damselfly digital

The problem with spending 15-20 years in marketing and communications from agencies to in-house, nonprofit to small business, is that I became the epitome of the generalist—someone who can think strategically and execute across channels. When I first started freelancing, so many people recommended me to “just pick one thing”. Cue the resistance. The grief. The quiet panic of feeling like I've being asked to abandon a career you worked hard to build. Did you know that Nobel Pr

“Do what you do best and outsource the rest.” Peter Drucker Many organizations treat marketing like an expense... A line item for a freelancer to hire. A department that makes things look good. A cost center that gets cut when budgets tighten. But when you step back and look at how businesses actually grow, the role of marketing is so much bigger. Marketing is one of the few functions in an organization responsible for creating demand. Think about it...While operations delive

It's easy to forget that marketing is not about clever language. It’s about creating clarity, connection, and value. Scroll through job boards for ten minutes and you’ll start to wonder if marketing has become a branding exercise… for itself. The titles are creative, compelling—and often packed with confusing jargon. Two roles can have wildly different names but identical responsibilities. Others sound impressive but obscure what the person actually does all day. So what’s re

"When you build for accumulation, your impact dies when you do. When you build for circulation, your impact compounds indefinitely. Wealth is not what you manage to hoard. True wealth is the value that keeps flowing because of you." Kasper Bjørkskov For the longest time, I couldn’t find the words to describe the heart of my business—who I served, why I did this work, and what it all truly meant. Purpose-led. Mission-driven. Soul-aligned. Earth-aligned. Nature-based. Holistic.

“What’s the point if you make something that’s not you?” Gloria Estefan We’ve all experienced it by now—that subtle cringe when reading something that says all the “right” things… and yet somehow says nothing at all. It’s clean. It's polished. It’s structured. It’s optimized. And it’s completely flat and formulaic, and thus- relatively forgettable. As AI-generated content is becoming more and more common, consumers are practicing the human art of discernment and responding (

"Multipassionate creatives are vital for cultural transformation and the shifting of paradigms, as we excel in transferring ideas and methods from one field of knowledge and applying them to others.Our culture has demanded heteronormativityy for far too long. As in all areas of life, diversity rocks and is far richer than monoculture. " Lucy H Pearce For most of my life, I saw my depth and range as a character flaw. I judged myself immensly with the story that I was: unreliab

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.” Audre Lorde When you’re a solopreneur, your business isn’t just a job—it’s your vision, your creativity, your livelihood, and often your identity. That level of investment can be powerful, but it can also create a dangerous always-on mentality. You wake up thinking about your business.You fall asleep thinking about your business.Your mind is constantly running with new ideas, worries, strategies, possibilit

Scroll long enough on any platform and you’ll observe a quiet rebellion of people embracing the "chronically offline" movement. Many business owners, nonprofits AND consumers are all daydreaming of a life without social media. They’re tired. Burned out. Discouraged. They miss the olden days of real conversations, landlines, answering machines, and the secret spots you only hear about if someone tells you. This isn’t laziness or a lack of ambition. It's a collective signal tha

“Speed changes everything. Scaling amplifies every flaw.” Julie Supan Something many small business owners have learned the hard way: Marketing is a pressure test. It not only exposes weaknesses in your business, but it magnifies them on a larger scale. When you start actively promoting your company, whether its running ads, launching campaigns, sending emails, posting consistently, you’re turning up the heat and sealing the lid. And just like a real pressure cooker this reve

There are few business acronyms capable of triggering simultaneous anxiety, exhaustion, and skepticism quite like three little letters: RFP. Short for 'Request for Proposal', an RFP is a formal document organizations use to solicit bids from vendors, consultants, agencies, contractors, or service providers for a specific project or initiative. In theory, RFPs exist to create fairness, transparency, and structure. In practice, they often become bloated procurement exercises th

“If you don’t find a way to make money while you sleep, you will work until you die.” Warren Buffett The new American dream is having an income that is completely independent of your location and time. As a subject matter expert, your knowledge holds value and is the core asset from which your services and products are developed. Leverage this by creating and monetizing educational content, literally making you money while you sleep. In this post I'll share how you can tra

'Perfectionism is self-abuse of the highest order." Anne Wilson Schaef Perfectionism wears a very convincing costume. It shows up as dedication, discipline, and excellence. It earns praise and quiet admiration. It feels like a badge of honor that you have "high standards", that you care and that you tried. But more often than not, perfectionism is actually keeping you stuck, rather than pushing you towards success. It keeps you trapped in a cycle of endless hiding, tweaking,

“Hustle culture thrives on urgency, not importance.” Brené Brown Hustle culture teaches us that constant productivity equals worth. That rest is something you earn. That slowing down means falling behind. But your nervous system doesn’t understand any of that. It only understands speed and sensation, safe or unsafe. When our needs are ignored, the body doesn’t reward you with success like capitalism does. It responds with fight, flight, or shutdown. This doesn't mean you’re

“People don’t attend events for information—they attend for connection.” Joe Lazauskas Event marketing is equal parts strategy, storytelling, and logistics. When it’s done well, an event doesn’t just fill seats—it builds trust, strengthens community, and extends your brand’s impact long after the last attendee leaves. When it’s done poorly, even the most beautiful concept can feel chaotic, under-attended, or forgettable. Whether you’re planning a small workshop, a large conf

Success isnt measured in the bank account. It's measured in the nervous system. Lauren Love Growing up we’re taught that success has a single, universal path: work harder, earn more, achieve more, be more visible, be more impressive. But for many people, especially those who are sensitive feelers or divergent thinkers, chasing that version of 'fulfillment' only leads to burnout, anxiety, and quiet confusion. True success is not defined by external markers of advancement: impo

“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do. Focus means saying no to something that, with all reason and logic, looks like a phenomenal idea — but just isn’t right now. ” Steve Jobs One of the biggest struggles for budding entrepreneurs is knowing what to focus on, both as individuals and as leaders. When you’re your own boss, strategist, marketer, and maker, every new idea or opportunity can feel both thrilling and essential. But without clear direction,

"Be stubborn about your goals but flexible about your tactics" Cindy Mobey Humans are wired for direction. We are goal-setting and goal-seeking by nature. Andor soul-led entrepreneurs, your goals are more than intentions — they are instructions to your subconscious, directing you toward your values and virtues. When you clarify your goals, you’re not just daydreaming — you’re writing your next chapter, a personalized guide to unlocking your fullest potential and living an ext

“Feel the fear and do it anyway.” Susan Jeffers For most of my career, I was terrified of success — not only because I feared failure, but because success meant being fully seen and percieved. It meant being held responsible for my words, my actions, and everything I stood for. So I stayed small. I hid behind perfectionism — editing, polishing, and overthinking until my true voice was buried beneath layers of control. But here’s what I’ve learned: you'll never really feel pre

“Hiring a (consultant) is an investment into the success of your business. Even if your business is the best, it can be better. As consultants, we help businesses to be better. We add immense value. With our insights, we are able to give quality guidance … and ultimately provide resources to help them make better choices.” Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr. Hiring a marketing, communications, or public relations (PR) consultant isn’t just about outsourcing a task — it’s about finding

“Choose your clients as carefully as they choose you.” David Ogilvy For energy-sensitive soulpreneurs, the concept of client acquisition is not something to take lightly. In fact, it's much like finding your soulmate . Just as a healthy relationship requires trust, communication, and commitment, shared values, mutual respect and longterm compatability a great client partnership thrives when both sides are genuinely invested in each other’s success. Finding your dream clients