How I found my way to simple, calm, intentional marketing (and you can too)
As I’m writing this blog, I’m sat in the garden enjoying the first proper breeze after a heatwave here in the UK. It’s peaceful. The kind of peace I used to crave in my job, but didn’t get. And I’ve been thinking about why I care so much about making marketing simple.
Because marketing nearly broke me.
My career looked good on paper, but didn’t feel right
I spent 25 years working in marketing and business development - the last 15 were in a high-pressure, international role trying to cram a full-time job into 3 days a week, juggling big campaigns across multiple countries and smiling like I had it all under control.
I was flying by the seat of my pants!
Sound familiar?
I was great at what I did. But I couldn’t play the game. I couldn’t schmooze my way up the ladder or pretend I was the life and soul of the party. Well I did try, but it wasn’t me.
I’m an introvert. I’ve struggled with crippling anxiety. I don’t deal well with being told what to do (I like to work things out for myself). And I have a knack for overcomplicating things…until it sends me spiralling.
I love marketing now, but back then it felt like I was trapped. I thought there was something wrong with me - why was everyone else was so much better than me?
What I needed, and what I eventually created, was peace, calm, structure and space. Because that’s where I thrive.
From crawling around in lofts to cold calling
Like many people, I fell into marketing. My philosophy degree didn’t exactly come with a clear career path!
I started out running public awareness campaigns for the local council - standing in shopping centres and climbing into people’s lofts to check their insulation (so glamorous!).
From there, I moved into appointment-setting for a software company. Cold-calling was not my thing by any means! But I started organising events and dipping my toes into “proper marketing”.
Building marketing operations from scratch
Next came a huge leap. A start-up tech firm took a gamble on me to set up their marketing operations from scratch. I learnt everything on the job, with some great mentors along the way.
By the time I left, I was managing the sales team, running incentives with business partners like Vodafone and launching marketing initiatives left, right and centre.
Then life threw us a curveball.
An unexpected detour to the sun
My husband got a job in the Cayman Islands, so we packed up and moved. This was the chance to start a new life in the sun. I’d trained as a fitness instructor after university and in Cayman I followed my dream to work full time as a PT and fitness instructor.
But marketing found me again! I helped the owner of the fitness centre I was working at put together a marketing plan to secure a loan and the rest is history. I ended up running the place when she was off teaching at conventions round the world and marketing became my main focus. I even appeared on breakfast TV over there!
This led to me working in marketing for Deloitte in Cayman. Lots of events, client work, campaigns - big professional services marketing stuff. I loved it!
The return
After a few years, a devastating hurricane and several friends moving on, we returned to the UK.
I stepped back into professional services marketing with DLA Piper - one of the biggest in the world. I ran international campaigns, launched award-winning programmes and travelled a lot. And this is where today’s story started.
On paper, I was a success story. But inside, I felt like a square peg in a round hole.
I didn’t realise then that my quiet, thoughtful, planning-first style was my superpower. Instead, I felt out of place, out of alignment and desperate for a simpler, calmer life.
Burnout and clarity
Just before COVID hit, I crashed. I'd just organised a (very successful) high-profile client event in Portugal and my anxiety was through the roof. I burned out.
Compassion Focused Therapy was my saviour and led me to coaching. And I realised that I didn't have to do what everyone else was doing. I could create my own path. My quiet traits were my super powers and marketing didn’t have to be this loud, chaotic, noisy machine.
In 2021 I left and trained as a coach. I decided to create the kind of marketing I’d always needed - the kind that fits who you are, not who you think you should be.
And now…
I help other quiet, introverted, deep thinking business owners do the same - marketing that feels like an extension of who you are.
What about you?
What led you to do what you do? What experiences have you had that make you who you are today? This is your unique brilliance that no one else in your field will have. Own in and share it!
If you’re ready to explore a simpler way to grow your business, I’m always here for a chat — no pushiness, no pressure, just a conversation that might give you some insight.
