MY STORY
Referrals built my business.
Until they broke it.
For years, I built my business as a Copywriter and Content Strategist on word-of-mouth. (My ego was soooo impressed that I was fully booked on referrals alone.)
And then a few projects got delayed, with no new ones to fill the gap. Then it happened again. And again and again.
Each slow season hit harder. The uncertainty spiked my anxiety. The income rollercoaster made it impossible to plan for the future.
Until one day, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror and called myself out:
My livelihood depended on word-of-mouth, and word-of-mouth isn’t consistent. But referrals weren’t the problem — my dependence on them was.
Referrals are great, but I wanted to make them a happy bonus — not the oxygen I’d suffocate without.
However, I ran into a problem…
Even though I’d spent a decade creating high-performing marketing content for clients (so I knew I had the skill to do it well), and even after my big realization that referrals-dependency was a business weakness, I still resisted creating my own marketing.
I told myself I was “above” self-promotion, but the truth was simpler: I was afraid to be visible.
Afraid to be misunderstood or seen as conceited.
Afraid that my opinions weren’t original enough to be worthy of existing in a public forum.
Afraid that I was only skilled at amplifying other voices, not my own.
Professional maturity means dealing with the stories keeping you small.
Avoiding business-stabilizing activities (that’s what marketing is) isn’t professionalism. It’s self sabotage.
Rewiring my outdated story that visibility was unsafe is, to this day, the biggest unlock of my career.
So I finally started showing up.
Only to blend in.
My content was actually working against me, in two ways:
It was polished but generic — designed to appeal to everyone, so it was resonating with no one.
Worse, whenever I described my services, I diluted my strengths and undervalued the uniqueness in my process. I was positioning myself as just another copywriter. (No one’s getting excited about “just another…” anything.)
My marketing was beige in a sea of beige.
And here’s the problem with “beige-ified” marketing:
When you look interchangeable with everyone else who does what you do, people either go looking for a cheaper option, or hire you out of convenience — but they won’t see you as the trusted partner they return to and rave about on repeat.
You have to shape the narrative about your work.
Or someone else will.
“Just post more” wasn’t the solution I needed.
I needed messaging that matched the depth of my expertise, and positioned my work with the precision and weight it deserved.
So I rebuilt from the inside out.
And because my brain likes structure, I created a framework called The Credibility Messaging Methodology and tested it with my clients.
The results were undeniable:
6× more qualified leads from LinkedIn
Booked-out client calendars
Podcast interviews and invitations to speak, teach, and collaborate.
That framework is now the foundation of my work today.
I help established service professionals go from zero (or vanilla) marketing to thought leadership that generates real client inquiries and media invites.
Your expertise isn’t enough if people can’t see how it works, feel why it matters, or believe it can do something for them.
I do this work with private 1:1 clients through a fully customized 90-day experience called RECOGNITION. It’s designed specifically for isolated service business owners looking for a Messaging & Thought Leadership partner to elevate how they’re showing up online. If that sounds like what you need, come check it out.