Why I Build Brands That Support Real Life
(Reflections from my Bold Journey interview)
Awhile back, the team at Bold Journey reached out to ask if I’d share more of the why behind Sunday Muse… not just what I do, but how I see the world, how motherhood changed my relationship with work, and why I believe ambition should feel human.
It wasn’t a standard “business tips” interview. It’s slower and more personal…and tbh, it’s the exact kind of conversation I love.
Here’s a deeper look at a few things I shared in that piece.
Things I didn’t plan to say but meant every word
My mornings start early on purpose.
I’m usually up by 4:15 a.m. It’s not a flex. It’s the trade-off I’ve made to run a business while parenting a preschooler. I light a candle. I drink a full glass of water before drinking any coffee. I open my laptop. And from 4:30 to 6:30 am, I get quiet, uninterrupted, focused time to do the deep work that actually moves my clients and my own business forward.
These are the most productive 2 hours of my day (and likely the most peaceful). They're when I do the thinking, building, and refining that most people never see.
My brand exists because I saw people missing out.
Before this, I was a wedding planner—and before that, a teacher. I started Sunday Muse after seeing brilliant, capable entrepreneurs lose opportunities because their brands didn’t reflect how good they really were.
It drove me a little wild.
They’d pour everything into their work… only for their website, visuals, or messaging to sell them short. Pretty, yes. But not clear. Not strategic. Not built to grow with them. And certainly not updated.
So I created a studio that would do things differently. Strategy first, always.
Becoming a mother rewired my view of success.
Before I had my daughter, I thought rest was something you earned after burnout. I answered emails at 11 p.m. I wore stress like a badge. I thought more was more.
Motherhood cracked that WIDE open.
Suddenly, my time wasn’t just mine. I had to get honest about where my energy was going and what kind of business I wanted to build around it.
That’s when everything shifted.
Now, I don’t just design brands that “look good.” I design brands that feel like they belong to their owner. Brands that give them breathing room. Brands that fit.
I’m always chasing places that slow me down.
There’s a theme in my life: oceans, Costa Rica, quiet mornings, slowness.
I used to take students to Costa Rica when I was teaching. I almost moved there once. That place, that rhythm—it still lives in me. So does the time I lived near the ocean. I crave environments that help me breathe deeper and think clearly.
That craving is part of how I design. It shows up in how I build brands for my clients: with space, with softness, with strength.
Trends don’t matter unless they make life easier.
Here’s the filter I use: Does this make it easier for someone to decide, connect, or move forward?
That’s how I spot the difference between a fad and a real shift. Fads are loud. Real shifts are often quiet. But they’re the reason a brand or a site converts better. A message lands faster. A founder feels clearer.
I care about those changes…the ones that seem small, but move everything forward.
What I hope people say about my work.
This is the last question they asked me…and maybe my favorite.
That I helped them feel more like themselves. That I created things that were honest, useful, and beautiful, but never just for show. That I made things simpler when they felt hard. Maybe even that I made them laugh or cry a little, too. In a good way.
That’s what I’m building here.
Not just brands that “pop.” Brands that feel like home.
Want to read the full Bold Journey interview? You can find it here.
