BRAND VOICE & STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONSYour words are fine. They’re just not yours.
I help individuals, brands and organizations find the words that sound like them. Not a committee. Not a template. The version that makes people actually care about your work.
Lately, I've been writing campaigns that raise money, overhauling messaging for foundations, and working with founders who've outgrown their voice and need something more elevated.
HI, I'M LEEANNAI’ll help you say what you’ve been trying to say.
I take what you already know about yourself and show it to you in a way you haven't seen before. Then give it to you in a format your whole team can actually use. The best part? The voice rings so true to who you are that it's easy for everyone to adopt.
I started in advertising as an art director and became a creative director. But my favorite thing ever was doing new business pitches.
I love walking into a room with a brand everyone thinks they understand and showing them something they hadn't seen or imagined that feels more like them than they thought possible.
That's the skill. And it transfers perfectly to what organizations need now: someone who can help them figure out who they are and how to talk about it easily, comfortably, sincerely.
You shouldn't have to sound corporate to be taken seriously.
WHAT GUIDES THIS WORKI've been doing this for nonprofits, individuals, and growing businesses for over 15 years. Co-built an education nonprofit from scratch with my daughter that raised over $200K and served 25,000 students, and started a product-based company that got national distribution and media coverage. I know what it's like to need the words but not have the budget.
That makes me better at this.
You shouldn't have to hire a full-time communications director to stop sounding like everyone else. And you definitely shouldn't get a framework, or anything at all, that you can't actually use.
I build systems that work, stay around as long as you need me, and won't hold it against you if you want to take a swing at it yourself first.
What this looks like.
RECENT PROJECTSCLIENT TYPE: CONSUMER BRANDGrace & Able
Their product was doing the work. Their brand voice wasn't.
Most founders start with one voice. But when you grow fast, sometimes that voice doesn't grow with you. So I helped them elevate their voice to match where they're going, not just where they've been.
Built their brand voice guide from scratch. How they sound, when to add a little wit, when it's not the time for that. Showed them what makes them unique in a way they hadn't thought of. Gave them easy-to-follow rules so they avoid sounding like everyone else or losing their voice. Real examples, guardrails, the works. 23 pages their team, their AI systems, and new hires can all use for everything they write.
Turns out "confident, warm, and a little bit knowing" takes that many pages to nail down.
CLIENT TYPE: FOUNDATIONSydney Paige Foundation
Amazing work. Zero time to talk about it.
They're incredible at what they do, which surprisingly isn't writing their own communications. Classic case of people helping hundreds of thousands of kids and not having time to make sure they don't sound like every other nonprofit. But I love doing this. So after spending time with them, learning who they are and feeling their why, I did a complete communications overhaul. Brand voice, website, presentation decks, email sequences, grant proposals, donor materials, LinkedIn. Everything. And that new, real human tone that sounds like them (so it's easy for them to use) helped raise $50K in their year-end campaign.
When your emails sound like a human wrote them instead of a template from 2019, people donate.
CLIENT TYPE: YOUTH-LED EDUCATION NONPROFITRainbow Pack
Youth-led. Adult-sounding. Problem.
Working with kids is really the best. They know what they want to say, but they think they need to sound like adults to be taken seriously. When they learned to speak in their own voice from the heart, something amazing happened. They weren't seen like all the other nonprofits out there. They had a perspective that worked for them, not against them. And once they saw that, there was no stopping them. This youth-led grassroots backpack program became a recognized education equity organization in Los Angeles with a voice that worked for students, families, school partners, LAUSD, and major funders. Raised $200K+, served 25,000+ students.
You can talk to kindergarteners and corporate funders in the same voice — if you find the one that doesn't condescend to either.
CLIENT TYPE: SOCIAL-IMPACT NONPROFITWe Got This
Great vision. Too many moving parts.
This organization has an amazing founder who created what she wished she had at one of the worst times in her life. After a few years of piecing it together, she needed someone to look at it with fresh eyes and figure out how to make all the parts work better together. So I spent time learning what they were all about, understanding the founder's vision, then did a full audit and built a strategic roadmap.
We diagnosed what was working and what could work better. Prioritized the fixes with clear next steps. Always clear next steps, because nobody likes getting to the end of a document without knowing where to go. Threw in brand voice guidelines since each part had its own personality (fun for a movie character, not so much for a website).
Sometimes the problem isn't the voice. It's that nobody can find anything.
TRACK RECORD20 years of making words work
$250K+
Raised Through Campaigns
25K
Students Reached
Zero
Templates Used
100%
Referral-Based
DIY, AI, ME.
Your choice.
SERVICE PACKAGESThese are starting points, not a menu. Every engagement is custom.
Some people need just the framework — I build the system, hand it off, they run with it. Some need me to do everything because their team is underwater. Some do a bit of each. They all work. If you're not sure which one fits, that's what the first conversation is for.
Let's chat → ✉️
Brand Voice Framework
It's fancy if I do say so myself. It's a complete system. Voice principles, positioning, competitive analysis, examples, guardrails, and a roadmap.
I don't just hand you a document and disappear. You get a prioritized checklist of what to do first, second, third, you get the idea. And I can be as involved or hands-off as you need while you implement it.
Includes:
Voice and tone guidelines that make sense
Strategic positioning and competitive white space
Before/afters and real examples
Prioritized implementation checklist
Ongoing support (as much or little as you need)
Success metrics
Strategic Audit & Roadmap
Figure out what's broken, what works, and what to fix first. It's a diagnosis plus an action plan.
Includes:
Complete messaging audit
What's working vs. what's in the way
Prioritized fixes by phase
Quick wins and long-term strategy
Roadmap you can actually follow
Complete Communications Overhaul
Framework plus optional execution. I build the system, then rewrite the parts that you don't want to do. Website, decks, emails, proposals, the works.
Includes:
Everything in the framework
Website content rewrite
Presentation and board materials
Email sequences and campaigns
Grant proposals and donor communications
LinkedIn and social presence
Naming
Coming up with a name used to be fun. Now it's a puzzle. Everything's taken. Every URL is gone. But I love a good challenge and puzzles are kinda my favorite thing.
I've named businesses, nonprofits, products, and programs. The goal is always something memorable, meaningful, and not already claimed by someone selling supplements on the internet.
What you get:
Multiple name options with rationale
URL availability check for each
Social handle availability
The story behind each name (so you can explain it to your board/team/investors)
Ongoing Partnership
Fractional leadership. Monthly retainer. I'm your person for strategy, campaigns, and anything high-stakes or low stakes that you just want another set of eyes on.
Includes:
Strategic communications oversight
Campaign development and execution
Major proposals and donor materials
Team guidance and editing
Executive communications support
Not sure what’s right for you? Let’s chat about it → ✉️
HOW THIS WORKSWe talk. I send you a proposal based on what makes sense. If you go with the framework, you get the full document plus a prioritized checklist of what to tackle first, second, third.
I understand this isn't your full-time job. Running your organization is. So I make it as flexible and manageable as I can. Because sometimes you want to take a swing at it yourself and then realize 'I don't want to do this.' That's okay. I'll still be here to help. I don't hold a grudge.
How I got here.
Started as an Art Director at Team One, working on Lexus. Became Creative Director for Acura. Went freelance and worked at TBWA\Chiat\Day, Fallon, RPA, Ogilvy on new business pitches. The kind where you walk in with an idea and walk out with a client, or you don't.
Then I built things: An art studio, LA Magazine called the best in the city. A branding agency for companies and orgs that are doing good things. Ran an education nonprofit for 8 years, raised $200K+, served 25,000 students. Started a wellness company that got national distribution and landed in Real Simple and Parents Magazine.
I mention all that because it means I know what it's like to be on your side of the table. To need the words but not have the budget. To do everything yourself, and desperately need systems that work.
I've been there. Makes me better at this.
For the past 15 years, brand voice and strategic communications for individuals, nonprofits, and growing businesses. I do the work that makes it easier for you to be you, for people to feel like they know and to remember you.
Pasadena-based. Working remotely with organizations everywhere.
GET IN TOUCHLet’s talk.
Email me. Tell me what you're working on and where you're stuck.
I'll get back to you within a day or two.
No sales pitch from a CRM template.
Just an easy conversation about whether this makes sense.