Based in Laguna Niguel, California, he has built a reputation for helping organisations sharpen how they present themselves to the people they serve, whether that means a clearer pitch to investors or a simpler message to customers.

Fish grew up in Michigan and went on to college before moving into business. His early career gave him a grounding in how companies grow, and over time his focus narrowed to marketing and the operational side of wellness-focused organisations.

As a consultant, he has worked closely with leadership teams to refine strategy and messaging, and as a CEO he has had to apply that same thinking from the inside.

Colleagues describe him as practical rather than flashy, more interested in a plan that works than one that sounds impressive in a boardroom. That instinct shows up in how he approaches client work: start with what the organisation actually needs, then build the marketing around it, not the other way round.

Outside the office, Fish is a father of six and spends a great deal of time around youth sport, a world that has shaped his sense of discipline and patience. He brings some of that same steadiness to his professional life, favouring consistency over quick wins.

Now based in Southern California, Fish continues to advise health and wellness companies on marketing and growth, drawing on decades spent learning what actually moves a business forward.

Interview With David Wayne Fish

You’ve worked across marketing, consulting, and as a CEO. How did that path start?

I came into business out of college without a fixed idea of where I’d end up. Marketing was the part that made sense to me early on, because it’s the piece of a company that has to translate what you do into something people actually understand. From there, I moved into consulting work, which let me see how a lot of different organisations handled that problem, some well and some not so well. Taking on a CEO role later was a natural extension of that. You stop advising from the outside and you’re responsible for the decisions yourself.

Why did your work settle around health and wellness companies specifically?

It wasn’t a single decision so much as a pattern that developed. I found the work genuinely interesting, and the companies I was drawn to kept being in that space. Wellness businesses have a particular challenge: they’re often selling something that’s hard to measure in the short term, so the marketing has to build trust rather than just make a claim. That’s a harder problem than it looks, and I liked working on it.

What does a consulting engagement actually look like for you?

It starts with listening more than talking, honestly. I sit with the leadership team and try to understand what the business actually does well, what it struggles with, and where the gap is between how it sees itself and how customers see it. Only after that do we get into strategy. A lot of marketing problems aren’t marketing problems at all, they’re clarity problems. Once a company can say plainly what it does and who it’s for, the rest gets easier.

How does the job change when you’re the CEO rather than the consultant?

As a consultant, you can hand over a recommendation and walk away. As CEO, you live with the consequences of every call you make, including the ones that don’t work out right away. It makes you more careful, but it also makes you more decisive, because indecision has a cost too. I think my consulting background helped here, because I was used to thinking about a business from the outside, which is a useful habit even when you’re inside it.

Has your approach to marketing changed much over your career?

The basics haven’t changed as much as people think. You still need a clear message and a reason for someone to trust you. What’s changed is how many channels a company has to manage at once, and how quickly customer expectations shift. I try not to chase every new tactic. I’d rather get the fundamentals right and adjust the delivery as needed, instead of rebuilding the whole strategy every time something new comes along.

What’s a lesson from running a company that you didn’t expect to learn?

How much of leadership is about removing confusion for other people. Early on I thought the job was about having the best ideas. It’s really about making sure the people around you know what the plan is and why, so they can move without waiting on you for every decision.

Does life outside work, with a large family and a lot of time around youth sport, shape how you run a business?

It does, more than I expected. Managing six kids through different schedules teaches you a kind of patience and planning that translates directly into work. You learn to prioritise what actually matters in the moment and let smaller things go. I bring a similar mindset to the office: figure out the one or two things that need attention today, and don’t let the rest crowd them out.

What would you tell someone starting out in marketing or consulting for health and wellness companies?

Spend real time understanding the business before you try to sell it. It’s tempting to lead with clever messaging, but if the strategy underneath isn’t sound, the marketing just makes the gap more visible, not less. Get the fundamentals right first, and treat every client relationship as a long one rather than a quick result.

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