Woman Wednesday: Katherine J.


Q and A with Katherine J. from Bethlehem, PA

“Never stop caring, growing for others, and building connections!”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: As a copywriter for service providers, I’m passionate first about community and second about writing. I founded my business on a love for helping others and a professional background in writing and marketing for nonprofits, sharing stories, and promoting causes that improve and enrich lives. My joy comes from channeling the right words to lift purpose-driven work. I decided to name my freelance business Lehigh Valley Copywriter because what you choose to support can be anywhere–but it starts where you are.

My mission is to serve the Lehigh Valley in Pennsylvania and the communities my clients are building through their work. I offer brand messaging, SEO website copywriting, and sales writing campaigns to help other entrepreneurs grow their voices, connections, and visibility. The kinds of clients I gravitate toward working with are teachers of all disciplines, musicians, artists, photographers, coaches, and service-based business owners like realtors, financial advisors, event planners, and wellness professionals. Most are women. My work is gratifying because my clients’ work is meaningful and intentional, and makes a difference for others. I’m in my first official year of business and growing quickly. Beyond client projects, I’ve been building partnerships through collaborative work, online learning groups, and local support systems of like-minded female entrepreneurs. Freelancing can be isolating if you don’t step back from the work to build relationships. It’s finding a community that makes all the difference.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: Growing up in upstate New York, I lived in a small suburban town where kids left bikes in the front lawn when visiting friends, swapped Jolly Ranchers for Fun Dip at the open park across from the stony creek and played manhunt across neighbors’ backyards until we were called home by our parents’ silhouettes in windows. It was a genuine community. I’m from the last generation to experience childhood without the internet and also the first generation to grow up fully alongside the internet. My first online writing experience was through the Open Diary website (which I’m stunned is around–go look it up)! AOL chat rooms, AIM profiles, and message boards were all creative outlets for a budding writer. I remember writing “books” and “newspapers” with friends on clunky PCs in the family computer room and the thrill of printing stories at home! The after-school world ignited me as a young person. I attended a public school system rich with diversity, civic engagement, and extracurricular opportunities like Rotary Club, band, writing club workshops, and the school newspaper. I also found meaning in volunteering at nursing homes, homeless shelters, and other service-based agencies with my youth group. Reflecting on those experiences, it makes sense that I found nonprofit work appealing and have taken up freelance copywriting to support community development. I had a healthy support system and the right people as role models.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: At the end of the year, I get sentimental as I reflect on my learnings. I imagine each year as another draft in my life’s story, scrawled with edit notes and suggestions for improvement. In copywriting, my writing tells the passions and stories of other people. It’s a learning process of hearing what other business owners care about, who they serve, why it matters, and how we can help others discover their offer as the solution to a problem. It’s also a learning process on the customer service end. Much like the writing drafts that sit at the bottom of my Google Docs, the experiences and feedback that I earn with each copywriting project serve as reminders for growth. Never stop caring, growing for others, and building connections!

Q: What does feminism mean to you?


A:
Feminism starts with keeping an open heart and leaning into intuition. We live on a spectrum of callings rooted in lived experiences and spiritual identities. We serve ourselves and others best when we pursue what feels right professionally and at home. But our society and economy haven’t made this available to everyone yet. We have to be vocal about barriers and inequities when we see them. Feminist strength comes through knowing other women, understanding their personal and professional desires, being loud about what gets in the way, and supporting each other. I recommend finding a network, tribe, village, community–whatever you want to call it–to build a support system for yourself and others.

Thank you for reading!

If you’d like to work with me, please visit my website: katjacksoncopy.com

You can also follow me on Instagram @copywritingbykat for tips on small business growth, copywriting, brand messaging, and Search Engine Optimization.

Woman Wednesday: Jess I.


Q and A with Jess from Jamaica, living in London, UK

“Use words to build, not break. They carry energy and are more powerful than we understand them to be.


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I’m Jess, also known as Dreamz She Wrote. My passions are many, but predominantly, I care most for words and their use in creative spaces. I also love traveling, good food, and good music in any order. I’ve been writing from as young as I can recall; I’ve always been creating stories and poetry. As well as being a copywriter, I am also a spoken word artist. In another life, I taught high school, passing on my love for words and all the wonderful things they help us to create. I’m currently working on a collection of poetry NFT’s and looking forward to being the featured spoken word artist at a micro festival on healing the self through the arts.

Q: What were your younger years like?

A: As the eldest of five, spare time was in short supply. I used to relish being able to go and sneak off somewhere quiet, usually under a table and just write stories or color, which is something I still find therapeutic now. I was lucky enough to be introduced to travel at an early age and, above all, I’ll hold this as something sacred. There is an education that is afforded through travel that cannot be gained anywhere else. I feel like I’ve kept my childlike curiosity and excitement for meeting new people and learning new things because of my early travel adventures. One of my funniest memories is being in a chalet in Andorra on Christmas Day and having no other option than to slide down the icy road on our bums to get to the cabin at the bottom of the hill where dinner was being served. Of course, we were all wearing our salopettes, so no ice-burnt bottoms.

Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: I feel it’s really important that no one tries to fit into anyone else’s idea of who they should be. I have always been the ‘quirky’ one; I like books and films and rarely watch TV. I have adult coloring books and turquoise hair and all of these things make me feel comfortably like myself and I think that is really important. Being comfortable with who you are and what you like is powerful.

Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: Feminism, to me, is understanding how to comfortably be a woman in my own right, knowing that I have a special type of magic that may make others fearful. It means understanding that my femininity doesn’t have to be defined by anyone’s standards but my own and that as well as (and not despite) being a woman, I am also many other things.

MORE FROM JESS: If I could leave this world with anything valuable, I’d leave it with this: Use words to build, not break. They carry energy and are more powerful than we understand them to be.

Let’s get in touch! Contact me via:

Copy Is King

Thank you for reading!

Woman Wednesday: JoAnn


Q and A with JoAnn
from Sicily, Italy, living in Georgian Bay, Canada

“A theme that I include in my novel is that of the immigrant experience, the struggle, and prejudice experienced by many hardworking new immigrants.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I had never held a book in my hands until my family immigrated to Canada from Sicily in 1957. There were no libraries in our small Sicilian village in the 50s, and my family could not afford books. I was seven, so I was placed into first grade, and by the end of the year, I could speak and read some English. In grade three, my class was allowed to walk to a nearby library where we were allowed to borrow three books. The books suggested by the librarian were very thin children’s books. I would take three home, read them the same night, then wait patiently for two weeks to go by so I could go back to the library and bring home three more. That’s when I developed my passion for reading, which also inspired me to write. My other interests are baking and gardening, both of which require reading, whether you want to bake some really delicious scones or learn how to grow beautiful flowers. I have been a freelance journalist for many years, but I only recently published my first novel, A Scarcity of Virgins. It is a women’s novel with a feminist bent, that incorporates the immigrant experience as a backdrop since it is so much a part of me. I have almost completed a second novel, Island of the Vespers, a historical romance that takes place in Sicily during the 1860 unifications wars led by Giuseppe Garibaldi.


Q: What were your younger years like?

A: In elementary school, my favorite subject was composition, and I remember my grade-four teacher being so impressed by a story I had written, that he passed it around among the other teachers, much to my embarrassment. It was a silly story about a bear that attacked a hunter, but instead of eating the hunter, the bear preferred the hunter’s honey sandwiches. For some reason, my teacher thought it was hilarious. I thought, if my grade-four teacher liked my writing, maybe writing was something I should do. So, I always wrote stories at home for my own pleasure and had a diary going, even into my late teens. My parents didn’t speak English, so on parents’ night when kids were supposed to stay home, I had to accompany my parents to the school to translate. Because of that, and because of all the children of Italian immigrants that were enrolling in our school, I became the school’s official translator assisting teachers who wanted to communicate with the parents. My decision to study modern languages in university stems from this experience.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: In spite of the women’s liberation movement, which was at its height in the 60s and 70s, many women of my era remained mired in patriarchal and misogynistic traditions. Fifty years later, it continues to exist. I just recently watched a series entitled Maid, based on a true story, a contemporary story, and was saddened to see how women are still treated badly, and how much they have to struggle. Even though my novel, A Scarcity of Virgins, takes place in the 80s, the subject matter, which includes, marriage, family, patriarchy, misogyny, feminism, fidelity and infidelity, is still relevant today. Women cannot allow themselves to be used and abused by men and are often unfairly disqualified from jobs or social assistance. Additionally, a theme that I include in my novel is that of the immigrant experience, the struggle, and prejudice experienced by many hard-working new immigrants.


Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: To me, feminism means the freedom to be ourselves, without fear of reprimand or retaliation, without physical or emotional abuse. It means being able to have control of our own lives, and most importantly, having equal rights and opportunities, without the consideration of gender.

MORE FROM JOANN: I lived my early years in Toronto, Canada, where I studied, married, worked, and raised my three children. After retirement, I moved farther north to enjoy country life on the shores of Georgian Bay. I am so happy that I was able to combine the launch of my first novel, A Scarcity of Virgins, with my mother’s 106th birthday on October 23rd. We had to have two separate cakes, of course!

Book to order: amazon.com/author/jo-annwrites

Website: joanncatania.com

Facebook: JoAnnCatania2

Twitter: JoAnnCatania1

Instagram: joanncatania1


Thank you for reading!

I’d love to connect with you! 🙂

Woman Wednesday: Lauren T.


Q and A with Lauren T., Milford, CT

You deserve to have happiness. Sometimes, that may mean facing pain to make it to the other side of the rainbow.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I love reading, traveling, learning about mindset, being with my dog, trying new recipes, and also being with my family and my partner. Walks on the beach or gazing at the stars has always fascinated me. I like adventures as much as I like quiet nights at home curled up on the couch and watching a suspenseful film (preferably with my own bowl of popcorn!). I am passionate about writing, which is what I am currently working on. I used to do affiliate marketing within the health and wellness field. However, I found myself dissatisfied. I knew I had a higher calling, so I hired a purpose development coach to help formulate my purpose (which ties into my upbringing).


Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I grew up as the middle child in my family. I often felt unnoticed between my older sister and younger brother. I suppose it did not help that he was born exactly on my 5th birthday. Having to share my birthday led to bitterness and a sense that maybe I didn’t deserve a day all about me. My parents often fought and I acted as a mediator. However, that often backfired as no one took me seriously. School was very challenging because I was extremely shy. It was difficult to make friends, and the “cool” kids would sometimes make fun of me (my mom used to cut my bangs and did a horrible job…). I turned to focusing on my appearance. That I could control. I felt unloved on the inside and was desperate for attention. My life forever changed when I was 14 years old. I was hospitalized for depression and anorexia. But what really transformed my life was when a nurse came wheeling over an old book cart. Instead of handing me a book, she handed me a journal. And so, I wrote away my pain, shared my deepest secrets. I spilled my heart onto paper. It opened up a portal where I could give my heart a voice. Little did I know how big that portal would become. After I was released home, I continued journaling. I began writing inspirational messages and poems to others. I loved being a gateway to their soul where I could bring joy and self reflection. 21 years later, I’ve held on to the same dream, which is helping others express themselves through writing…to serve how I serve best, which is through pen and paper.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: You can conquer limiting beliefs. Hang in there because you are strong, beautiful, and powerful. I believe in you. I found myself in a mentally abusive relationship for 6 years that turned into a marriage. I didn’t think I was worthy of someone, something better. I was made to feel so low that it seemed like I truly would never find happiness. It took one person to plant the seed, “Why can’t you be happy?” That thought ate away at me, and it was like I began seeing my life and relationship with a different lens. One day, I asked for a divorce, unplanned, but something inside me was screaming it. Never forget you are in control of your life. You deserve to have happiness. Sometimes, that may mean facing pain to make it to the other side of the rainbow.


Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: Seeking compassion and collaboration instead of comparison. Standing up for yourself and knowing your self-worth despite anything else. We (us fellow women) are all super unique and strong.


MORE FROM LAUREN: I left my job that treated me disrespectfully and I would not let it compromise my values. So, here I am, full-time creative copywriter coach.





Thank you for reading!

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Woman Wednesday: Elaine T.


Q and A with Elaine T., Nassau, Bahamas

“I have learned to never ignore your passion. When you are walking in your purpose, your passion will indeed bring value to those you are meant to serve.”


Q: What are you passionate about? 

A: I am passionate about the art of writing. My father took the television away from my siblings and I when we were very young. We were only allowed to read books! Because of this, I am familiar with what a good book is comprised of! This love for reading sparked my imagination and also generated a love for writing. I like to think of my writing as a divine energy that travels from the spiritual realm and into the physical through the portal of my fingers. This is why I started Authors in Action. Through courses, coaching, and ghostwriting, we help our clients to achieve their author potential through the power of self-publishing. I absolutely love the look of pure excitement on my clients’ faces when they hold their book in their hands for the first time. Watching them experience that “I can’t believe I did this!” moment is special and beyond uplifting. I was motivated to start Authors in Action due to the many who wanted to become published authors. I’m currently working on separating my coaching and ghostwriting into two separate entities. I have decided to do this because my ghostwriting packages are the most popular. Lots of executives, pastors, founders, etc. have amazing skills and knowledge that need to be shared with the world; however, they don’t have time to write! It brings me joy to help them be able to add another stream of income to their dynasty, share their knowledge, and achieve their goal of becoming a published author.


Q: What were your younger years like?

A: I grew up on books. I did not experience television until about four years ago. My school years consisted of my classmates laughing hysterically whenever I admitted that my family and I didn’t have a television. Yes, it was embarrassing, but now I am grateful. I didn’t experience being on the computer unsupervised until my senior high school days back in 2003. These were days when my mom allowed us to sneak in an hour or two whenever my dad was at work. Thanks Mummy! I loved shows like Desperate Housewives, Downton Abbey, and later on a series called Revenge. I still loved books. I will always embrace a good book. My favorite childhood authors were Enid Blyton, Ronald Dahl, Anne Martin, and Carolyn Keene. These authors took me on many memorable journeys through my imagination. This creativity translated across into my writing and gave me a newfound love and a unique way to express myself. In addition to reading, I did professional ballet classes. My father says this was one of the hobbies I took extremely seriously. Many may not know that I have completed the American Academy of Ballet Examinations with mostly gold medals straight up to level twelve which is pointe work. I was trained through Virtue Dance Academy in The Bahamas and was judged once a year by The American Academy of Ballet. This was the perfect school for me as they did acting and Christian stage performance also. Dance and writing are similar for me as I consider them both to be a presentation of energy flowing from another world into reality.


Q: What is something valuable you’d like others to know?

A: I have learned to never ignore your passion. My passion has always been writing; however, I was encouraged by a guidance counselor to pick a more “realistic” career. I was told that I would not be able to make a living if I chose the path of writing. My income so far for the month of March 2021 is 9k. May I add that the month isn’t over yet (as I’m writing this). I would like to encourage you to trust your passion. Money should never be the driving force behind what it is you choose to do; however, when you are walking in your purpose, your passion will indeed bring value to those you are meant to serve. As long as you bring about an outstanding result, wealth will follow. Why? Because people will indeed pay you for the results you are able to give them. You will absolutely give excellent results if you are passionate about what you do. No matter how small your dream seems, still pursue it. You may not see the full vision at first, but eventually, you will come to discover that your passion is connected to your purpose. Trust the passion God gave you. It is He who will use it to achieve His purpose for your life.


Q: What does feminism mean to you? 

A: I believe a woman can be independent; however, having a partner is valuable. I have always found the concept of teamwork beautiful—one team working towards one goal. I feel a husband and wife who are two whole people walking in their purpose and impacting the world together is a force to be reckoned with. Respect, love, empowerment and bravery of both parties is crucial. At the end of the day, we are all human beings—none better than the other. If a husband and wife are stuck on a deserted island, they both need to operate as a team to survive. His strength is needed to build a shelter. Her endurance is valuable when hunting food. Each has brought something unique to the table. Each has something different yet valuable to offer. Both are equally great because both have something exceptional to offer. Yes, some may say you can do it alone, but I am a huge fan of teamwork and so, this is where I stand on the subject. It is possible alone, but it is even better using teamwork. This is just my opinion and how I feel although many may disagree.


MORE ABOUT ELAINE:

I was born and raised in Nassau, Bahamas. I absolutely love island hopping and visiting our local resorts. I have two sons—ages seven and four. They both adore cars, Amazon, and taking long drives. The eldest hates reading while the youngest began reading at the age of two and loves it. Like all kids, they are both different but equally special.

Thank you for reading!

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