Wondering who I am?

I’m Laurie Onorio, Founder & CEO of The Advocacy Shop. I’ve been leading multi-million dollar businesses, practice areas, client strategies, and issue campaigns since 2006 and helped lead a company as it achieved recognition as an Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company three years running. I’ve also spent YEARS wondering when I get to enjoy life and my family without the whims of candidates or legislative sessions dictating my life. I love the work I do, but there aren’t many great examples of high achievers living the life I wanted for myself. I was determined to find a better path, and I’m happy to say I have.

I created the Advocacy Caucus to connect women like us to create a larger network where iron can sharpen iron. I was tired of my business controlling me, whether it was being at the mercy of the whims of legislatures and candidates or being so overwhelmed with work and self-imposed perfectionist expectations that I never had enough hours in the day. I was exhausted.

Fortunately, that has all changed and I am more fulfilled, rested, and enjoying things this industry has afforded me the opportunity to do personally and professionally. I want that to be the case for more women like us.

I’d love to find time to connect briefly to learn more about each other and the Accelerator Caucus. Feel free to schedule a short intro call here.

I hope you’ll be part of this caucus to give and receive.

A little more about me…

I grew up bouncing from South Carolina to Michigan and several places in North Carolina before settling into Raleigh, NC for college at NC State and sticking around to work on political and issue advocacy campaigns with one of the top political consultants in North Carolina. Starting right out of college and working my way up to serving as Vice President of The Stewart Group, Inc., I then transitioned from campaigns and grasstops/grassroots campaigns to direct lobbying. It wasn’t long before I launched my own company to combine these skills and lead multi-million dollar issue campaigns, procurement lobbying, and direct lobbying on a multitude of issues. Tackling an emerging digital advocacy scene I merged with digital marketing agency Walk West to bring a more full-service offering to clients. During my tenure there, I led the integration of an acquired video production and public relations company, led the strategic communications and advocacy division, and saw the company named as an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Company three-years running. Like many others during the pandemic, I took the opportunity to re-focus my goals and priorities and re-launched my business with more refined offerings in a boutique setting.

I am happier than ever, am meeting the needs of my family through ever changing seasons of life, am focused on my priorities, values, and goals, and operate from a place of calm and control rather than chaos and uncertainty. It takes work every day and I’ve been blessed with a network of amazing female-founders with the same goals to learn from and with and I hope to do the same for women in advocacy. I hope you’ll join us.

I’m married to an amazing man who started his successful business over 15 years ago and we have three children currently tackling middle school, elementary school, and pre-K, and one dog. We love being at the baseball field, the soccer field, the dance studio, school activities, and on the boat in the salt water. I’m currently learning French and love to travel, something my husband and I didn’t do much of until a few years ago when we decided to stop putting off our travel desires.