RED BALLOON STATION - P.S.

RED BALLOON STATION

4 Lessons from Ditching a Framework I Loved

1/19/2026

Over the last few months, I developed a couple of frameworks for my approaches to storytelling to organize myself and create a shared language my clients and I can use.

Fully embracing my self-proclaimed "witchy era," I came up with a framework to name the process of how we really bring out the magic in our storytelling--WITCHY.

It worked perfectly. Each letter captured the critical steps and elements of how I tell powerful, impactful stories that resonate with targeted audiences. I was so excited to share this with everyone that I put it on my website, shared it during a workshop.

And it all came together perfectly in a double-layered framework for my methods: First we get SMART, then we get WITCHY.

But my gut kept trying to tell me something...

SMART Storytelling

1/19/2026

You're putting yourself out there. You're showing up–at events, in one-on-one conversations, on social media, at community gatherings, in pitch meetings, during your launch, while canvassing door-to-door.

And yet... people still don't seem to get you.

They're not connecting with your message the way you hoped. They're nodding politely but not engaging. They're not remembering what you said. Or worse…they're misunderstanding what you're actually trying to communicate.

And it's frustrating as hell, because you know you have something valuable to offer. You know your work matters. You know you're here to make a real impact.

So why isn't it landing?

Year of the Snake Reflection

12/28/2025

Like many of you, 2025 started off slowly for me. I tried easing myself back into work while caring for a newborn, but the quiet made me uneasy. Before the baby arrived, I had momentum. Real momentum. And I caught myself thinking, I love my babies, but why does my business always seem to take a hit when I have one?

But January has been slow for me for several years now. Not just this year. Not just postpartum. A pattern. And it made me wonder if maybe the issue was not my capacity, but my expectations. Who decided we’re supposed to hit rocket speed the moment the calendar flips to January 1? What if the pressure to sprint at the start of the year is the thing that’s misaligned?

The Wicked Truth About Fear-Based Marketing

12/7/2025

I finally watched Wicked: For Good with my son the other day. And the day after, he asked me “How come Madame Morrible told people that Elphaba wanted to kill them when it wasn’t true?”

I told him that sometimes people try to gain power by scaring people. They try to get people to do mean or wrong things by scaring them.

And as I said this to him, I couldn’t help but think about how common marketing tactics are rooted in the same kind of fear-mongering.

If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable or even grossed out by marketing, it’s because you were experiencing harm. Once I realized this and understood this about marketing, I realized I did not want to participate in this kind of marketing–and that there had to be another way.

What Your Content Has Been Subtweeting Your Brand All Year

11/28/2025

Before you write one more “new year, new content strategy” list, I want you to listen to the content you already created in 2025.

Because whether you meant to or not, your content has been subtweeting your brand all year.

Not just your branding—the fonts and colors.
Your brand: the story people tell about you when you’re not in the room.

This week, instead of jumping into a new plan, I want you to do something quieter and much more honest:

Let your own content tell you who you’ve been.

When a Word Stops Making Us Think

11/21/2025

Off of last week's post inspired by the New York Times' op-ed asking whether “Liberal Feminism Ruined the Workplace," I thought more about one of the things that stood out in that article.

The word “woke” (or a version of it) came up at least 50 times throughout the op-ed. It felt like a teenager discovering a cool new term and wouldn’t stop using it.

But that repetition isn’t accidental, stylistic, or neutral. Because when a single word shows up that often, one of two things happens:

It either becomes weaponized or meaningless. Let's explore what happens in either of these situations.

Are Fragile Male Egos Ruining the World?

11/15/2025

Several years ago, I took a course in Ecumenical & Interfaith studies just for fun, because I’m that kind of nerd. I love understanding how things are interconnected, how people are interconnected, how we’re similar and different, and how we can try to live more harmoniously together.

During the class, which was led by a Greek Catholic priest, it became clear to me that all the divisions and problems in the church came down to men in power who did not want to communicate with or listen to one another.

It’s never really a God problem is it? It’s a fragile male ego problem. Something that probably sounds very familiar to all of us even today…

Are you walking in the shadows of your brand archetype?

11/9/2025

Recently, it was lovingly pointed out to me that I was living my values for other people, but not always for myself.

Cue: internal collapse + eldest-daughter-sigh.

With Red Balloon Station's brand archetypes being the Magician and Caregiver, I suddenly realized I wasn’t just embodying the archetypes, I was operating in her shadows.

Not surprising for an eldest daughter, but a big lesson in how archetypes show up in our business.

So let's look at how we can be aware of our shadows, what that means for us and our businesses, and how we can step back into our own light.

6 Messaging Lessons from Kamala Harris’ 107 Days

11/2/2025

Last summer, I was really frustrated with the Democrats’ campaign and messaging.

When Kamala Harris became the top of the ticket, I found myself commenting on her social posts and even writing letters to her team, urging them to fix their messaging.

I think more frustrating was that I knew I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. So why couldn’t her team see what was so clear to so many of us–that they were leading with the wrong issues, telling the wrong story, and communicating in a way that didn’t connect?

The First Thing You Should Check Before Tweaking Your Messaging

10/1/2025

When someone tells me they’re struggling with their messaging, the first thing I do isn’t edit their copy or give them new frameworks. Instead, I ask them:

“What is your brand archetype. And your ideal client’s archetype?”

Your brand archetype isn’t just a fun label—it’s a lens for understanding how you show up, the tone you naturally carry, and the way you attract people. It determines whether your messaging feels authentic or forced, inspiring or off-putting.

Your ideal client’s archetype is equally important. They have a worldview, motivations, and fears that shape how they interpret your message. Messaging that resonates with them isn’t about fancy language—it’s about speaking in a way that aligns with how they experience the world.

Let's talk about why this all matters.