Our story

Change is a human journey.

When people can see a transformation before they begin it, they approach it with more clarity and less fear. They don't just survive the wave of change. They ride it.

Ride the Waves began with a simple observation. Sailors use maps to cross open water, and leaders can use them to cross uncertainty. That nautical language became our company, and the navigator, a person with a repeatable set of skills for guiding others through change, became our guide. After decades in the pharmaceutical and technology industries, we started our own business and built the Navigator Toolkit so anyone can learn the same practice.

Mark Lawson leaning on a wooden surfboard
Visual storytelling

Mark Lawson

Mark visualizes strategy. For more than two decades he has helped global pharmaceutical and technology organizations navigate digital transformation through narrative-driven storymaps and whole-brain thinking, turning chaos into shared direction.

In recent years he has extended that work into life coaching, helping people find their authentic rhythm and move through change with clarity.

StorymapsEnterprise world buildingGraphic facilitationDesign thinkingChange managementLife coaching
Cathy Carfagno holding a brass compass
Business transformation

Cathy Carfagno

Cathy is an industry leader in drug development, aligning business process and IT strategy with a focus on clinical and regulatory work. She has led internal transformations and industry-wide initiatives at major life sciences and financial organizations.

As a consultant she helps clients navigate the technology shifts reshaping how we live and work, bringing sponsors, partners and vendors together to drive the next wave of innovation in global health.

Business processClinical & regulatoryChange leadershipIndustry forumsSpeaker
Our position on AI

Our ideas. AI helps us finish them.

Creative thinking is at the heart of what we do. Maps that once took months by hand now come together much faster, because we use AI as a tool to polish and grow the visuals.

Behind the Navigator Toolkit sits a crew of seven AI agents. Magellan leads the voyage and hands each stage to a specialist: Steady, True, Galileo, Atlas, Ali and Edge.

Our experts start the vision; the agents help us finish it efficiently. You get top-quality pictures, sooner.

Meet the crew
Magellan and his crew

Come aboard.

Fifteen minutes, no cost, no slides. Let's talk about where you're headed.

Book a free 15-minute call