real stories. real impact.
Whether you’re scaling with a multi-million-dollar budget or building smart with much less, it’s not the spend that fuels sustainable growth. It’s the creative strategy.
From lean, hustling start-ups to ten-figure brands on a mission, here’s how I’ve used strategic, human-first storytelling to deliver measurable results.
As the first generation of digital natives, Gen Z has wildly discriminating taste when it comes to brands — and they don’t mess around. If your brand isn’t authentic? Canceled. Trying too hard? Cringe.
So when I was asked to lead copywriting and creative strategy for the rebrand of Soluna, a new Gen Z mental health app, I knew there was only one way through.
Research.
I spent months surveying the in-house clinicians and creators who knew the app best. Led a brand summit to get down to the basics of archetypes, voice, and tone. Interviewed Gen Z users as they explored the app in real time. And gathered brutally honest feedback on how Soluna stacked up against competitors like Headspace and BetterHelp.
And then, I followed the research.
Authored a brand voice with bite. Developed editorial guidelines grounded in what mattered most to Gen Z, including humor, sarcasm, authenticity, inclusivity, and trigger warnings. And took a monster creative swing with one very snarky space bunny that users raved about during testing.
Then I brought it all to life through a completely refreshed App Store page, streaming ads, out-of-home, and paid social campaigns.
The payoff? A 200%+ increase in average monthly app downloads.
The lesson? Ask your audience what they want and give it to them.
Less stick. More carrot.
When Emplify Health, a Midwest hospital system, partnered with Green Bay Packers Head Coach Matt LaFleur for a football season campaign, I was asked to help make that unlikely partnership feel meaningful to an unlikely audience: women, the primary healthcare decision-makers in most households.
My solution? Show women not just a coach, but a dad, a mentor, and a community member who shares Emplify's brand values. So I built the campaign around parenthood, empathy, and the heroes on and off the field — and it won a 2026 eHealthcare Leadership Award for Best Video Series (Distinction). Almost as good as a Lambeau Leap.
After tackling football, my next Emplify assignment was to lead creative strategy for women's medical-grade skincare, which felt like a no-brainer.
Until it wasn't.
My research uncovered women's fear of invasive procedures and side effects, unrealistic expectations of instant results, and hesitation over the price tag. Which meant I was no longer writing about skincare. I was building trust and proving value.
So I traded clinical jargon for plain-language, benefit-driven treatment bundles that made the patient journey more approachable — while also highlighting some serious cost savings. I also used a monthly email newsletter to educate women about treatments and created an anonymous Q&A platform, giving patients a discreet, judgment-free space to ask the skin treatment questions that kept them up at night.
Whether writing about football or facials, my strategy is the same. Know your audience. Then make her feel seen.
Getting middle schoolers to talk about feelings, bullying, and mental health? Yeah, good luck with that.
Unless, of course, you create the Goobs — a cast of irresistibly endearing weirdos willing to break the ice.
I founded etiQit to make social-emotional learning less awkward (and dare I say, fun?) From writing the curriculum to developing the brand voice, character personalities, and campaigns, I authored every. single. word. All to build a world where humor made space for serious conversations designed to help prevent bullying, school violence, and self-harm.
And the part I didn’t see coming? The Goobs went global! They found their way into 20,000+ classrooms across 20 countries and earned 1,000+ five-star reviews from school district leaders, school psychologists, and the everyday heroes: teachers.
Turns out a little weird can do a lot of good.
Sometimes, the best creative strategy is knowing when to throw out the playbook. And as the lead copywriter and content strategist at Connexus, a nationwide, member-owned credit union, I had plenty of opportunities to do just that.
Take 2020. With a global pandemic turning the world upside down, nobody wanted another feel-good annual report pretending everything was fine. So I found a way to acknowledge the darkness while shining a light on what mattered most: people.
Or 2022. After two years of social distancing, consumers were itching to hit the road. The problem: a massive vehicle shortage. So I took Connexus off the beaten path, pivoting from the planned auto loan campaign to a recreational vehicle loan campaign built around fresh air, family adventures, and a little taste of freedom.
The results? Connexus grew its assets by more than 21% despite the economic turmoil of 2020. And my creative detour from the traditional auto loan campaign? It won Connexus its first-ever CUNA Diamond Award.
Different circumstances call for different stories. And sometimes that means you’ve gotta throw out the playbook.
your turn.
Like what you see? Getting results like this for your brand doesn’t require an agency budget or bloated timeline.
Experience the difference of working with a copywriter who has close to two decades of human-centric storytelling in her back pocket. Word is, she’s also refreshingly fast.