Holly Gottlieb.

I used to avoid calling myself a recruiter. But ever since I found out that the etymology of recruiter means ‘to grow’, I think it’s the coolest thing. Because I really love helping things grow.

Straight out of college, I worked for Europe's fastest growing recruitment tech firm in London. In 2016 I was given the opportunity to help set up our first international office in LA, connecting the local tech community and helping scale some of the most exciting brands out of Silicon beach. 

Life imploded 3 years in, when my business partner tragically died. It sparked a catalyst in me, driving a pursuit for finding something more, a deeper meaning to it all, and the bigger question of what really makes me happy?

For the covid years, I was a total hippie. I hit my own rock bottom, and because of visa drama, decided to get on the road and make music. This was the beginning of a relentless inner quest - getting in touch with my own values, sense of purpose, and the things that spark joy in me.

I thought I was quitting the corporate world forever. But then, oh wait. Money.

I came back to LA in 2022, and serendipitously recruited MUD\WTR's CMO. I realized that maybe it wasn't recruiting or the corporate world I was running from, but the way that I had operated in it before.

Over the next few years I worked as an in-house fractional recruiter, and got to see first hand how the fractional model, where I had autonomy over my time was really the freedom ticket I had been seeking all along.

In 2025 my business made 6 figures, I released my first album. And, although there were a LOT of things I hadn't figured out, the structure of how I centered my business around values, purpose and creativity, really did start to tick that happiness box.

I got clear that my gifts and expertise are so founded in connection: connecting people to their own sense of joy and purpose, connecting people to each other, to values-led businesses, weaving a network across companies and individuals that nurtures this idea of aligned growth.

I believe we're in a time of radical self-empowerment, creating lives that work for us, pursuing careers that fulfil us, building businesses that actually serve us. The companies that I really believe are changing the world have founders who are heart-led, values-driven, and are deeply connected to their own sense of self. When you bring those kinds of folks into a room together, that's when some real magic happens, so that’s exactly what I do.

I am currently based in Venice, working with companies I feel very passionate about, making music with sights set on Glastonbury, and spending full moons naked in a hotspring somewhere.

Holly Gottlieb - Founder, Whole Collective