Ever since I was a child, I've loved the art of storytelling and the power it has to connect us all. In second grade, I won an award for a story I wrote titled, "The Day the Wind Blew Me Away." I was only seven, but I remember thinking this is what I want to do with my life! I discovered writing could be therapeutic and, in my mind, I could create any world or person that I wanted.In high school, I wrote for the school newspaper and took classes in journalism. English was my absolute favorite subject, and I couldn’t get enough of writing and reading. When I started college, I knew I wanted to write but wasn't sure how to make that a lifelong career. I threw myself into creative writing courses and studied English literature, becoming obsessed with Mary Shelley. However, I realized that I was business-minded and liked studying effective ways of communication. You can be an amazing writer, but if your delivery is bad, your words lose impact. Fun fact: I was terrified of public speaking but wanted to be a public speaker…talk about a conundrum. I majored in English and minored in Communications, knowing that the combination would serve me well. After college, I started as a communications intern at a local chamber of commerce. The job allowed me to explore so many different avenues of communication - printed newsletters, mass email marketing, website development, social media, printed mailers, magazines, and advertising. This job was exactly what I needed to build the foundation of my career. My manager empowered me to try things and gave me creative liberty so that I learned a lot of things like A/B testing email subject lines, what types of content are more effective for various audiences, and what not to say on social media. And for the record, everyone should have a boss like this plus a mentor or two! I’ve gained a lot of experience by helping B2B companies tell their story through marketing efforts and communications tactics. I find it rewarding to help companies identify the human elements in what they do and why they do it. It's so important to have a clear message for the desired audience - whether it's internal communications to employees, a key message to customers, or a press release to the media. What you say and how you say it matters. We use stories every day to give us hope when we're feeling low; to give us motivation when we aim to do what seems impossible; and to give us wisdom when we embark into the unknown. Everyone has a story and I love helping people tell theirs.