My Story: From Social Work to a Career in Marketing

I was told from childhood that I would make a great therapist. It seemed inevitable at times.

But I also loved the arts and storytelling. I was a dancer, then got into theatre and eventually went to college to study film and video. I actually still think I would be a great journalist or documentary maker.

Maybe you’ve also found yourself trying to choose between two passions at a tender age. Or even juggling multiple passions later in life. It’s tricky, isn’t it?

Becoming a Social Worker

Midway through college, I decided I would become a therapist after all, but via social work instead of psychology. I interned with an inpatient center for young women who had been sexually exploited (at the time, we called this domestic sex trafficking).

The clinical director there offered me the opportunity to develop a therapy curriculum to run with the girls. And just like that, I created a group therapy program based off a novel.

It was my first time creating therapeutic content or facilitating a group and I loved it. The program ended up being so successful that they kept the book drive I started going since many of the girls wanted to keep their copies after they left.

To this day, it’s one of the things I’m most proud of.

The First of Many Detours

Following graduation, I went on a mission trip to Kenya (Hot take: I’m actually opposed to short-term mission trips now with few exceptions, but that’s another story).

It was a formative experience, including bizarre interactions with our team leadership that caused a lot of stress and spiritual questioning for the entire team. That led me to get curious about spiritual education and leadership. By the time I returned home, I was preparing to apply to theology grad programs.

I eventually earned both a Master of Divinity and a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership focused on nonprofits.

Post graduation, I served as an associate director of admissions for my graduate school, running recruitment and marketing for the school’s events and programs. I loved it, but also felt a ton of pressure.

The school was under a microscope, our entire admissions staff was brand new and I was teaching myself how to recruit and market on the fly. I began working around the clock and I’m not sure I even knew how much stress was affecting me—until I woke up in the hospital.

Stress and the Unexpected

A day before my 26th birthday, I was driving through Tennessee for work when I lost control of my SUV and went tumbling across the four lanes of traffic. To this day, I still don’t remember a bit of the accident or what caused it.

Regardless of how it happened, that accident changed everything for me. I broke my neck and injured both of my wrists so I was unable to drive, live independently or work for a few months. I went to OT to regain strength and dexterity in my hands and eventually the neck brace came off and I was cleared to go back to work.

I thought I would return to business as usual with a renewed energy for my work. But the opposite was true. After a while, it became clear that I needed to find a job that was less stressful for my mental and physical health.

A Pivot to Marketing

So I ended up getting a copywriting job at a tech startup. It was perfect!

I hadn’t been a copywriter before, but I knew how to write and research exceptionally and I had learned a lot about marketing in the past two years.

The company grew fast and I with it, eventually becoming a marketing manager over recruitment marketing, content creation, production partners and even creating the employer brand. 

It took a little while, but I started to feel like marketing was the career for me. It blended my empathy and love of social psychology with my writing, creative and analytical skills.

For the next eight years, I held marketing positions in different industries and contexts, from multinational corporations, to brick and mortar small businesses, eventually landing at a brand agency.

Seizing Opportunity in the Midst of Tragedy

But then I was laid off from my agency job just two weeks before my wedding.

About a month later, my dad had a major stroke and my world stopped. Just two weeks later, we found out I was pregnant. After about a month in the hospital my dad came home and I became his primary caregiver during the day. I decided to take the opportunity to go freelance to have the flexibility to take care of my family.

I wanted to work with clients that I believe in and make a difference in the world. While I’m not a clinician myself, I’ve benefited from so many mental health and allied health services. Chiropractors to PTs, yoga instructors, spiritual directors, coaches and therapists, I’ve benefited from them all. And I wanted to turn around and serve them with my skills.

I have a clear vision for unburdening therapists, coaches and wellness pros by taking on their marketing and helping them build practices that bring in unprecedented revenue. More importantly, I grow practices sustainably and market them ethically. I know how to tell stories that connect and how to use disclosure and personal branding properly to help potential clients understand who you are.

No crossing professional boundaries.

No preying on insecurities.

No clickbait or crazy hooks to get attention.

No constant posting until you’re burned out.

Just authentic content that tells your story, educates and relates so that clients can feel confident in choosing you to help them heal.

If that’s what you’re looking for, let’s chat!