We were lucky to catch up with Amber Willis recently and have shared our conversation below.
Amber, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?
In April 2020, just a few weeks after the world locked down because of Covid, my two-year-old daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. It was a devastating diagnosis made even harder because of the timing. Our little family spent two and a half years locked down hard just trying to protect my daughter and get her through her chemo treatments.
She is now cancer-free and thriving, but we are absolutely still dealing with the repercussions of that chapter.
I am not someone who will ever subscribe to the philosophy that everything happens for a reason, especially when it comes to my daughter’s diagnosis. But I do believe it is possible for good to come out of terrible circumstances.
When my daughter was at the height of her treatments we were forced to shift. We re-evaluated who we were, what our priorities were, where we were spending time and with who, where we were pouring our energy, etc. We all knew if we were going to make it to the other side we wanted it to be different and we committed to that.
For me, that looked like constantly striving to live my biggest, bravest life. I wasn’t content to settle and to continue doing work or being in places that didn’t fill me up or provide value to me and my family. I started writing again, a practice I hadn’t used in way too many years. Writing became my safe place and my saving grace. Writing to-do lists was an act of gratitude, journaling cleared my head and helped me process, writing notes allowed me to connect with friends, writing Caring Bridge posts made me feel less isolated. Writing gave me purpose back outside of just protecting my daughter.
Once my daughter was healthy and going back to school I knew I wanted to rejoin the workforce after a decade as a stay-at-home mom. But I knew if I was going to do that I could not abandon myself and all the things I had worked so hard to prioritize the last few years. I kept feeling like I was getting little nudges to find a way to write in order to make an income.
Writing was a cornerstone of my biggest, bravest life. On top of that, I experienced firsthand the beauty and the healing that came from putting my story out into the world and sharing it with people. I want that for more people, especially female entrepreneurs. I began offering my services as a freelance writer and content creator, but I quickly realized my heart was more specifically in the storytelling.
In a world where you are constantly creating and searching and one-upping, always looking for the next tactic or marketing tool to set you apart, I want to show women their best marketing tool is actually their story. It changes the game for all of us when we use our voices and let our stories and our presence take up space.
My business is built on this philosophy. It has transformed my life and now business, and it continues transforming the lives and businesses of my clients.
Amber, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I am a wife and mom of two (three if you count our pup). Dan, Jack, Molly, Lulu, and I have built a life and home that I am really proud of. I was a stay-at-home mom for ten years. Before that, I was a high school English teacher which feels like a separate life. I never ever thought I would be a stay-at-home mom, and yet I spent a decade as one. During that time I had stretches of great joy and happiness and belonging and others of isolation and desperation. I explored so many outlets to help me feel more grounded and fulfilled: childcare, homeschooling, and book studies. But none really satisfied my craving for connection and purpose.
As I mentioned above, my daughter received a leukemia diagnosis in 2020. This shifted my reality in ways I am still uncovering and processing. The grief and emotional trauma are ongoing, and yet I am still continuing to find ways to take the next step and do the next right thing. That entire experience is largely what led me back to writing and ultimately here to my business. My blog and my reignited passion for writing are absolutely some of the good things that came out of terrible circumstances.
I started offering my services as a freelance writer and as I worked with other female entrepreneurs I felt little parts of myself waking up. I never expected to use my English degree in this way, but the work was fulfilling that need for connection and purpose I mentioned before in ways I could have never ever predicted. And yet, I found myself pausing and thinking bigger.
As I was meeting with clients about their copy needs the same trends were showing up time and time again. Women kept saying, “My copy doesn’t feel or sound like me,” “I don’t have a story to tell,” “I know what I want to say but I don’t know how to say it,” “My story isn’t as good or dramatic or intense or happy or … so nobody will want to hear it,” or “I was told to keep personal and business separate so I cut out all the ‘fluff’.’ It quickly became clear that there was a pretty straight line between what these female entrepreneurs wanted, what they were missing, what they needed, and what was holding them back from getting there. And that is what led me to expand my freelance services to include coaching/consulting and now online course creation.
Somehow being in the storytelling-writing-coaching-
My hope is to encourage and empower women to connect with their voices, own their experiences, and share their stories with the world as a means to expand their reach and boost their business. But most importantly to reconnect with and heal themselves.
Nothing makes me happier than seeing other women put their stories out into the world because I truly believe we are all better for it. Every single time.
Any advice for growing your clientele? What’s been most effective for you?
I think I can best answer this in three parts.
First, I have been intentional about connecting with people. I have joined a local mastermind which is full of other female entrepreneurs, many who are newer to their businesses. Many of them have then used me for their writing/copy/content needs, and many of them have been able to refer me to their contacts.
On top of connecting locally with people in real life, I am active on social media. I have prioritized slow, steady, intentional growth, which at times is frustrating – of course, I would love to see my followers jump up. But because of this, I am connecting with the right people. My audience is engaged and invested in what I am doing. We have created a safe space and mutual trust. Showing up on social media is actually something I look forward to now, and I am increasingly gaining clients from it as well.
Second, I refuse to put out work that isn’t my best. I spend a lot of time getting to know my clients so that their finished projects do sound and feel like them and fulfill their needs. I go above and beyond to make the process as easy and seamless as possible for them. I communicate thoughtfully and thoroughly so that nobody is left guessing at any point. Because of this, I have very happy clients who are eager to refer me to their networks. The majority of my growth has been because of referrals.
Third, I know that business owners are constantly creating content. Because I spend so much time getting to know my clients and their needs, I don’t hesitate to reach back out when I know they have upcoming projects to offer my services whether that is proofing and editing, rewriting their copy, or creating something for them.
I feel deeply connected to my clients which helps me serve them better which allows them to refer me as well as to come back and work with me time and time again.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
Oh gosh. How to explain it? I think I feel most alive when I am creating. In my experience, there is a feeling so unique to creating. It happens in the moments I am so connected to myself and my energy and my goals and I’m able to channel all of that for the good of a client to help propel them forward in their business. It feels so purposeful and important but also so freaking fun.
Creatives, so often, have a very unique way of looking at things. Being able to show up as my full, quirky, creative self and serve others is a dream come true. After such a difficult few years with my daughter, having this energy and aliveness back is everything.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.abigbravelife.com
- Instagram: @abigbravelife
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550852670291
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amber-willis-990688290/
Image Credits
Emily – @the.momographer Ali Brassel Photography