How Did I Get Here?
I ask myself this a lot.
As a certified late bloomer, I reflect quite a bit on my professional path.
I wasn’t one of those kids who knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up.
I really didn’t even know it in college.
But somehow, I ended up right where I think I belong.
But how?
Job #1 - 8th Grade Teacher
This was a short-lived career right out of college, but it introduced me to educational content creation, curriculum building, and course development, which helps me serve my functional medicine practitioner and lifestyle coach clients when they want to design a course or program.
Job #2 - Paralegal
11 years working for lawyers taught me professional discipline, made me a master of process, refined my writing skills, and taught me how to support busy people who need to focus on what they do best. All these skills help me support my clients today!
Job #3 - Etsy Shop Owner
I opened a side hustle Etsy shop in 2009 that grew to become my full-time job by 2012. I quit my paralegal gig and doubled down on creative entrepreneurship. I still run this little shop just for funzies, and it has over 10,000 sales on Etsy. This was where I started exploring brand building, marketing, content creation, product development, customer experience, and everything else that goes along with learning to make and sell something.
Job #4 - Boutique Owner
Here’s where some of the magic happened for me. Leaving my paralegal job allowed me to pursue a longtime dream of opening a gift shop. Needless to say, this was a crash course in brick-and-mortar entrepreneurship, marketing, brand building, and in-person customer experience. I learned A TON about what it means to build, run, and own a business with a whole-ass door, payroll, inventory, and overhead. When I closed the shop during the pandemic, I wasn’t sure what was next for me, but looking back, everything I had done led me to right where I am now.
What is a Client Experience Strategist?
When I tell people I’m a Client Experience Strategist, I usually get one of two reactions: curious head-tilts or the polite “Oh, that sounds...cool?” response. Let me clarify because I know it sounds like a fluffy title, but it’s truly what I am passionate about after all these years of building my perspective on business.
What I do is help business owners by creating aligned, informative, and creative content that doesn’t just look and sound good but actually makes their clients’ experience with their brand feel special. The world is full of sub-standard client experiences, and smaller brands have such an advantage when it comes to showing up and making their clients feel seen and supported.
It’s about building connections and trust, supporting your service process, and, ultimately, crafting experiences that people remember.
I think I ended up here accidentally, on purpose, and I’m so glad I finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up :)
