It Takes a Village

Just as a village is needed to raise a child, a business, too, depends on the contributions of many. And like the numerous kind souls who have supported my personal growth, many individuals have helped me evolve as a copywriter and business owner. 

Here is where I name and acknowledge them: my teachers, my lineage.

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Here are the people who have helped me become the copywriter I am today. 

In chronological order...

Jon Morrow at SmartBlogger

Jon Morrow at SmartBlogger was my first introduction to blogging and, later, copywriting. I learned everything I needed to know to start a blog and make initial sales from Jon and his team. I have devoured both paid and unpaid resources.

Dr Jovana Mastilović

Dr Jovana Mastilović is a lifelong friend and incredible critical thinker. Throughout our friendship, Jovana has provided me with unique perspectives on nuances, power dynamics, marginalised communities, and many other topics.

Jovana has been a sounding board where we always spoke openly and critically about all sorts of local and global issues, no matter how icky and difficult they felt to talk about. These conversations have helped me considerably in creating my own critical thinking approach.

Sarah Buckle, Psychotherapist

Sarah Buckle is a longstanding friend and has been a huge supporter of my work since we met. Over the past decade, we have explored and trialled numerous processes and techniques together within the branding and marketing fields. Sarah has been a constant encouraging voice to me, especially when I didn't believe my work was good enough and when I questioned my value as a copywriter.

In more recent years, Sarah helped me with her work as a psychotherapist where she supported my struggles with imposter syndrome. These sessions had a direct, positive impact on my copywriting projects. 

Hayley Maxwell, Copywriter

Hayley Maxwell is a copywriter that I was lucky enough to meet online through a course we had both signed up for. Unfortunately, even though the program was held by well-respected names in the copywriting space, it was disappointing for us both. However, there was a silver lining as our mutual, first-hand experience of deceitful sales tactics helped us connect and, in turn, sparked our initial conversations about problematic marketing techniques.

We openly talked about high-pressure launches, including deceptive testimonials, exaggerated case studies and the FOMO effect. Speaking with Hayley was one of my first steps into conscious communication, as I realised I wasn’t the only one feeling this way, and my concerns were valid.

Belinda Weaver at Copywrite Matters

Belinda Weaver is a brilliant copywriter and my first copywriting mentor. I was already a paid writer when I signed up to learn from Belinda, but I had massive doubts about my skill and ability. Belinda’s wisdom and guidance has had a substantial impact on the quality of my work.

In her group, (affiliate link -->) Confident Copywriting, Belinda also provided a safe space for difficult conversations within online marketing. This where I first opened up to a wider audience about my thoughts and feelings about persuasion marketing. This helped me verbalise what had been going through my mind and also made me realise that others were feeling the same, too.

I have learned from Belinda via her Copywriting Masterclass and Confident Copywriting (affiliate link) membership group, amongst many free resources online like blogs and podcasts. 

Copyhackers

Joanna Wiebe and Copyhackers have created a solid, in-depth approach to conversion copywriting (also a term they coined), that I have learned about extensively. While I don’t agree with their entire approach, especially the mentality and attitude I witnessed amongst many copywriters within their programs, Copyhackers' Copy School was undeniably a turning point for me that changed the way I look at online sales and marketing.

There are techniques that I learned from Copyhackers that I still use and value to this day. However, there are also many (that aren’t used just within CH but in the online marketing space in general) that I choose not to use.

Kelly Diels

Kelly Diels and her work as a Feminist Copywriter and Coach for Culture Makers entirely changed and shaped the way I show up online and write for my clients. Kelly’s teachings and perspective go beyond just techniques and formulas, for me they prompted a paradigm shift in the way I approach marketing.

I continue to learn from Kelly to this day and use her teachings for many aspects of my business. I have learned from Kelly via her free content and via paid programs like her Feminist Copywriting Certification, Social Media for Culture-Makers and multiple smaller programs.

Maggie Patterson at BS-Free Business

Maggie Patterson at BS-Free Business boldly and unapologetically calls out many tactics in the marketing space. Her in-depth critical thinking has been crucial in helping me be dissect tactics myself to work out how I feel about many that are used. I have learned from Maggie’s free content (Instagram, blogs and podcast) as well as receiving 1:1 guidance via her TrustDNA mentorship.

Dr. Michelle Mazur

Michelle Mazur's book "3 Word Rebellion" helped me hone my message of #RespectInMarketing. It helped me see how crucial it is to be able to condense the breadth of our work and mission into a short message.

These are wonderful people who have had the greatest impact on my work. There are many, many others who have, and continue to, inspire me every day.

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