MY STORY  You know how they say that you should look back at baby pictures in order to figure out what hair color suits you best? Well, not too long ago, I reflected on my kindergarten days in order to determine what I should be when I "grow up.” When I was little, I had a handful of careers in mind: teacher, writer, actress, fashion or interior designer. There are still parts of me that relate to each of these
careers, but the one that has always been my dream is being a writer. Looking
back, I realized I have been doing it since I was four years old—whether I was
writing a story during centers in kindergarten, an article for my high school
newspaper, a press release during my internships, a paper for a college English
class, a presentation for work, a post for my blog, or a portfolio for one of
my grad school classes. I knew I wanted
to do what I’ve always loved—write. Born in Chicago and raised in Kansas, I
grew up with four younger sisters and an amazing set of parents who continue to
inspire and support me through it all. When it came time to apply to college, I
wanted to major in English and decided to supplement it with a business degree.
It ended up that college was more than classes—it was Lewis Hall, tutoring at
the Writing Center, Dance Company, long island iced teas, football games, and the
start of life-long friendships. I graduated from the University of Notre Dame
with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a second major in English—and in the
process, I’d discovered what I did and didn’t want in life, who I was and who I
wanted to be. Following graduation, I moved into an apartment on Melrose Street
(yep, that’s the inspiration for my company name!) in Chicago with two college
girlfriends. I started my job at a media agency downtown three weeks later. After
some time on the search marketing team, I rotated to the Publishing Activation
Group and bought magazine advertising space on behalf of my clients. I learned
a lot about relationship building, communicating, negotiating, understanding
the content and audience of various publications, managing my time. But I
missed writing. Emails and Power Point presentations weren’t enough. I wanted
to do something that I was truly passionate about. So I went back to school for
a master’s degree in writing and publishing at DePaul University and started a
blog. I discovered the world of freelance writing and took the first steps to
set up my own business. After a few months, I quit my job to pursue freelance
writing full-time. Now, I have experience writing for corporations, small
businesses, publications, websites, blogs and associations. I have the great
opportunity to share my love of the written word—not only through my own
published works, but also through coaching and consulting. In addition to
writing for businesses and magazines, I want to help others share their own
stories. Writing is my passion, and I love to cultivate joy and confidence in
other writers, no matter what amount of experience they have. Everyone
has a story to tell. Besides writing, I have many other loves. A little bit
about me: I married my kind, caring, hilarious husband on the three-year
anniversary of our first date. We welcomed a daughter in August 2013, a son in October 2015, and another daughter in April 2019. I love nothing more than spending time with family and good friends. I enjoy any reason to celebrate—birthdays, anniversaries,
holidays, a random Friday night. Decorating our home involved a turquoise
chaise settee, a sparkly crystal chandelier, a vintage trunk coffee table, nailhead
trim, and countless throw pillows. I prefer baking over cooking. It’s the sweet
tooth in me. I will read pretty much anything,
but my favorites are Jane Austen novels and magazines like Women's Health and Magnolia Journal. My favorite
color is purple. Country music makes me smile. My beverages of choice include: water with lots of ice, pinot grigio,
Starbucks coffee, champagne, and margaritas. Not all at the same time, of
course! FIT4MOM classes and yoga are my favorite forms of exercise. I dream of beach
vacations. I always sign my name in cursive. Learn more about me, my business, and how I balance work, family, and fun in this "Living the Dream" feature! Now, it’s your turn. Do you want
to share news, spread the word, inspire, inform, entertain or educate? How can
I help you tell YOUR story? MY BACKGROUND Education: DePaul University
Master of Arts, Writing and Publishing
University of Notre Dame
Bachelor of Business Administration, Marketing
Second major in English
Experience: Starcom Mediavest Group
Publishing Activation Group - Print Media Planning/Buying
SMG Search
Search Marketing and Optimization
Trozzolo Communications Group
Advertising, Public Relations, Custom Publishing
Andrews McMeel Publishing
Publicity
Affiliations: FIT4MOM fitness instructor
Author of the blog Inspiration and Rough Drafts
Chicago Women in Publishing: Member (2010-2013) The Write Practice: Regular Contributor (2012-2013)
StoryStudio Chicago: Completed courses in Creative Writing I and Freelance Magazine Writing
Participated in online coaching course, Freelance Writer's Blast-Off Attended Business with Intention workshop
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