Updates from Alexis Frank

Political Power Is the Same Architecture. The Collective Fiction: Part Two

What happens when billionaire wealth leaves Wall Street and tries to win votes? This essay argues that both extreme wealth and political power depend on collective belief, then uses the spectacular spending failures of Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg to show where money’s influence hits a hard ceiling. Along the way, it reveals why billionaires keep chasing office anyway: not simply to gain power, but to protect the story that makes their wealth seem unquestionable in the first place. If you want a sharper way to understand money, media, legitimacy, and why some narratives hold even when everyone can see through them, this is a compelling read.
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Billionaire Wealth Isn't Real. The Collective Fiction--Part 1

What if immense wealth is less a mountain of cash than a fragile consensus everyone keeps agreeing to believe? This essay unpacks the startling difference between net worth and spendable money, showing how fortunes can rise or collapse by hundreds of billions without much in the physical world changing at all. From Tesla’s wild valuation swings to the boom-and-bust of crypto and NFTs, it reveals how modern markets turn belief into power—and how billionaires use borrowing to make that power real without ever cashing out. It’s a provocative look at money, influence, and the stories that hold the entire system together.
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What Unprecedented Communication Actually Looks Like

Every catastrophic institutional failure—from corporate disasters to profound miscarriages of justice—starts as a silent flaw in the very room where communication is first designed. When systems are built without nuance, honest representation, or a commitment to absolute truth, true governance vanishes and destructive bureaucracy quickly takes its place. This eye-opening essay reveals why communication is the ultimate form of governance and explores how exclusionary foundations systematically extract massive human and financial costs. It introduces my vital framework of "Governance by Design," outlining the essential leadership commitments required to dismantle broken architectures before they collapse. Dive into the full article to discover what it truly takes to build honest, lasting organizations that empower and protect everyone they touch.
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Blog Categories

GovernancePodcastReclaiming Your PowerThe Collective FictionThe Communication & Bureaucracy ConnectionThought LeadershipUnseen Architecture: The Dots Nobody Connected

Meet Alexis Frank

There are three things in life I’ve never enjoyed being: tired, uncomfortable in my clothes, and unable to afford the things I want.

Three things in life I had been for awhile: tired, uncomfortable in my clothes, and unable to afford the things I want (first world problems, am I right?)

Those things served a purpose in my life, but no longer suited who I believe to be, the best version of myself. 

Let me give you some background

My brother and I were raised by a single mother, in NYC, who dedicated her life to teaching special education students. It goes without saying that we never had a lot of money. We never questioned where our next meal was coming from and we got to travel to beautiful places (on a tight budget of course), but we knew the reality of our finances at a very young age.

So in order to save my mother the ungodly burden of co-signing on loans for college, I joined the Army at 17, which for 6 years, made me both tired and uncomfortable in my clothes (those boots were not the business). But it was at this point, I experienced having money, and I knew I liked that. But the rest had to go.

I met my husband before I got out of the military, and we had our son. I worked for a few small businesses, spent some time as a SAHM, which I loathed (don’t judge, it ain’t for everyone), and finished up a few degrees. This left me both tired and unable to afford the things I wanted (which was just a nice vacation without a screaming baby for two nights). So again, I knew something had to change.

Fast forward to when we got the opportunity to change duty stations. I was finishing up my MBA and I was able to finally land a position in corporate America, which I thought I had always wanted (Alexa: play “living the American dream). I tried my best to make the most of it and to be grateful for the opportunity, but my commute was horrible, my pantsuits were tight (I was pregnant with our third child), my heels hurt, and most of my meetings could have been emails. 

Then the pandemic hit, and I got to work from home. As horrible as it was, I finally thought to myself “this is how I do it. I get to work from home in my pajamas, make money, spend more time with my kids, and take naps.” But I was wrong again.

When my husband changed duty stations again, I was placed on a high profile program with my company that demanded mandatory overtime. I knew then that corporate life was never going to give me the time freedom I needed, and that starting my business was the only way I could build the life I wanted which included leggings and vacations.

The Filing Cabinet was born out of my realization that I had been coaching people ever since my teenage years. My friends and colleagues have always seen me as the go-to expert for pretty much any issues they have ever had. I pride myself on that, and I want to use over 15 years of that experience to coach you through leaving your corporate job, realizing your entrepreneurial potential, and helping you scale your life and business to unprecedented heights (and in your sweatpants, if you’re anything like me).

There is no blanket version of success, and I suspect you are here because you are tired of the version we have been sold. We don’t dream of labor and hustle culture is toxic in our eyes. But we have the drive to build something big, so that we can take advantage of the fruits of our labor, far sooner rather than later

Are you finally ready to spend more time doing things that light up your soul? Then let’s get started

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