March 10, 2025

This paid piece is sponsored by Lemonly.

Lemonly’s Cortney Carmody brings a passion for mental health to the world of deadlines and deliverables that drive agency life. With a unique background in account services and counseling, Carmody combines business acumen and emotional intelligence to drive client relationships at Lemonly. 

As Lemonly’s director of account service, Carmody manages capacity planning, project timelines and client relationships. It’s a role that often involves tight deadlines and complex clients, but Carmody’s counseling background helps her navigate these challenges while ensuring that her co-workers feel supported and empowered.

From account service to counseling — and back again

Carmody began her account service career in 2013, quickly developing a knack for client relationships and project management. As she grew professionally, her priorities shifted.

“Being in account service, you get the opportunity to know your clients pretty well,” Carmody said. “I started to realize that I cared more about my clients as people than any other part of the job. I got my joy more from my clients’ reactions to the work than from sales numbers.”  

After six years, Carmody’s interest in her clients’ personal stories led her to pursue a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Even while working as a counselor, however, she gravitated toward more strategic work.

“While working as a counselor, I had an opportunity to bring forward a program proposal that would increase access to counseling for justice-impacted youth. That really pulled in my account service brain from a budgeting and logistics perspective.”

Although Carmody eventually left counseling, her education and background in that field have played a key role in developing her approach to account service and people management.

“I think it’s important to understand that people are people first and foremost,” Carmody said. “If something is affecting someone’s personal life, there’s a good chance they’re carrying some part of that to work. How can you give someone a healthy work environment where they’re still human first? At Lemonly, integrity is core to who we are, and we think being authentic and honest about your needs is part of that.”

The skills Carmody developed as a counselor — deep listening, empathy and an understanding of human motivation — proved invaluable for managing clients and mentoring employees. Lemonly offered her the perfect opportunity to combine account expertise with her passion for mental health in a culture that already prioritizes employee well-being.

Carmody’s approach to clients, colleagues

As Lemonly’s director of account service, Carmody manages various client projects and leads the account service team. She was a fan of Lemonly long before she joined the team, and she’d heard great things about the company’s culture and unique approach to design.  

“When the position at Lemonly opened up, I talked to some friends who were working there, and everything I heard was so positive,” Carmody said. “They said that Lemonly does killer work, but the people are the most important. Putting people first aligned really well with my own values.” 

Carmody’s passion for mental health also plays a major role in her life at Lemonly today, and she has drawn many parallels between these two areas of her life. 

“Some of the things that I loved about counseling also apply to the world of account service,” Carmody said. “It’s listening skills, being able to actually sit and listen to our clients and understand their problems. At Lemonly, clients often come in with robust, challenging stories. The folks on our account service team really have to be able to listen and absorb that information.”

But account service isn’t just about understanding a client’s project — it’s about understanding the unique roadblocks each person faces. Carmody knows that clients and Lemonly team members work hard to get a project across the finish line, and she understands that both personal goals and industry challenges might inform a client’s work with Lemonly. 

“Empathy is huge in any part of life anyway, but I think having empathy for your clients and understanding the moving pieces they have to navigate is important,” Carmody said. “Clients are usually doing everything in their power to keep projects on track, but it’s important to remember that there are things they can’t control.”

In addition to emphasizing empathy and support for her clients, Carmody focuses on the importance of mental health for her team. One key way that Carmody ensures that people can show up to work as the best version of themselves is by taking an active role in capacity planning meetings. In these sessions, the account team prioritizes their co-workers’ time and passions, which leads to a healthier, happier work environment. 

“People need to be able to log off at the end of the day and go live their lives so that they can show up tomorrow and do the best work they can do,” Carmody said. “In order to do that, we need to be very thoughtful and make sure no one is getting overloaded. We’re focused on what people are capable of doing to make sure they can still go live their lives.”

In just over a year at Lemonly, Carmody’s dedication to the organization’s people-centered approach and emphasis on having a healthy life both at work and outside of it already have made a big impact. 

“Cortney really emulates our people-centered approach in her role at Lemonly,” said Natalie Eisenberg, CEO of Click Rain Inc. “Knowing that each person has unique needs, goals and challenges, Cortney is creative and personalized as she works with each individual, meeting them where they are.”

Offering personal, professional support to help others thrive

Carmody said trust and space are key for supporting others’ professional development and personal growth.

“Allowing people space is a big thing, and I mean that in a couple of ways: One is giving them autonomy in their jobs,” she said. “Nine times out of 10, the account team knows their client better than I do, so I’m going to trust their decision. Giving the people the autonomy to make those decisions and trusting your team is huge.”

Carmody’s emphasis on autonomy extends beyond day-to-day client work into how she structures her leadership interactions with team members.

“You also have to allow space from a managerial perspective. In one-on-ones with my team, they drive the agenda. Sure, I’ll add things from time to time if there’s something that needs to be addressed, but primarily, they lead the agenda and determine what’s most relevant to them. Sometimes it’s specific client projects that they want to troubleshoot together, and sometimes it’s personal growth stuff.”

The impact of this approach is evident in how her team members respond to her leadership. Kaley Schweitzer, an associate account executive and one of Carmody’s direct reports, has experienced firsthand how Carmody’s mental health background manifests in their working relationship.

“Cortney listens and takes the time to fully hear me,” Schweitzer said. “She offers guidance, but her guidance encourages me to be a better professional, client advocate, team advocate and overall person.” 

For Lemonly and Carmody, the future of account service isn’t just about delivering exceptional creative work — it’s about honoring the whole person behind every project, email and client call.  Her journey demonstrates that when companies invest in leaders who prioritize empathy alongside project management, the people and the work flourish together.