisit your vision so that when you begin to search again, you’re more certain about an overall culture fit.”
This experience reaffirmed her belief that a thriving environment is essential for success, whether it’s plants, kids, animals, or people. At Bolt, a fast-growing startup where Audrey currently excels, her broad skill set and tenacity are celebrated, fueling her daily drive. This alignment between purpose and environment allows Audrey to lead with empathy, innovation and impact, hallmarks of her journey. For her, thriving isn’t just about performance; it’s about being seen, heard and trusted in the spaces where you show up fully.
“I wake up every day ready to put on my Bolt hat, eager to achieve great outcomes.”
Her journey is a reminder that walking away from the wrong place can be the boldest step toward the right one. When you’re aligned with purpose and culture, success becomes a natural outcome.
Operational Excellence and People-First Leadership
Audrey’s career is a blend of strategic operations and people-centric leadership. She currently serves as Executive Assistant to the CEO at 505-Junk and Bolt Accelerator. While Executive Assistant roles are often seen as purely administrative, Audrey’s position breaks the mold. She operates as a strategic partner to the CEO, leading high-impact projects, implementing ROI-driven initiatives, and contributing directly to executive decision-making alongside the CEO, President, Vice President, and Directors.
At 505-Junk and Bolt Accelerator, Audrey leverages her broad expertise to ensure seamless execution of strategic business solutions. She promotes the integration of technology to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness, all while leading cross-functional initiatives that support long-term organizational goals.
“I’m not a support person, I’m a leader who builds systems and strategies that shape outcomes,” she explains. “While I value human connection and emotional intelligence, my impact is measured by the results we deliver.”
Audrey thrives in fast-paced environments where leadership and collaboration go hand in hand. She builds frameworks where trust, innovation, and open dialogue drive performance, fostering workplaces where teams can truly thrive. Explore more about Bolt here.
“My purpose is to scale our operations, design proactive strategies, and drive profitability across the company,” Audrey shares.
Redefining Titles and Building Culture
Despite initial hesitation about moving into a traditionally administrative title, Audrey embraced the opportunity to redefine it. “It’s not that I’m more than my title,” she says, “It’s that I’m expanding its meaning through my actions. Alongside other EAs of various levels, she works to reshape how the business world views this role, and she’s honored to be a part of that development. At Bolt, she’s part of a leadership team that prioritizes humanity alongside performance.
“We all value living the human experience over titles,” she says, reflecting on the open and collaborative culture that fuels her drive.
Audrey brings a people-first mindset to her strategic execution. She values compassion and interpersonal connection as essential tools of leadership, not signs of passivity or support, but qualities that empower teams and drive trust-based collaboration.
Leading from the Core: Calm, Confident, and Unshakeable
Audrey commands every room she enters. Her presence brings clarity to fast-moving conversations, stability during high-pressure moments, and elevates the standard across teams. From the moment she onboarded, other leaders noted how her presence required them to level up, a testament to the caliber of leadership she brings.
“When you operate with intentionality and high standards, it naturally raises the bar for everyone around you. That’s not something you force, it’s something that happens when you’re genuinely committed to excellence.”
She shapes the executive lens, ensuring initiatives stay on track, values remain intact, and decisions reflect both vision and strategic intent. Whether leading company-wide project rollouts, managing stakeholder relationships, or providing strategic partnership to the CEO through calendar oversight and executive alignment, Audrey operates with discernment, care, and conviction.
Leadership in Service: Redefining the Role
Audrey’s role as Executive Assistant to the CEO at 505-Junk and Bolt Accelerator operates at the heart of strategic leadership. Her position centers on alignment, innovation, and organizational influence, core elements that drive the company’s growth and vision forward. “Scaling operations, driving ROI-focused strategies, and leading transformative initiatives, that’s where I make my impact,” Audrey explains. Her work exemplifies the evolution of executive leadership, where professionals operate at the intersection of operations, culture, and strategic vision.
Rather than redefining traditional support, Audrey embodies what modern executive leadership looks like: collaborative, intentional, and results-driven. With a seat at every leadership table, including executive meetings with the CEO, President, VP, and Directors, her role demonstrates how strategic partnership with executive leadership creates measurable impact across the organization.
Audrey represents a new generation of executive leaders who understand that influence and innovation happen through deep alignment with organizational strategy, not despite traditional role boundaries.
Personal Growth, Boundaries, and Future Vision
Audrey’s personal evolution is equally inspiring. Earlier in life, she internalized the belief that worthiness came from achievement. But through intentional self-work, she’s reframed her identity, choosing balance, wholeness, and wellness as foundational elements of her success.
She reflects, “Before becoming very knowledgeable about healing, I allowed my accomplishments to define how lovable or respectable I am. I thought I had to earn every space I was in.” Now, she’s committed to balancing ambition with wellness, choosing wholeness, presence, and groundedness as the foundation of effective leadership.
This shift influences not only how she shows up in her role, but how she leads others. Audrey is currently focused on mastering emotional boundaries, learning to hold space for others without absorbing their energy. “I am in the process of learning not to absorb energy around me so that I can continue to operate while holding necessary space for others.”
The Road Ahead
Looking forward, Audrey’s aspirations are bold yet grounded. She plans to step into the Director of Operations role soon. A lifelong writer, she also dreams of authoring a book that captures her insights and experiences as a woman redefining leadership in the modern workplace.
“I’ve learned that wherever I go, I bring vision, innovation, and heart to transform what’s possible. What is strategy if not the bridge between our dreams and reality?”
Her belief in the leadership at Bolt and her alignment with its mission keeps her driven every day. Audrey is not just building a career, she’s building a movement around redefining roles, embracing authenticity, and leading with bold purpose.
Editorial Note
Audrey Dhanani exemplifies strategic leadership in the modern executive landscape. As a trusted business partner to C-suite leadership, she navigates complex organizational challenges while driving operational excellence and strategic initiatives. Her approach to executive partnership demonstrates how today’s most effective leaders operate, not from the sidelines but as integral architects of business success. Audrey’s story illustrates that transformational leadership takes many forms, and the most impactful professionals are those who seamlessly translate vision into execution while building the strategic foundations that enable organizations to thrive.
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