I create connections for a living. I’ve always done that. I just didn’t recognize it.

Let me back up.

Did you ever start down one path, realize it wasn’t for you, and then discover a much better one up ahead? Like instead of you reading my web site, I thought you’d be reading my syllabus. But after I earned an M.A. in English, I realized that even though I loved to write and think and read, teaching literature and composition wasn’t my bliss.

I couldn’t stop telling stories, so I knew that I was meant to do something related to writing. But for so long, I believed the myth that you couldn’t make a living as a writer (doesn’t every English major get told this by some well-meaning authority?). That’s why I almost didn’t recognize copywriting when I bumped into it. After graduate school, a small package design firm hired me as a proofreader. When they realized that I could write, they started handing me brochures and cereal boxes. Not only did my words translate into a paycheck, they also made for happy clients. I was starting to understand that the words that narrate our day-to-day lives as we interact with people and products are not happenstance. They are crafted, and when they are crafted well, they forge real connections between people.

Around this same time, I started moonlighting as a freelance contributor for a handful of local publications. My portfolio of clips was growing, and I loved my copywriting job. But when the design industry took a hit in 2001, I was laid off. I quickly fell into another job in marketing, but was laid off again a few months later. That was one too many sad trips to my car with my stuff in a box; plus, I always longed to be my own boss. With a handful of leads, a calendar full of networking opportunities, and freshly printed business cards, I decided to start my own writing business in April of 2002, focusing on both copywriting and writing for national magazines.

The Good Climb

I climbed my way up the women’s magazine chain: pitching stories, writing stories, interviewing experts, building relationships with editors, and developing my voice as a storyteller. I love magazines, so it was a great climb. I focused on health/fitness and home/garden title, collecting bylines like license plates: American Baby, AOL.com, Better Homes & Gardens, Country Gardens, Decorating, ElleDecor.com, Fitness, Oxygen, Runner’s World, SELF, Weight Watchers, Whole Living, Woman’s Day, Women’s Health, and many others. I was the go-to girl to get it done, to do the impossible turnaround, to turn a chaos of notes into a cohesive story. On the home and garden side, I styled and produced photo shoots, worked with amazing photographers, and fell in love with design. As for my copywriting business, I worked with brilliant minds at big agencies and custom publishers, for clients such as Cleveland Clinic, Procter & Gamble, Ethicon Endo-Surgery, ASICS, Unilever, and Kroger. I also published the book Sew Retro: A Stylish History of the Sewing Revolution + 25 Vintage-Inspired Projects for the Modern Girl in 2010, since sewing has long been one of my passions.

I was on my way.

And then it fell apart.

And my brother passed away.

And my dad’s Alzheimer’s started getting worse.

The ground underneath me was gone.

2010 was mean to the magazine industry. My editors got laid off. Titles downsized (or closed completely). Custom publishing clients disappeared.  And I had to make some choices. I had to think deeply about why I needed to tell stories. I realized that the worst times in my life were the times when I felt the most disconnected. And the best times? The moments of absolute connection—with a person, an idea, and yes, even a product (the day I got my iPhone was pretty dang awesome). Connection felt like the antidote to a bunch of things I didn’t like. Stuff like judgment. Terrorism. Stress and frustration. Bad sales numbers. Family members who estranged themselves and then died. Sadness. Bad writing.

Reconnecting

So this is where I am now: I want to create more connection in the world, and the thing I do better than anything else is tell a story. I don’t need a career counselor to tell me how to join the pieces. It’s 100 percent clear.

As a copy strategist, I help people tell stories that forge connections.  I find myself gravitating toward passionate entrepreneurs and small businesses. I help them figure out their story by creating brand strategies and strategic messaging strategies. The words seal the deal. But it comes from a place of strategy.

As for editors: the ones who value writers and treat them well will always have a place in my heart, and I continue to work for a select group of magazines and web sites. I cherish my relationships with agencies as well, and I’m always game to be part of those creative and energetic teams.

But editors and agencies already know me and what I can do for them, and they’re probably not reading this. You’re reading this because you want to know if I’m your person—the one to help create your brand strategy, write your web site and marketing materials, and co-author your book with. Entrepreneurs with passion, energy, and ideas are at the top of my ideal client list.

I’m not a random writer for hire who charges by the page. I’m not a bargain. I’m a partner, an excitement-generator, a person who thinks big and writes with clarity. I will always tell you what I think, and always try to serve you the best way I can.

It’s Always the Story . . .

I’ve done so many different kinds of writing—speeches and scripts and articles and web sites and Tweets and Power Point presentations—and honestly, I like it all. It’s never the medium that makes me fall in love with a project. It’s the approach, and that’s what I keep coming back to. I’m in love with the idea that stories represent our greatest opportunity to connect.

But I’m Not Always Writing

When I’m not working, I’m sewing, reading, running (sometimes training for marathons), doing Pilates, judging gymnastics (I used to be a gymnast), or browsing vintage markets (the best place ever for stories). I live in Cincinnati with my husband, Allen (a stay at home dad and the best cook and stain-getter-outer in the world) and our two kids, Max (3) and Georgia (1). I have a huge extended family, and we’re loud and we eat . . . a lot. We’re crazy busy and crazy lucky, all at the same time.

I invite you to get in touch with me if you want to chat (I love to chat). Check out my eBook (over there on the top right side of the page) and newsletters.

Warmly,

Judi