A little about me!

If there’s one thing I know, it’s how to adapt. Growing up, I moved between three countries, attended eight schools, and learned to navigate new places, new people, and new accents (mine is a fancy blend of Canadian, Aussie, and Kiwi!).

Those experiences shaped me into someone who thrives on connection, creativity, and problem-solving—qualities that later became the foundation of my marketing career.

My career officially started (after studying Television, Theatre & Radio) back in the year 2000 in publishing—think Vogue, Condé Nast, New Scientist—back when print was king.

With zero marketing budgets, we had to get creative, which turned out to be my sweet spot. From there, I landed at Saatchi & Saatchi NZ, working on the country’s largest ad accounts, including Telecom (now Spark). I went from managing no-budget magazine promos to multi-million-dollar ad campaigns, won a Cannes Bronze for an Ugly Betty campaign, and worked with brands like TVNZ (Dancing with the Stars, Desperate Housewives), Yalumba Wines, private schools, insurance, fashion, maternity, mechanics—you name it.

After eight years in the ad world, I stepped away to be a stay at home Mum and loved every minute of it.

I was born in Canada, moved to Adelaide, Australia at seven, then to New Zealand at 14, where I lived in Christchurch, Dunedin, and Auckland. I met my husband in Auckland, moved back to Adelaide, had our first two daughters, then hopped back to Canada while pregnant with our third 9 years ago. Phew!

Three years ago, I launched my boutique marketing agency, where I bring my big-brand experience to small businesses that need clarity and direction. I believe great marketing starts with empathy—understanding people, what they need, and how to serve them well. I am so lucky to have a pool of amazing talent in my team - because marketing is a BIG word!

Some fun facts: I’m a tad snobby about coffee, firmly believe that pavlovas were invented in NZ, I go for the ALL BLACKS, I feel Moana in my bones, I’ve made coffee for & chatted with “Boba-fett” and once won the Nothing is Impossible award at Saatchi & Saatchi. I detest bad customer service, I miss the beach it hurts, I cry over commercials, our family spends summer camping and if you’re planning a trip to NZ or Australia —pleeeeease hit me up!

Monica

Client testimonials

  • E-J Walker, TipToe Music, GTA, Ontario

    “

    "Working with Monica has been a breath of fresh air. She has helped me define my customer, overall brand and marketing goals, and identify areas to grow and focus on. She has continually challenged me to re-think what I thought my brand stood for and has helped me to develop a new and interesting plan which will help me be consistent and help the business grow. I look forward to a continuing partnership",

    ”

  • David Dwyer, Dangerous Kitchen, Takaka, NZ

    “

    I'm doing the brand workshop with Monica and it's awesome. We've had our business for over a decade and I wish we had done it sooner, Monica is a natural at fuguring out what's worth putting energy towards and we always finish the sessions really inspired about our business and with practical steps for not only marketing but fostering the culture we love

    ”

  • Aline McCarthy, Wellness Witches, Sydney Australia

    “

    Working with Monica on my brand and my brand story was a fun and extremely helpful experience! I now have total clarity on who my ideal client is, what she needs and wants and what my brand values are. I have never had such a detailed workshop with so much professional feedback and Monica took it to the next level. I can now use this for my social media strategy, Facebook ad creation and all content creation. Loved every aspect of it and Monica is so fun to work with

    ”

  • Dale Egan, Chief Lantern Designer, Lantern Cozies, Oakville, Canada

    “

    We (Lantern Cozies) engaged a branding exercise with Monica and just in time. We had just pivoted our business to a wholesale model and entered the world of trade shows and so the timing was key. Monica's process is very interactive with her clients (us) and she spends a great deal of time teasing out details. I still smile when I remember the eureka moment when she landed on the crux of what sets our product apart.I continue to return to the brand voice Monica created. That doesn't mean creating brand collateral is any easier but that sense of clarity does inform the many, oh so many, aspects of building out this business. Further, I feel I can continue to lean on Monica when I need to. She is a tremendous resource and will continue to be so as my business grows.

    ”

  • Ashley Gilbert, KEEP IT UP TUTORING, Minessota, USA

    “

    Working with Monica was amazing! I signed up for a mini session expecting to get a little guidance and a few ideas for how to move forward with my marketing. I am so pleased to report that the service I received was way better than expected. Monica was so supportive and went above and beyond. I wanted to get professional help with weeding through all of the generic advice I’ve heard about marketing on social media. After working with Monica, I can safely say that I have a total plan for marketing my business including email newsletters, social media posting, speaking to my customers in my marketing, lives, and even my branding. After the two week period of Voxer support passed I decided to sign up for a 3 month package to continue with her! I highly recommend working with Monica if you are a small business owner who needs personalized direction and inspiration!

    “

  • Frank Fuda, Owner, ASSURED BUILDING MAINTENANCE, GTA, Canada

    “

    I was tired of dealing with other freelancers and larger companies that promised everything under the sun for one monthly price. Things would start off ok, but never gained traction to get the proper return on investment for us. We tried to explain how we were different and how we operated in the commercial cleaning space, but realized either because of lack of proper questions to truly understand us and our brand, as well as them guessing on a lot of stuff, we knew we had to find someone else, and stop wasting our time and money. Although we have only briefly started working with Monica, over the last three months, I can tell that she really cares. Monica takes the time to ask the questions that really matter and she takes the time to meticulously lay out a plan for success. I understand that working towards brand and ad success is a constant work in progress, but I can slowly start to see the roadmap as to where she wants to take our overall ad and brand strategy.

    “

  • Olivia Glauberzon, AFTER 9, Canada

    “

    “Monica is one of the most integral marketing partners I’ve worked with, always putting what the business needs first, ahead of everything else. I’ve come back to her for planning time and time again, as she really understands how the pieces of a marketing plan come together and is able to refine strategy in a way that generates results. Never hesitate to hire Monica, she goes above and beyond, and her work generates ROI. It is never an expense.

    “

“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

– Albert Einstein

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