Legacy isn’t built overnight. It’s crafted through countless decisions, risks taken, and barriers confronted head-on. Stacy Rae understands this better than most. Her confident smile on this month’s Touchstone cover reflects a woman who has learned to embrace both the journey and the destination.
“People often ask about my five-year plan,” Rae says, adjusting her signature glasses as we settle into the corner booth of her favorite local café—a spot she insists on supporting despite having conference rooms in her downtown headquarters. “But I’ve always been more interested in five-generation plans. That longer view changes everything about how you build.”
What started as a bootstrapped consultancy has evolved into Horizon Partners, a business ecosystem that spans industries from sustainable tech to inclusive finance. Rae, who began her career in corporate America (“doing time,” as she jokingly refers to it), quickly recognized the structural limitations that would prevent the kind of impact she envisioned.
“I kept bumping my head against invisible ceilings,” she recalls, stirring her tea absentmindedly. “One day I realized—why keep trying to renovate someone else’s house when I could design my own from the ground up? It was terrifying,” she admits with a quick laugh. “My parents thought I’d lost my mind walking away from that salary and stability.”
By 27, she had secured funding for her first venture. Rather than following the typical growth-at-all-costs playbook, Rae implemented what she calls “conscious scaling”—a methodology that prioritizes sustainable growth, team wellbeing, and community impact alongside profitability. The approach raised eyebrows initially but has since been adopted by numerous startups and featured in business school case studies.
Her daily routine reflects the work-life integration she champions. “Balance implies these parts of your life are in opposition,” she notes, glancing at her carefully color-coded calendar. “I prefer alignment. Some days are heavy on family time, others on strategic work. The key is that nothing gets consistently sacrificed.”
Rising at 5:30 AM (though she confesses this happens “more like 6:15 on Mondays”), Rae begins with meditation and reviewing her priorities before her twin daughters wake up. “Those quiet morning moments center me before the beautiful chaos begins,” she says. “And believe me, with 7-year-olds and a global team, there’s plenty of chaos.”
Those who work with Rae describe a leader who combines strategic vision with unexpected warmth. “Stacy remembers everyone’s kids’ names and major life events while simultaneously challenging you to rethink entire business models,” explains Horizon’s Chief Strategy Officer, Leila Washington. “She doesn’t compartmentalize the human element and the business element. That’s her superpower.”
With over 1.8 million followers across platforms, Rae has built a digital presence focused on practical leadership insights rather than personal brand-building. You can follow her thoughtful takes on business trends on Twitter, glimpses into her leadership approach on Instagram, and her popular “Three Minute Mentor” series on TikTok.
“Social media can be incredibly noisy,” Rae acknowledges, briefly checking a notification on her phone before turning it face-down. “I’m only interested in adding value, not volume. If I don’t have something substantive to share on Instagram, you won’t hear from me that day.”
This authenticity extends to her advocacy work. Rae has been outspoken about creating pathways for underrepresented groups in business, particularly focusing on access to capital. Her Keystone Initiative has helped secure funding for over 200 women and minority-led startups that might otherwise have been overlooked by traditional venture capital.
“Building generational wealth isn’t just about your own family,” she insists, suddenly animated. “It’s about creating systems where historically excluded communities can build and transfer assets, knowledge, and opportunity. That’s how you change the economic landscape long-term.”
At 42, with multiple successful ventures and growing influence in policy circles, Rae seems increasingly focused on institutional change. When asked about her proudest achievement, she pauses thoughtfully, tapping her fingernails against the table.
“We recently helped a young founder—brilliant woman, first-generation college graduate—secure her Series B funding,” she says, her expression softening. “The morning after the deal closed, she called to tell me she’d just helped her parents pay off their mortgage. That moment,” she nods firmly, “that’s the work. The real legacy isn’t on balance sheets. It’s in changed lives.”
Our scheduled hour has stretched to nearly two. Her assistant has texted twice with gentle reminders about her next appointment. But when I mention a question about mentorship models, Rae holds up a hand to signal for more time. “This matters,” she mouths to her assistant who’s appeared at the café entrance.
That’s when I glimpse what truly distinguishes Stacy Rae in a landscape of successful entrepreneurs. In her world of careful calendar management and strategic growth, she’s maintained something essential—the wisdom to recognize which moments deserve to expand beyond their allotted space, even when the schedule protests. Perhaps that’s the most valuable lesson she has to offer: true leadership requires knowing not just how to manage time, but how to honor it.
