From coordinating schoolyard games to leading teams, THEY VISUALIZE VALUE’s Co-Founder and Managing Director, Jolene Prins, has always embraced leadership as second nature. The veteran traces the early contours of her leadership journey back to when she was just five or six. Even then, she had a natural tendency to take the lead and do things in an organized manner—whether that meant running school activities or maintaining order on the playground. “My classmates might have thought I was ‘bossy,'” Jolene recalls, “but I like to think that I was just the beginning of my leadership career!” Of course, with an instinct to organize, empower, and uplift.
Her first venture into entrepreneurship came in high school when she launched a student magazine. It was definitely not for trophies or awards. She enjoyed curating the talents of her classmates, rallying them to collectively produce the best magazine they could with the resources available.
That same spirit followed her into adulthood when she opened a sewing school in Amsterdam. With women on both sides of her family being talented seamstresses, she felt deeply grateful to have learned those skills from them and was inspired to pass them on to others through her business. Jolene notes, “The real purpose of entrepreneurship for me: Creating platforms where you can share your talents and passions to improve the lives of others.”
This idea became especially clear during her first visit to India. There, she met people filled with promise yet constrained by circumstance. It stirred something deep in her, a belief that business could help unlock that potential. The vision crystallized further when she met her eventual co-founder. While Jolene was fluent in the logistics of building, her partner’s passion lay in the intellectual and philosophical dimensions of business. Their complementary strengths came together not by chance but by shared purpose. And this is how THEY VISUALIZE VALUE came to life.
Redefining Value Through Storytelling
Reflecting on how her journey led to a deeper understanding of value, Jolene explains that the experiences on the road to co-founding THEY VISUALIZE VALUE helped her recognize that value comes in many shapes and forms. Naturally, there’s profit, the bottom line, and she firmly believes that a business’s success in that regard is closely tied to how leadership communicates its message. Clients, she says, want to know not only what you do but who you are, and effective communication builds trust that often translates into financial success.
But for this sagacious businesswoman, value isn’t confined to financial ledgers. It’s also about emotional resonance, clarity, and meaning, all of which are essential in building businesses that create lasting impact. At THEY, one of the team’s core focuses is on intercultural communication, bridging cultural gaps in ways that empower leaders to connect with diverse teams and global audiences. Jolene believes that leaders who don’t just smooth over surface-level cultural differences but actively tap into the strength of diverse perspectives can accomplish far more. Likewise, those who apply cultural intelligence to communicate with clients through messaging that truly resonates are more likely to build enduring relationships — and that, too, is a form of value.
When people discuss “value,” they typically consider results, including profit, KPIs, and outcomes. She explains, “But at THEY, we see value as something deeper: emotional resonance, clarity, meaning.” She further affirms that “visualizing value” is about making the invisible felt.
Jolene demonstrates the process THEY follow when creating presentations and how they enter into a process of deep listening. It’s not about putting bullet points on slides. Instead, it’s about telling stories. They spend weeks, sometimes months, in dialogue with the leader behind the message. Every line, image, and even punctuation mark is chosen with care and purpose. Nothing is random; every detail is part of the larger narrative and adds meaning, often on a subconscious level.
On a personal note, for Jolene, visualizing value also means being deeply intentional. She is known for refusing to settle for “nice” or “good enough” and for insisting that every detail matters.
Whether it’s a keynote, a report, a story or even a conversation, she says the same questions guide her: Does it bring clarity? Does it resonate? Because that’s when the value doesn’t just land, it lasts.
Cutting Through the Noise with Clarity
Writing has always been a major part of Jolene’s life. To her, it’s a way to find focus and process ideas, whether through journaling or expressive narratives. She even has a novel in progress. What moves her most is the power of narrative expression to create a connection. She realized this same sensibility could be woven into THEY’s mission, to support visionary leaders with communication that captures their values and vision while amplifying their impact.
In today’s competitive and saturated business world, an effective method for building a brand’s presence is to communicate in a manner that stands out, resonates universally, and has an emotionally impactful effect on the target audience.
With AI on the rise, Jolene feels that it’s more important than ever to bring something authentic and creative to the table. Being actually a fan of AI, she believes in its potential when used well. Not just that, she’s also observing a surge of what she calls “AI slop” flooding the market. This scenario clearly highlights a vital truth as she puts it, “There is a market need for what THEY offer its clients: inspired and thoughtfully crafted content and communication.”
Creative Culture, Without the Compromise
This veteran leader also knows that creativity can’t flourish in a vacuum. People need to feel seen, heard, and valued for their contributions to truly thrive. She believes that even the most passionate work can lose its luster if it goes unacknowledged. Though freedom and flexibility are essential for fostering a creative workplace, they can also be double-edged swords. To counter that, at THEY, the team fosters a culture where everyone feels free to share ideas. They encourage all employees, regardless of position, to “think like an owner.” It lets them voice their perspectives and suggest new approaches. The more people feel empowered to contribute, the more connected they become to the company’s mission. The result, Julene notes, is highly creative output, agile thinking, and responsiveness.
She recalls that this approach was initially challenging in India. Early on, team members tended to stick to assigned duties and hesitated to share ideas or take risks. She recognized that hierarchy was far more ingrained in India than in the Netherlands. To address this, she found ways to help her Indian team step beyond defined roles and participate more actively. Over time, this led to a proactive, self-driven team, something she says has significantly elevated the quality of their collective work. It’s this human-first leadership style that keeps the spark alive and the team aligned.
Redefining Value, Inside and Out
Some leaders command with authority; others lead through impact. Jolene is unmistakably the latter. It’s no surprise she’s been named one of the ‘Top 10 Most Empowering Women in Business, 2025.’ For her, value isn’t measured in profit margins or prestige but in people. Her definition of value is in simple, unmistakable terms. Jolene depicts it as about making a positive impact. For her, it begins with doing the best work possible and then reaching higher. It’s found in lifting others, bridging divides, and cultivating meaningful human connections. As she puts it, “Business without humanity is an empty experience.”
At THEY, value means more than output. It means people. Ensuring team members feel heard, supported, and empowered to grow both professionally and personally is paramount. It involves showing up for clients, not just to meet expectations but to surpass them. And it signifies giving back. Community, she says, is part of their ethos. As the company moves through the B-Corp certification process, it unlocks fresh momentum to deepen its social impact. Many of the B-Corp values were already embedded in their work practices, but the credential simply gives it a name and a path forward.
Helping clients create value starts with listening, real listening. Quality is non-negotiable. As a “clip-on” agency, THEY integrate closely with clients’ teams to gain a deep understanding of their vision, tone of voice, and aspirations. From there, the agency develops bespoke content. The intent is to amplify the clients’ messaging in a way that reflects the heart of their mission. Jolene adds that this approach not only develops powerful connections with clients’ customers but also has the potential to inspire internal teams.
And then there’s the human effect. Jolene recognizes how powerful it is for clients to see their stories told with care, their photos in an annual report, and their work reflected back to them with clarity and pride. “Sometimes, seeing all your hard work and dedication in black and white is a powerful reminder of everything you accomplish on a daily basis, which is often not acknowledged enough,” she says.
Nourishing the Leader Within Through Family and Reflection
Professional success is often enhanced by a healthy and fulfilling personal life. Therefore, establishing a distinct equilibrium between the two is essential. This is also true of Jolene. Her role entails a substantial workload that is invigorating. The environment is dynamic and necessitates a high level of emotional intelligence, strong decision-making capabilities, and the proficiency to persuade, inspire, comprehend, and address business requirements. What’s her secret to remaining centered and intentional in her leadership role?
With writing being her anchor, Jolene makes time for it whenever she can. It helps her clear her mind, sort through her feelings, and see things more clearly. But her real recharge potion? The moments spent with her three daughters. Whether she’s closing her laptop to cook dinner with them or sitting on the front porch for a chat, those times remind her what truly matters. Nourishing her relationships with family and friends, she says, “fills her cup.” It also helps her immensely in her leadership by keeping her grounded.
Next Steps for THEY VISUALIZE VALUE and Jolene
A goal-setter with a long-term perspective, Jolene understands how to plan ahead. Even if fate has a hand in certain things, she insists on becoming a “catalyst” instead. Therefore, she has a clear plan for THEY VISUALIZE VALUE. She envisions an exciting future for the company, with plans to broaden its expertise in intercultural communication. This prescient executive recognizes a growing demand in the business world for approaches that go beyond solving day-to-day challenges. Her goal is to equip leaders with tools to “decode the cultural codebook,” enabling them to understand their multicultural and international teams truly. With these insights, Jolene believes leaders can foster deeper collaboration and unlock the full potential of diverse perspectives.
In terms of her professional course, Jolene plans to build her own practice on intercultural communication consulting while simultaneously working toward her therapist certification. Through workshops, one-on-one sessions, and community events, she aims to help others bridge cultural divides and navigate change with confidence. Jolene looks forward to nurturing meaningful connections wherever her journey takes her.
