The COVID-19 pandemic did a number on all of us—and I was no exception. But while the world was hunkering down, I made a decision that surprised even me: I doubled down on myself. I used that strange, uncertain window of time to launch Clark Collective and step out on my own. It wasn’t easy, and I learned a lot about who I am when everything familiar falls away. But the experience was invaluable. I had the chance to help a wide range of people, dive into industries I never expected to touch, and discover new strengths along the way. It was a transition period for everyone, but for me, it was a turning point.

My next chapter started as a simple consulting project and quickly shifted into something bigger. That opportunity led me into the world of SaaS and workforce technology with a startup called WorkForge (formerly Valor Manufacturing Training). After a few months of consulting, I joined full-time as the Director of Marketing & Communications. Before long, I found myself leading a full-scale organizational rebrand—everything from brand standards and messaging architecture to creative assets, sales enablement, and public positioning.

It was one of those roles where you wear every hat in the closet. I built a complete marketing engine from the ground up, owned the CRM (HubSpot), wrote automation for marketing, sales, and client success, and designed lead-generation campaigns. I created sales-enablement materials, managed all go-to-market content, and handled paid media, SEO, PPC, social, and the website.

On top of that, I authored thought-leadership pieces, coordinated trade show strategies, supported speaking engagements, nurtured media relationships, and guided a growing marketing team. The work paid off—WorkForge doubled its marketing-driven pipeline year over year.

But beyond the metrics, this chapter reminded me of what I love most: real strategy. The kind that brings clarity to chaos, aligns teams around a shared vision, strengthens a brand from the inside out, and fuels long-term growth. The kind that blends empathy with analytics… and yes, the kind that includes countless dashboards, automation logic, and internal debates like “Is this actually the right CTA?”

Every step of that journey made me a better strategist, collaborator, and communicator—and it set the stage for everything that came next.