Your audience doesn’t need another
“post more” pep talk.
They need a plan for what to create, why it matters, and what it’s supposed to do.
Practical workshops, talks, and podcast conversations for small business owners who do their own marketing and are tired of guessing their way through it.
Trusted to teach and speak for
Your online presence isn’t the pretty part of your business.
It’s infrastructure.
Most small business owners treat their content like decoration.
The photos, videos, and captions are the stuff you do once the real work is done, because someone told you that you have to.
So they post consistently for a few weeks (or a few days), see very little return, and conclude they're “bad at it.”
Usually, they aren’t. They've just never been asked the only question that matters: what is this actually supposed to do?
A photo, a reel, a website page, an email — each one needs a job.
It needs to help the right person:
- find you
- trust you
- choose you
Most small business content keeps trying to do the first job over and over again.
My sessions help people zoom out, figure out what’s missing, and build a presence that supports the business instead of becoming another job inside it.
They stop telling themselves “I should probably post more,” and start thinking “I need these specific things, doing these specific jobs, in these specific places.”
That shift saves time, money, and about a year of guessing.
Workshops, speaking topics & podcast conversations
The conversations I come back to most fall into two buckets:
1. How you show up online
2. What you show up with
Most audiences need a little of both.
Every session can be shaped around the people in the room. A group of product makers needs different examples than a room full of service providers, and I’d rather build the right session than recycle the last one.
HOW YOU SHOW UP ONLINE
What to Post (and Why)
For: Business owners who find social media confusing, inconsistent, or like a constant game of catch-up.
Most people don’t actually need more content ideas, they need to understand how to use them strategically.
They’re posting into the same bucket again and again, then wondering why the content isn’t leading anywhere.
In this session, we break down what content is really there to do — help the right people find you, trust you, and eventually choose you — then turn that into a simple framework they can use on repeat.
They’ll leave with:
- their own custom content pillars, written down
- two or three real content ideas under each one
- a clearer understanding of what each type of content is supposed to accomplish
- a repeatable framework they can come back to every month
No trends, no pressure, and no dancing required.
Available as: Workshop · Conference breakout · Keynote · Podcast conversation
Showing Up Online Without Living Online
For: Overwhelmed owners, solo operators, and anyone who feels like social media has become a second unpaid job.
Consistency does not have to mean frequency.
Posting every day is a fast way to burn out, and for most small businesses, it isn’t the thing that’s missing anyway.
What’s usually missing is a plan. A realistic way to decide what gets made, when it gets made, and how to get more mileage out of work they’ve already done.
They’ll leave with:
- a posting rhythm that matches their actual bandwidth
- a simple way to plan and batch content
- a framework for deciding what deserves their time
- Permission and a plan to repeat themselves
One of the biggest surprises for most people is that they already have far more usable content than they think. They’ve just been using everything once.
Available as: Workshop · Lunch & learn · Panel discussion · Podcast conversation
This session can also be paired with What to Post (and Why) as a two-part series or combined into one longer workshop.
WHAT YOU SHOW UP WITH
The Five Photos Every Brand Needs
For: Newer business owners, makers, and anyone building a visual presence for the first time, whether they’re booking a photographer or shooting everything themselves.
The problem here usually isn’t “I need more photos.” It’s “I don’t know which photos I actually need.”
That’s how businesses end up with a gorgeous gallery full of images that still can’t fill the homepage, website banner, launch email, Instagram grid, or promo graphic they needed in the first place.
They’ll leave with:
- the five specific, non-negotiable image types every small business needs
- a clear reason for what each image is there to do
- thirty practical places those five photos can be used
- my planning guide so they can map out their own library
They can use the framework with a professional photographer or the phone in their pocket.
Available as: Workshop · Lunch & learn · Conference breakout · Podcast conversation
Your Photos Aren’t the Problem. Your Plan Is.
For: Business owners who have already invested in photography (sometimes more than once), and still regularly find themselves saying, “I have nothing to post.”
Owning a folder full of good photos is not the same thing as having a photo library that supports your business.
This session teaches people to stop judging their images by whether they’re pretty and start judging them by whether they can do the jobs the business actually needs done.
They’ll leave with:
- a working definition of what their images need to accomplish
- a way to audit the photo library they already have
- a clearer picture of what’s actually missing
- a smarter plan for their next shoot, whenever they really need one
A lot of people leave this session realizing they don’t need another photoshoot yet. Instead, they need a plan for the one they already paid for.
Available as: Keynote · Conference presentation · Podcast conversation
Don’t see exactly what your audience needs?
Tell me who’s in the room and what you want them walking out with. I’m happy to build a session around the problem they’re specifically facing.
Hi! I’m Emily — a brand photographer, small business owner, and brand ops assistant.
I didn’t start out as a photographer, though.
I started as a content creator and influencer, which is a nice way of saying I spent several years learning what brands want, how quickly content gets consumed, and how little of it actually earns anything when there isn’t a strategy behind it.
By the time I picked up a camera for other businesses, I already knew the work couldn’t end at “pretty.”
And then I ended up on the other side of the content problem, too.
As a brand operations assistant, I’m not just making the assets. I’m the person who has to use them, too. I’m building the email, filling the website, planning the launch, pulling product images, and realizing at the eleventh hour that the banner needs a horizontal photo and every useful image is vertical.
That role completely changed the way I think about content.
Because when you’re responsible for making the marketing actually work, you start asking better questions:
Where will this go?
What job does it need to do?
What are we missing?
How many ways can we use it?
For the past seven years, I’ve worked with small businesses across Simcoe County, Muskoka, York Region, and the GTA. I’ve been invited to teach for the Small Business Centre of Barrie, Simcoe County & Orillia, spoken at TARA Talks at Barrie’s Sandbox Centre, and led workshops and sessions for Elle Social, LocalStreet.ca, and other small-business communities.
Most of the business owners I work with don’t need another reminder that they should be marketing.
They already know they need to show up.
But they are tired of guessing what to make, where to put it, and what any of it is actually supposed to do.
That’s where I’m most useful.
I’m warm, but I don’t dodge. I’d rather give your audience one useful reframe that changes how they approach their business than spend an hour telling them things they already agree with.
That’s the perspective I strive to bring into every room.
What a session actually feels like
Well, I’d rather show you than tell you.
And here’s how I run a room:
I teach one thing properly.
Most sessions try to cover everything and leave people unable to act on any of it. I’d rather go deep enough on one useful idea that people leave knowing exactly what to do next.
It’s practical, not just inspirational.
There's always something to write down, decide, or audit before they leave the room. Attendees usually go home with a worksheet or a short checklist they can keep working through.
I build for the room I’m actually in.
Before the event, I’ll ask about your audience. Then I use examples that make sense for their businesses, not case studies from giant companies with marketing departments and budgets nobody in the room has.
I’m easy on the day.
There’s minimal tech, I arrive early, and I stay after for the people who didn't want to ask their question in front of everyone. I'm comfortable if the schedule shifts, the projector dies, or the room is half the size we planned for.
FAQ
Do you only speak about photography?
Do you only speak about photography?
No. A lot of my workshops are about social media and online presence more broadly. Photography is where I go deepest, but the underlying conversation is the same: what is this supposed to do, and is it doing it?
Do you offer virtual sessions?
Yes. Workshops, panels and podcast interviews all work well virtually.
Who do you usually speak to?
Rooms of small business owners. product makers, brick-and-mortar shops, service providers, and many women-owned businesses between years 2 and 10. I've taught both ends of the range: brand new owners coming through the small business centre, and established founders at women's business conferences.
Do you travel?
Happily! I'm based in Midland, Ontario and regularly work across Simcoe County, Muskoka, York Region and the GTA at no extra cost. Further is absolutely on the table; let's talk about travel.
What does booking look like?
You reach out with a few details about your event, we hop on a quick call to talk through your audience and goals, and I send over a proposal with the session outline and everything you'd need for promotion.
How long are your sessions?
Most workshops run 45–90 minutes with time for questions. Keynotes and breakouts can be shortened as needed. Tell me your slot, and I'll make it fit.
What do you need from us on the day?
I’m a visual girlie, so ideally a projector or screen. Examples just hit better this way, but it isn't necessary!
Are you available for podcast interviews?
Yes, always. I show up prepared, I answer the actual question, and I'm comfortable being handed a topic mid-conversation.
Let’s give your audience something they can actually use.
Instead of a talk that’s just “nice to hear,” let’s give your audience a framework they can take back to their business and put to work right away.
If you’re planning a workshop, conference, small-business event, panel, or podcast and you want a practical conversation about showing up online without making marketing your entire life, I’d love to hear what you’re working on.
Tell me who’s coming, what they’re struggling with, and what you want them walking out knowing.
We’ll build the right session from there.