Northwoods Creative + Marketing

10/01/2026

October is Women’s Small Business Month and I’m celebrating some of the talented, inspirational queens I get to work with.

Literally, what is my life?! Beyond blessed.

Kelly owner of W**e + Zero Proof Cocktails | Port Washington 📍 & Wisconsin Handcrafted Gifts

Every time I meet with her, I’m amazed at her creativity and capacity. I love getting to watch the way she shows up for others and create community.

Dhameer owner of Béyti Home & Gift

A true visionary and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met. Her store in downtown Oconomowoc is filled with unique, high quality, ethically sourced home decor. A must-visit!

📸 Danielle Stewart Photography | Family | Motherhood | Couples

Meg owner of Hackett Brand Consulting Meg Prejzner

Almost impossible to explain how much I love this human. She’s one of those people I’ve felt I’ve known forever, even though we just met a few years ago. She’s such an inspiration, and a dream creative partner!

Nicole owner of Good Comms LLC Nicole

From coworkers to friends to entrepreneurs. This woman is a highly intelligent, creative powerhouse. She’s already accomplished so much, and I know she’s going to make huge impacts on everyone lucky enough to work with her.

Miranda owner of Georgia Myo Solutions

Empathetic. Kind. Passionate about her work and changing people’s lives. If I could work with a thousands Mirandas, I would in a heartbeat.

📸 Kaitlyn Fellows | Atlanta Brand Photographer

Magen owner of Magen 💜 Thriller Bookstagrammer 💀 Tulsa, OK and Magen Mintchev | Social Media Manager + Content Strategist

From Instagram follows to colleagues to IRL friends. Magen is the ultimate girls’ girl and has opened so many doors for me. She also is responsible for the growth of my TBR list!

Kelly owner of TRiE Fitness

Pure goodness in human form. From talking to her one-on-one, to watching her with her students, Kelly’s heart shines through in everything she does.

Abbie owner of Abbie Miller | Miller Headshot Co.

Insanely talented and the bubbliest personality. From day 1, Abbie valued my craft put so much thought and intention into our partnership.

Melissa owner of Melissa Fountas | Greece Experience Designer

The Napoleon to my Lafayette. Melissa was the magic behind my recent Greece retreat. Her intuition and heart made every moment memorable.

09/30/2026

I’m an empath, and apparently that’s not okay now.

I’ve recently seen videos tearing down the concept empathy, and those who identify as empaths.

One woman said she hated the term and thought it sounded made up. Like another label people have become obsessed with using.

The comments were full of people agreeing with her.

“Cringe.”

“Inauthentic.”

“People use it wrong all the time.”

And honestly? It was disheartening.

Because after years of thinking my empathy was a weakness, my life coach helped me recognize something:

My empathy is one of my superpowers.

For a long time, I was made to feel like my empathy was holding me back professionally.

That I was too soft.

Too gentle.

Too compassionate.

That I wouldn’t be able to make tough decisions or have hard conversations.

So for a little while after watching that video, I went inward.

I second-guessed myself.

Maybe I need to rethink this.

Maybe I need to change the way I show up.

Maybe empathy isn’t a superpower after all.

And then I thought…

F**k that.

Empathy is one of the things that makes me good at what I do.

It’s what helps me understand my clients. What they’re going through. What they’re trying to create. What’s keeping them stuck. What they need help solving.

And it helps me understand their customers, too.

Because if I can understand what their audience is feeling, struggling with, wanting, and needing, I can help my clients communicate in a way that actually resonates.

That’s not a weakness.

That’s literally the point of my work.

And here’s the thing:

Someone, somewhere, is always going to have a problem with the way you show up.

The words you use.

The things you identify with.

The way you express yourself.

The way you run your business.

You can spend your entire life trying to make sure nobody ever misunderstands, disagrees with, or judges you.

Or you can decide that the people who get you are the people you actually want to work with anyway.

So yes.

I’m an empath.

And I’m not going to apologize for that anymore.

09/15/2026

lover girl szn 🌹

07/30/2026

Buck Blodgett has a way with words! 💜

He was recently on the Don't Waste Your Pain Show talking about Jessie and our work with The Love > hate Project

Dr. Buck Blodgett forgave the man who took the life of his 19-year-old daughter, Jessie.

He founded Love Is Greater Than Hate and has spent more than 13 years teaching compassion and forgiveness to incarcerated men while also giving voice to survivors of domestic violence.

His profoundly powerful episode is live.

🔗 Link in bio. Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

06/26/2026

Some timing is just meant to be! 💜

Buck and Amanda, our board secretary, made plans to meet at The Hub - Social Good Brews this morning to talk about some technical tasks for LOVE>hate’s social media.

Little did we know, it was Let's Talk West Bend Day with TMJ4 News at The Hub. Instead of meeting about Instagram and posting schedules, we got to sit down with members of the local media to share more about Jessie’s story and our mission.

We both decided: this was absolute divine timing. THIS was the purpose of our meeting today. THIS is how we can continue to share our message, and shine a spotlight on our efforts to end interpersonal violence, promote forgiveness, and presence love.

An unexpected blessing, an unexpected chance to broaden our reach. But definitely meant to be! We’re thankful for Kidd O'Shea and the other TMJ4 staff for showing interest in our programs and fundraising efforts.

If we get the chance to be featured, we’ll be sure to share more! Stay tuned 📺

06/25/2026

05/30/2026

When my web design clients also hire me as their brand photographer, I’m not just shooting to fill a gallery.

I’m shooting to fill the hero section of your home page.

I’m shooting images that can work as backgrounds, to add texture and dimension.

I’m shooting to tell your story that can only be told through REAL moments (stock or AI could never 💁🏻‍♀️)

I’m shooting to capture that essence and personality of you, your business, your brand, and the people you’re meant to help.

new site is in progress and we’re capturing images of their classes & team that will show off exactly the type of environment they really are!

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05/26/2026

going from corporate to supporting small-but-mighty businesses has been a roller coaster. so much of what I learned in that world had to be unlearned before I could truly serve entrepreneurs the way they deserve.

recently, I realized I’ve had to completely retrain my brain around what success actually looks like.

at work, success was tied to scale, speed, endless growth, and numbers on a spreadsheet. bigger was always better. more was always the goal.

but small business success looks different.

Sometimes success looks like:

💛 finally having a website you’re proud to send people to
💛 booking enough clients to breathe again
💛 being able to pick your kids up from school
💛 creating something that actually feels aligned with who you are
💛 building slowly, sustainably, and intentionally

the longer I do this work, the more I realize success isn’t one-size-fits-all. and honestly? I think there’s something really beautiful about building a business around the life you actually want.