Founder & CEO, ThistleRise Coaching & Consulting

Alli O'Malley has spent her life learning to name what others were determined not to see. As a survivor of both family and intimate partner violence, she understands the hidden and overt ways harm takes root in a home, the courage it takes to choose a different course, and the long, uneven work of rebuilding a life. That lived experience became the foundation of her calling: to help others break cycles of violence and abuse, find their voice, reclaim their stories, and create futures that once felt impossible.

For more than a decade, Alli led RESOLVE of Greater Rochester as its CEO, guiding the organization through a period of growth, innovation, and national recognition. She championed a model of care that treated survivors not as cases to be managed but as whole people navigating grief, fear, hope, and possibility. Under her leadership, RESOLVE became known for its holistic, trauma-informed approach—one that honored the emotional, practical, and relational complexities of healing and rebuilding lives.

Alli's work extended far beyond the walls of the organization. She pushed communities and healthcare systems to understand intimate partner violence as a social determinant of health, urging mental health providers, primary care physicians, OB/GYNs, and behavioral health teams to see their role in prevention and intervention. As a long-time leader in the Rochester/Monroe County Domestic Violence Consortium, she championed a coordinated community response rooted in accountability, compassion, and shared responsibility. Her years facilitating programs for court-mandated offenders deepened her understanding of the full ecosystem of intimate partner violence—and the possibility for change when individuals and systems are willing to confront it.

Today, Alli is an author, coach, speaker, and founder of ThistleRise Coaching & Consulting, LLC. Her first book, More than a Crime: One Survivor's Mission of Hope in the Shadow of Domestic Violence, illuminates the human and societal cost of our collective refusal to see the violence and abuse that pervades our homes. Through her writing and her work with individuals and organizations, she invites others to step into the hard, necessary conversations that make healing and transformation possible.

When away from advocacy, you'll find Alli on the tennis court or walking the trails with her sweet dog. She also enjoys traveling, attending live theater and concerts, and spending time with family and friends. Follow Alli on her Substack, More than a Survivor, or contact her to speak, host a book club, or for coaching and consulting at thistlerise.com.