Monarch Design Co

Monarch Design Co Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from Monarch Design Co, Graphic designer, 3 Elizabeth Street, Burlington, ON.

10/13/2026

Bianca DiPietro has spent her career building other people's brands — first as a professor at Humber College (where she and Ashley actually taught together), then leading creative at HelloFresh Canada and Chefs Plate, and now running the design team at Jane App, the practice management software a huge number of Ashley's own health and wellness clients use every day.
But when it came to building her own personal brand, Bianca couldn't do it alone — so she came to Monarch.
In this episode, Ashley and Bianca get into how Bianca builds design teams that move fast without losing brand personality, the "safe" branding advice she actively ignores (hint: it involves the big dramatic rebrand reveal), and why even the most experienced creative in the room is often too close to see their own brand clearly. Plus: roller derby, donuts, and running lessons that made her a better leader.
In this episode:

Building a design team that scales without losing its culture
Why Jane's brand philosophy comes down to three words: human, helpful, delightful
The "safe" rebrand advice Bianca ignores — and what she does instead
What it actually felt like being on the client side of her own brand project
Why creatives who could DIY their brand often shouldn't

Connect with Bianca on Instagram or on her website www.createwithbianca.comConnect with Ashley www.themonarchdesign.co or over on Instagram

10/07/2026

One hundred episodes. (Technically 101, because we started at zero. Overachievers. lol)
This one's a little different. No framework, no five steps. Just me, looking back at how The Self Made Life Podcast started, everything that's shifted since, and where the show is headed next.
Here's what most people don't know: I wasn't the host of Episode Zero. It wasn't my podcast. It wasn't even my idea. It was Sydney's, and she pulled in our friend Megan and me at the end of 2018. We had no idea what we were doing. We just pressed record.
In this episode, I share:

Why I was teaching myself calligraphy and laser-engraving wooden hangers in a public library makerspace
How Tayne and Ashley Illustration and Design started by accident at our condo table
What 2020 did to the wedding industry in Ontario, and the business pivot that saved everything
Rebuilding in my in-laws' basement and going all in on brand and web design
Where the Monarch name came from
Taking the show solo when I wasn't sure anyone would listen
Three lessons from Episode 0 to Episode 100
My own answer to the question I ask every guest: what does self made mean to you?

Plus, Sydney and Megan drop in with voice notes to share what they're up to now.
If you're in the middle of your own pivot, or your brand feels like it's holding you back, I'd love to chat. Book a discovery call at themonarchdesign.co/contact.
Tell me which episodes stuck with you: DM on Instagram or email [email protected].
Here's to the next 100.

00:00 — Intro: where it all started
01:36 — Flashback: Episode Zero (January 2019)
06:01 — Welcome to Episode 100 (well, 101)
~07:00 — The corporate job, calligraphy and the library makerspace
~08:30 — Tayne and Ashley starts by accident
~09:30 — How the podcast began
~10:30 — 2020 and the wedding industry shutdown
~12:00 — Moving to Barrie and going all in on brand and web design
~13:30 — Where the Monarch name came from
~14:30 — Taking the show solo
~15:30 — Lesson 1: Done is better than perfect
~16:30 — Lesson 2: Pivots are part of the plan
~17:15 — Lesson 3: Your brand is supposed to grow with you
~18:30 — What self made means to me
~19:30 — What's next + your homework
20:59 — Voice note from Megan
23:54 — Voice note from Sydney
24:56 — Thank you + here's to the next 100

10/02/2026

"Your pregnancy's gonna be beautiful. You're gonna have this glow."

Nobody mentions throwing up ten times a day. Or ending up in hospital at 18 weeks. Or losing 25 pounds, the mood swings, and how much your whole body hurts.

Ashley Quenneville from is a grief coach and end-of-life doula. She's done pretending the sugar-coated version is the whole story. Pregnancy changes you as a person. Then you have the baby, and everything changes again.

If your pregnancy didn't feel like the glowing version you were promised, you're not doing it wrong. Nobody told you the truth.

🎧 Episode 99 of The Self Made Life Podcast with is out now. Tap the link in bio to listen.

09/30/2026

What if you're not grieving wrong? What if nobody ever told you the truth about grief?
This week I'm joined by Ashley Quenneville, a certified grief coach, end-of-life doula, and the founder of Tranquil Waters. Ashley spent eight years trying to have a baby while losing seven people she loved. Then she lost her grandmother, her best friend, in hospice. That peaceful goodbye changed everything about how she saw death, and it became the reason she does this work.
We talk about:

What an end-of-life doula actually does (before, during, and after a death)
Why a death plan works a lot like a birth plan
Grief that has nothing to do with death: divorce, job loss, friendships, custody
Why the "stages of grief" don't go in a straight line
Why dark humour belongs in hard moments
Postpartum depression, matrescence, and the missing village
Why time doesn't heal, but it does help you process

If you've ever laughed at the wrong moment or wondered who you even are anymore, this one's for you.
Connect with Ashley: Instagram Join Navigating the Waves: her 8-week virtual grief support group (DM her on Instagram)
If you're struggling: In Canada, call or text 9-8-8 for the Su***de Crisis Helpline. For perinatal mental health support, Postpartum Support International: 1-800-944-4773. If you're in immediate danger, call 911.

You wouldn't pick out throw pillows before the concrete is poured. 🏠So why are we building websites before the brand str...
09/29/2026

You wouldn't pick out throw pillows before the concrete is poured. 🏠

So why are we building websites before the brand strategy is done?

Here's the order I walk every Monarch client through:

The foundation → brand strategy + identity
The framing → messaging + copy
The house → your website

Skip to the house and you'll feel it, usually about six months after launch when the inquiries still aren't coming in.

And YES, you can do it in phases. I did just recently with my own brand refresh this year.

Full breakdown on this week's episode of The Self Made Life Podcast. Link in bio 🎧

Save this for your next build, and send it to the friend who's about to hire a web designer.

09/29/2026

If your website looks fine but isn't converting, the problem probably started long before launch day.
Ashley Wyatt, founder of Monarch Design Co., breaks down the order of operations for building a brand that books: brand strategy and identity, then messaging and copy, then the website. She explains why skipping steps leads to expensive redos, why copy has to come before design, and how to phase the investment if doing it all at once isn't realistic.
In this episode:

Why the website is the last step, not the first
The house metaphor: strategy is the foundation, copy is the framing, the website is the house
What happens inside the brand visioning process (and why clients who resist it end up loving it)
Why messaging is the most underestimated step for conversion
Professional copy vs. AI-informed copy built from your strategy
Foundational SEO and brand photography at the website stage
How to phase your investment without skipping steps

🎧 Share this one with a friend who's about to build a website. It might save them from a very expensive mistake.
Book a discovery call: themonarchdesign.co/contact Instagram:
Mentioned in this episode:

Laura, (Monarch's messaging and positioning copywriter)
SEO episode

09/29/2026

If your website looks fine but isn't converting, the problem probably started long before launch day.
Ashley Wyatt, founder of Monarch Design Co., breaks down the order of operations for building a brand that books: brand strategy and identity, then messaging and copy, then the website. She explains why skipping steps leads to expensive redos, why copy has to come before design, and how to phase the investment if doing it all at once isn't realistic.
In this episode:

Why the website is the last step, not the first
The house metaphor: strategy is the foundation, copy is the framing, the website is the house
What happens inside the brand visioning process (and why clients who resist it end up loving it)
Why messaging is the most underestimated step for conversion
Professional copy vs. AI-informed copy built from your strategy
Foundational SEO and brand photography at the website stage
How to phase your investment without skipping steps

🎧 Share this one with a friend who's about to build a website. It might save them from a very expensive mistake.
Book a discovery call: themonarchdesign.co/contact Instagram:
Mentioned in this episode:

Laura, (Monarch's messaging and positioning copywriter) and our podcast episode together
SEO episode

5 brands we've designed. 5 completely different personalities.A badass quilter who's rewriting the rules of a traditiona...
09/28/2026

5 brands we've designed. 5 completely different personalities.

A badass quilter who's rewriting the rules of a traditional craft. A seniors and grad photographer capturing big milestone moments. A playful children's brand full of colour and joy. A baking educator making the kitchen feel less intimidating. An OBM keeping designers organized behind the scenes.

Five totally different audiences, and not one of these brands looks like the others. That's on purpose. Every project starts with strategy: who you serve, what makes you different, and where your business is headed. The visuals come after.

Your brand should feel unmistakably yours.

Which one's your favourite? 👀

09/22/2026

Elyse Berendson is back on the show, and she's in the middle of another pivot. We talk about starting over at 38, her new It Girl quiz, why women still feel uncomfortable talking about money, and how to build a business and brand that fits who you actually are instead of copying someone else's strategy.
Connect with Elyse: | stan.store/elyseberendsonConnect with Ashley: themonarchdesign.co |

01:07 — Boss or Bust: a clarity download on a walk, and potty training wins
03:58 — Who is Elyse today? Starting over, shedding old identities, and her final solo retreat
07:35 — The It Girl quiz and why your strategy isn't supposed to look like hers
09:21 — The yapping trend (and why not every business needs it)
10:07 — What starting over looks like, practically and personally
15:11 — Why she relaunched her mastermind and opened the Money Honey Room
18:17 — Having the confidence of Chad, and writing emails like a man would
21:43 — The pattern she sees in 275+ women when it comes to money
24:50 — Why the breadwinner conversation still needs to happen out loud
27:13 — AI, human connection, and why she'll never outsource herself to a chatbot
31:47 — Her new framework: identity, brand, business, visibility
35:25 — Theme days, energy spurts, and "body before brain"
39:21 — Rapid Fire This or That
41:02 — What does self made mean to you?

09/22/2026

I manifested the man I thought I'd be with. Then he moved back to Australia.

Somewhere between the distance and the hard conversations, realized he wasn't her person. That meant starting over and dating again at 38.

But here's what she didn't expect. The breakup made space for her pivot. When you go through something like that, you shed a lot. She let go of the parts of herself she didn't identify with anymore, and that's what's shaping her next chapter in business. 🦋

She's back on The Self Made Life Podcast talking about starting over, out loud. Link in bio to listen.

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3 Elizabeth Street
Burlington, ON
L7R 0G3

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