Hi! I’m Isabella, I’m the Content & Engagement Specialist at Embark. I wear many hats, including writing, graphic design, and social media management. At the heart of it though, I’m a storyteller. With every brand I work with, I strive to fully step into the narrative to ensure authenticity radiates out of every piece of content I create. It’s more than just conveying a message, it’s about making a connection between the brand and their audience. You could say I’m the bow that ties you both together! 🎀
Much of my role is to learn as much as I can about the clients I work with in order to learn their voice and adapt to their needs, while also applying industry knowledge to make sure that every aspect of their social media or written word is optimized for advertising and the internet in general. Often this requires me to think outside of the box and to embrace creativity in my approach. I thrive on the challenge of taking the brand’s story to craft compelling written narratives and visually appealing designs that resonate with the target audience. No matter what I am doing on any given day, my goal remains consistent: to authentically represent the essence of the brand I’m working with.
What motivates you?
My incredible husband, Eric, is a huge source of inspiration and motivation for me! I find that when I feel safe and supported to grow– even if I make mistakes– I feel motivated. Eric is the pinnacle of that, and is always encouraging me to continue pursuing my goals.
Because I’m a designer, inspiration is also a motivation for me. When I feel inspired, I want to continue exploring whatever it is I’m inspired by – maybe it’s finding a new way to do things, or taking time to make a social media post particularly beautiful. If you find me making a Pinterest board inspired by a brand’s aesthetic, that’s when you know I am really excited about a project.
What intrigues you most about digital marketing?
Something we say a lot in digital marketing is that it’s an “ever changing landscape” and that couldn’t be more true. To me, it’s incredibly exciting. The way we use language, design, and just in general how we appeal to our digital audiences has changed drastically in the last 3 years – let alone 10 or 15 years.
I particularly love finding ways to engage the younger demographic, because anyone under the age of 22 is in a constant cycle of changing things up. I especially love working with nonprofits organizations to find ways to modernize and appeal to younger audiences while still keeping true to the heart of the mission. Doing this for Catholic organizations is especially meaningful to me. It’s really an artform, and I find it absolutely fascinating.
Why work for a small agency like Embark?
What I love about working for a boutique agency is that I get to experience a wide range of work while still maintaining a personal touch. We’re able to get to know each client closely, and still show our own personality and passion for each project. We have wonderful relationships with each of our clients, and I love that it gives me the opportunity to know their voice.
I also love being part of a team. Working in a small agency means that our team works closely together to create something really special for each of our clients, and I really love being able to see how my coworkers think through every problem to create solutions. Because we each have our own role on the team with little overlap, it also means I get to learn new skills and learn about areas of branding I may not be as familiar with.
What do you do in your free time?
Most of my free time is occupied by my adorable baby girl, Andrea. I love having hobbies, with my two favorites being writing fiction and exploring fun, new recipes to try in the kitchen. I’ve also recently started taking ballet classes, and it’s been challenging yet deeply fulfilling to the child inside of me. Besides that, let’s be honest, I’m a sucker for a great TV show, movie, or book and you’ll probably find me curled up on the couch underneath three blankets when I actually have free time after taking care of a toddler all day.
Favorite Movie/TV show
My favorite movies are probably either the 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightley (swoon!) or Disney’s Tangled. One of my favorite TV shows is The Durrells in Corfu, because it tells such a beautiful story about a family with so much heart, humor, and a little bit of intrigue — my cup of tea!
Favorite Book
I absolutely love a great novel, and definitely can’t pick just one, so here’s my recommendations:
A great classic: Emma by Jane Austen
A great mystery: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz or And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
A great fantasy series: The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
A great fantasy book: Babel by R. F. Kuang
A great contemporary book: The Midnight Library by Matthew Haig
A great book you have to read before you die: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer
The greatest love story: The Bible, naturally. My favorite book within that is the Gospel of John.
People/figures that inspire you
I would say my parents are the people who inspire me the most! My mom is just incredible — she was born in Mexico, became a biochemical engineer and used her degree to serve marginalized communities on the Mexico/Guatemala border, met and married the love of her life — an English man who grew up in Australia (my dad, and yes, there is a whole story there!) — and then moved to Ohio to then go on and have seven kids, six of them being C-Sections. She’s the strongest woman I have ever met and continues to have such resilience and passion for life to this day, and has been such an amazing support to have in my life.
My dad is also a huge inspiration for me. He has an unbelievable life story as well, but I’m most inspired by his work ethic. He’s the ultimate visionary, but is also not the kind of person to leave his head in the clouds — if he says he’ll do something, he’ll see it through, which was such an important example for me to see growing up. He’s always encouraged me to endlessly pursue every goal or dream that I have set for myself, and is always cheering me on — whether it be a dance recital when I was five years old, getting my bachelor’s degree, or encouraging me to travel the world. I’m so grateful to have been raised in a household where I was taught that any dream can become reality if I work hard enough and to be raised by two future saints.
