As AI Accelerates Work, Today’s Professionals Are Falling Behind — Knopman Marks Launches Highwire, a New Performance Conditioning Business Designed to Close that Gap

Article content

Today’s professionals are facing high-stakes moments without the experience to perform under the inevitable pressure. Highwire is built to condition them with repeated real-world practice that actually changes behavior.

Article content

NEW YORK, May 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Knopman Marks today announced the launch of Highwire, a new approach to performance conditioning built to prepare professionals for high-stakes moments, following a successful beta with leading organizations. Highwire’s expert-led, high-intensity practice and group coaching sessions are designed to simulate the moments that define performance: making decisions under ambiguity, navigating feedback effectively, and communicating with clarity. Highwire is setting a new standard for professional development, challenging traditional models that teach but stop short of building skill.

Article content

Article content

Article content

This first-of-its-kind approach moves beyond the passive learning of traditional professional development to performance conditioning, which is repeated, real-world practice under pressure with real-time feedback that drives lasting behavior change. Unlike traditional training, at least 70% of every session is dedicated to active practice, with participants receiving immediate, actionable coaching throughout.

Article content

Article content

“Courses, modules, and lectures rarely change behavior because they do not give professionals the opportunity to practice before they’re asked to perform under pressure,” said Liza Streiff, CEO of Knopman Marks and Co-Founder of Highwire. “No athlete walks onto the field unprepared. No performer steps on stage without rehearsal. Practice has always been the foundation of performance, yet today’s professionals are operating in a workforce that’s increasingly defined by ambiguity, automation, and rapid change — and not getting the opportunity to put in those reps before it counts. Highwire was built to fix that.”

Article content

“As the pace and complexity of work increase, performance in critical moments matters more than ever,” said Kelsey Gates, Senior Manager, Strategic Initiatives at KeyBanc Capital Markets. “Highwire will help our teams build the judgment and adaptability those moments demand through practice that actually sticks.”

Article content

Article content

Professional development is a $102.8 billion industry and growing. U.S. companies increased training expenditures nearly 5 percent in 2025, according to Training magazine’s Industry Report, with business skills training among the most anticipated purchases heading into 2026. Yet despite that investment, the results aren’t showing up where it counts. In a proprietary survey, Knopman Marks found that 90% of emerging talent believe they’re meeting or exceeding expectations — yet only 16% of managers agree. The disparity is driven in part by the fact that nearly half of emerging professionals receive meaningful feedback only a few times a year. The conditions that once built readiness — proximity to experienced colleagues, low-stakes practice, real-time feedback — have eroded across the system. Highwire enables organizations to address the root of the readiness gap, as well as build the human skills least likely to be replaced by AI – including judgment, influence, and command presence – through a methodology rooted in behavioral science and deliberate practice.