We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Amanda Thomas. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Amanda below.
Amanda, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Before we get into specifics, let’s talk about success more generally. What do you think it takes to be successful?
May I measure my success not by what I can count, but by the peace that I feel.
This above sentiment is an affirming idea that I’ve found true for my beliefs around success.
Success is a deeply personal concept, and over the years, I’ve come to define it in ways that resonate with my heart rather than external markers. For me, success is not measured by numbers—whether it’s revenue, client rosters, or social media followers. Instead, it’s about alignment, impact, and, most importantly, the peace I feel at the end of the day.
I didn’t always see it this way. And, I am human. From time to time I slip into a judgmental mindset around my “seeming success.” Early on in my career, I chased what I thought were traditional signs of success. I worked hard, reached milestones, and ticked boxes that others would applaud.
It was when I became a mom that my perspective truly began to shift.
Welcoming my daughter into the world has been the greatest teacher in ways I could never have imagined. Motherhood shined a light on areas of my life that felt misaligned. I began to notice how the stress and mindset I carried from work often trickled into my time with her. Even when I was physically present, my mind would race with to-do lists and deadlines. One evening, after a particularly demanding day, I found myself half-listening to her sweet little babbles while mentally rehashing a work problem. This truth hit me hard. I didn’t want my memories with her in these raw, early days to be ones of distraction, stress, or emotionally unavailable.
That moment was a wake-up call. I realized I needed to redefine how I was viewing success, not just for me, but for the kind of role model I wanted to be for my daughter. Success had to go beyond shiny professional achievements and encompass the way I showed up for myself, for my daughter, and for the life I am building.
I stepped back and began to reframe my approach to work. Instead of chasing numbers and external validation, I started to prioritize projects that aligned with my values and gave me space to be fully present at home. I began asking myself questions like:
Did this project allow me to show up authentically?
Does my workday leave me feeling energized or drained?
At the end of the day, am I proud of the way I balanced my roles as a mom, a creative, and a person?
This mindset has profoundly influenced how I run Amanda Thomas Creative. It’s why I intentionally design a business that allows flexibility, creativity, and joy. And, not just for me, but for the clients I serve. It’s why I focus on building partnerships with people who share my values and approach my work with the same level of thoughtfulness I bring to my personal life.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I’m a 9-5 drop out, turned multi-passionate entrepreneur.
At 21, I worked with the NFL in a key role on the event team for that year’s enshrinement class of inductee players into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The experience was life-altering. I learned the significance of nurturing relationships and curating exceptional experiences for prominent public figures and celebrity presence. What I also understood later on is just how applicable these very principles are in marketing your brand as a small business.
I went on to join a national healthcare nonprofit on a team of two that created over $1M+ in revenue and coached hundreds of business leaders and volunteers on compelling storytelling and marketing to advance the organization’s mission.
After a fulfilling and exhausting 5 year run, I found that corporate culture wasn’t my cup of tea, yet craved a way that I could build a meaningful career serving others on my own terms.
At 25, I started my first business as a Reiki practitioner and teacher, and for 4 years, held space for hundreds of clients and students to explore their inner world and activate the body’s natural healing systems. The work was life-giving.. And, when I became a mother to my first daughter, I knew it was time to close my professional practice to focus my energy on my growing family.
After hundreds of hours facilitating healing spaces, I know that to feel clearly connected to the most creative parts of yourself, it’s essential to feel relaxed and at ease in body, mind, and spirit – a vital component to the creative process of marketing.
Now, with my second business, I’ve woven together my 10+ years of experimentation and expertise in marketing, event planning, and energy healing into my services with this perspective:
Extraordinary marketing invites your community to be in relationship with you.
Entrepreneurs tend to over complicate marketing, adding more frustration into the overwhelm that already comes with being your own business owner. At Amanda Thomas Creative, I help creatives, entrepreneurs, and leaders simplify their marketing by tuning into their unique voice and curating a unique brand presence, so they can create lasting impact within their community.
I’m so grateful to be connected with you. Settle in, take a deep breath, and let’s get co-creative.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
Building a reputation within the market has been a journey of authenticity, intuition, creativity, and connection.
For me, it wasn’t about fitting into a mold or following a set path that’s why I left the corporate world after all. Building a strong brand presence has been about embracing who I am, leaning into my passions, and trusting that my unique perspective would resonate with the right people.
Authenticity has been at the heart of everything I do. From day one, I committed to showing up as my whole self in my work. Sometimes that’s actually a lot harder than it sounds. That means not only sharing my professional expertise but also letting my passions and values shine through. Whether it’s infusing mindfulness into the marketing strategies I design, drawing on my spirituality to create meaningful brand stories, or using my background in event planning to curate exceptional experiences, I’ve built a brand that’s true to who I am.
One of the most impactful decisions I made was weaving together the seemingly unrelated threads of my passions. At first, it didn’t all make sense to me—how could my love for marketing and event planning coexist with my experience in energy healing and mindfulness? But when I started trusting my intuition and blending these parts of myself into my work, everything began to click. I realized that my unique perspective was my greatest strength. By embracing it, I was able to create an approach that not only set me apart but also felt deeply aligned.
Trying creative endeavors, even without a clear end goal, has also played a huge role in building my reputation. Over the years, I’ve taken on projects and explored ideas simply because they sparked my curiosity or brought me joy. Some of those efforts turned into successful ventures, while others taught me valuable lessons. What mattered most was the willingness to take risks, experiment, and trust the process. Those experiences helped me refine my craft and build a reputation for innovation and originality.
Perhaps most importantly, I’ve always prioritized building deep, meaningful relationships. I genuinely value connection. I take the time to understand my clients’ stories, dreams, and challenges, and I approach every interaction with care and thoughtfulness. I believe that when people feel seen, heard, and supported, the relationship becomes more than transactional. It becomes transformational.
Referrals have been one of the most powerful outcomes of this approach that have helped me build the reputation I have within my community today. Many of my clients come to me through word-of-mouth recommendations, and that’s something I don’t take lightly. Every referral represents trust, and I work hard to honor that trust by consistently delivering work that exceeds expectations and reflects my clients’ unique visions.
Ultimately, my reputation has grown because I’ve stayed true to who I am, leaned into my passions, and prioritized connection over competition. By trusting my intuition, taking creative risks, and building relationships rooted in authenticity and care, I’ve created a foundation that feels as meaningful as it is sustainable. It’s not about being everything to everyone. It’s about being fully myself for the people who resonate with what I bring to the table.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
One of the most significant pivots in my business journey happened when I became a mother.
When I started my first business as a Reiki practitioner and teacher, a path that was deeply fulfilling, I thought for sure that was it for me. A deeply impactful career path that felt like so much more than a career.. And for four years, I held space for hundreds of clients and students, guiding them to explore their inner world and activate the body’s natural healing systems. It was work that fed my soul.. an opportunity to witness profound transformation and healing in others while growing tremendously myself.
However, life has such a sense of humor at times when presenting new seasons that call for change. When I became a mother to my first daughter, everything shifted. Motherhood brought about a deep transformation that called me to reassess how I was spending my energy and time. I quickly realized that the demands of running a professional Reiki practice didn’t align with the life I could build for my growing family.
This was not an easy decision to make. I felt hit by guttural grief as I closed my practice doors. I loved the work I was doing, and letting go of something that felt so integral to my identity was challenging. But I knew in my heart that it was the right move. Closing my Reiki practice was less about saying goodbye to that chapter of my life and more about creating space for something new to emerge.
Around that time, I had been taking on freelance marketing projects here and there, using the skills I had honed during my career in nonprofit and event planning. What started as small, side projects began to grow in scope and complexity. I realized there was a tremendous opportunity to channel my creative energy into a new avenue. One that allowed me to balance my professional ambitions with the life I wanted to create for my family.
So, I pivoted. I took my freelance work and turned it into a full-steam-ahead consulting endeavor, eventually laying the foundation for what is now Amanda Thomas Creative. This shift was both exciting and terrifying. I was moving into uncharted territory, and while I had experience in marketing, building a consulting business was a whole new challenge. But I leaned on the same principles that had guided me as a Reiki practitioner.. trusting my intuition, creating meaningful connections, and approaching my work with care and thoughtfulness.
That pivot not only allowed me to embrace a new professional identity but also gave me the freedom to design a business that reflected my values and priorities. Today, I’m grateful for that decision, as it has allowed me to support other small businesses in a way that feels deeply aligned with who I am.
Looking back, the experience taught me an invaluable lesson: pivots aren’t about abandoning the past; they’re about evolving and honoring the needs of the present. By staying open to change and trusting the process, I was able to navigate a major transition and create something even more fulfilling than I had imagined.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amandathomascreative.com/
- Instagram: @amandathomascreative
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandathomascreative/
Image Credits
Kelly Klemmensen Photography & Mariah Krafft