I'm Aria Spears. Builder. Systems thinker.
Recovering military spouse. Person who will absolutely out-prepare you.
I grew up moving — Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Missouri — which means I learned early how to read a new room, find the connective tissue in unfamiliar places, and build belonging from scratch.
It turns out those skills translate.
I've spent 10+ years building community infrastructure in places where the system didn't exist yet. Across 15 countries for a global nonprofit, inside the Michigan startup ecosystem, and everywhere in between. I've written technical training curriculum from zero. I've shifted program models across 10 countries without a budget or formal authority. I've run CEO retreats that founders called the best they'd ever attended. I've built CRM strategies, hiring rubrics, onboarding systems, and event operations — usually under-resourced, always with results.
I also published a book about community building during a pandemic while navigating military life. Because apparently, when things are uncertain, I build things. It's a reflex.
Here's what I know about myself: I think in systems. I see what's missing before most people know to look for it. And I genuinely love the moment when chaos becomes a process. That moment when the thing that was keeping a founder up at night becomes the thing that just runs.
I'm based in Adrian, Michigan. But thanks to tech tools, you and I can chat just about anywhere.
What I believe about the work:
Visionary founders don’t fail because they lack ideas, talent, or commitment. They fail because the gap between vision and execution has no bridge. That bridge is operations. And operations done well is invisible. That is, people just experience a community that feels intentional, a process that actually works, a team that knows what to do next.
That's what I build.
Not because I love spreadsheets (though I do have feelings about a well-structured Notion database or Monday.com board), but because I've seen what happens when communities have the infrastructure to match their vision. People show up differently. Leaders lead instead of firefight. They know how and when to take action.
A few things that are true about me:
I have lived in four countries and five states and rebuilt my life more than once. I know what it costs to start over, and I know what it takes to build something that lasts.
I am extraordinarily good at other people's ideas. Give me your vision, and I will build you the bones.
I work best with founders who are honest about what they don't know, move with intention, and care about their people as much as their metrics.
I am not the right fit if you want someone to maintain the status quo. I am constitutionally incapable of leaving a broken system alone. Just ask any of my past managers ;)
Currently:
Working inside the Michigan startup ecosystem, working on a grad degree at Duke, building toward the next thing, and taking on a small number of Community Operations Sprint engagements for founders who are ready to stop operating on emergency mode.
If that's you, or if you just want to talk shop about community building, operational sustainability, or how AI agents can quietly change your life, I’d love to hear from you.
