We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jackie Dahm. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jackie below.

Jackie, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear the story of how you went from this being just an idea to making it into something real.

From the very first moment I can remember putting crayon to paper, creativity has been woven into the fabric of who I am. As a little girl, I’d fill mountains of sketchbooks with pencil drawings, memorize every color in the crayon box, and lose myself in experimenting with any medium I could get my hands on — from charcoal to watercolors to pastels. In fact, my mom still has a painting I made in second grade proudly framed and displayed on her wall. Art was never just a hobby — it was home.

But when I turned 18, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. I’ve always been a homebody at heart, and after graduation, I knew I didn’t want to leave my small town, my family, or my high school sweetheart — who, I’m happy to say, is now my husband of 23 years.

Back in the late 90s, the local colleges I was considering didn’t offer many creative degree options. So, I chose a practical path: a degree in Computer Aided Design, hoping it might lead to an architecture job nearby. Instead, I landed a position as an assembly line tool designer for a company serving the Big Three automakers. It was a good-paying job for our area, but it came with long hours — 50-hour work weeks were standard, with constant overtime. I eventually worked my way up to robotic programming, but I never really stopped to question if there was something else out there that would have been a better fit. It was steady. It was secure. Wasn’t everyone just a little miserable at their jobs?

The working conditions could be… interesting, to say the least. I’ll never forget the time a pipe burst and flooded the office. Instead of sending us home, they just lifted the surge protectors off the floor and told me to keep going — soaked shoes and all. Thankfully, I had some amazing coworkers, and we got through it with a lot of laughter and the kind of camaraderie forged under fluorescent lights and impossible deadlines.

Things began to shift when our first son was born. Leaving him at daycare each day was gut-wrenching. I started cutting back hours on my own — down to 45 a week — secretly hoping they’d fire me for not giving enough.

Eventually, the company made the decision for me: our branch was shut down.

It was nerve-wracking, to say the least — my husband and I had just built our dream home next to where I grew up, and we had a toddler at the time. Losing that steady paycheck was a huge adjustment. At first, I felt a bit lost without the grind of corporate life. But over time, we found a new rhythm as a family. We realized how much we loved the slower pace and decided to make it work. We re-evaluated our priorities, and adjusted our lives — selling a vehicle, cutting expenses, and learning to live differently. It wasn’t always easy, but it felt so aligned.

After our second son was born, I started to feel that quiet nudge — the inner whisper that there was more waiting for me. Around that time, a friend reached out looking for Virtual Assistant help. I said YES. Before I knew it, I was designing graphics for her social media and then building her website. I felt something click into place — that old creative spark had reignited.

I found I had a natural eye for design. It started small — with social media graphics, flyers, and business cards. But with each project, I wanted to learn more. I dove into trainings and courses, absorbed everything I could about design principles and trends, and wasn’t afraid to figure things out on my own. I followed emerging styles, tried new techniques, and kept challenging myself to grow.

As more clients trusted me with their projects, my soul blossomed — and so did my confidence. Before long, I ventured into logo design and realized that my approach to creating wasn’t just about making something pretty. I needed to understand my clients — who they were, what they were drawn to, what emotions they wanted their brand to evoke. I learned that good design doesn’t just look good — it feels right. It tells a story without needing words.
That was the beginning of something completely new — something that felt like coming home to myself.

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.

From the moment I first held a crayon to paper, creativity has been woven into who I am. But like many, the path to where I am today wasn’t a straight line.

After high school, my love of home and family led me to choose a practical career in engineering and robotics — a field that offered a stable, good-paying job close to where I grew up. It was steady and secure, but over time, it slowly dulled the creative part of me that had once been so alive. When the corporate branch I worked for eventually closed its doors, I was given an unexpected opportunity to reimagine my life.

Becoming a stay-at-home mom was an incredible gift. I’m forever grateful for the time I was given with my boys in those years after leaving the corporate world. But as they grew older, I found myself continually questioning my purpose. In the slower pace of this new life, I finally had space to explore my spirituality and to begin healing deep-seated beliefs about myself. I felt called to work with several life coaches and healers, and their impact on my life was nothing short of transformational. Through that journey, I uncovered parts of myself I had long buried — and it forever changed the way I wanted to move through the world.

In perfect timing, the opportunity to work as a Virtual Assistant for a friend came along, rekindling my passion for creating. What started with simple projects quickly grew into something much bigger. I wasn’t just enjoying creative work again — I was thriving. One project led to another, and it became clear that design wasn’t just a hobby for me; it was the work I was meant to be doing.

Today, through my business, Sparrow & Spruce, I offer soulful brand design, strategic website creation, and customized visual storytelling for heart-led entrepreneurs — coaches, healers, creatives, and changemakers who are ready for their online presence to reflect the depth of who they’ve become.

Just as my clients are often in seasons of transformation, I’m also continually growing and evolving. As my business expands, I’m currently developing and beta testing a line of semi-custom brand and website templates, along with thoughtfully designed Canva template bundles — created especially for newer entrepreneurs who need a beautiful, cohesive online presence without the pressure or price tag of a full custom build. These new offerings are designed to bring clarity and confidence to the early stages of entrepreneurship — a time I remember well — while still reflecting the integrity and soul at the heart of each business.

Part of my passion for working with holistic and spiritual entrepreneurs comes from the impact they’ve had on my own life. I truly believe that the only way we can create a better world is by healing ourselves first — and every brand I help bring to life is, in a small way, a part of that healing ripple effect. Our work together brings more light into the world, and it’s an honor to be even a small part of that.

What sets my work apart is the way I partner with my clients, not just for them. I don’t believe in forcing people into trendy aesthetics that don’t reflect who they truly are. My background has made me naturally intuitive about both structure and emotion — blending the strategic (what works) with the soulful (what feels right). I’m not just designing brands or websites; I’m creating mirrors that help my clients see their own growth, magic, and worth more clearly.
I’m most proud of the way my work holds space for people who have outgrown earlier versions of themselves — the ones stepping into deeper authenticity after navigating transition, reinvention, or healing. Being trusted to bring that becoming to life visually is an honor I never take lightly.

Above all, I want my clients to know: you don’t have to be louder, flashier, or more polished to be powerful. You don’t have to fit yourself into someone else’s mold to have a brand that shines. The way you show up — quietly bold, intuitively wise, deeply authentic — is enough. My work exists to make sure the world sees that, too.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients for me has hands-down been client referrals.

I take it as a huge honor every time someone trusts me enough to recommend my work to their friends, peers, or clients. It’s one thing to have someone hire you — it’s another for them to feel so supported and seen that they want the people they care about to experience it too. That trust means everything to me.

I also like to share that, as someone who’s naturally a bit introverted, building my business primarily through word of mouth has been really meaningful. It’s a reminder that you don’t need a massive social media following or flashy online presence to create a successful, fulfilling business. Building genuine relationships, doing work that truly serves people, and staying aligned with who you are — that’s more than enough.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Through my work with Sparrow & Spruce, my mission is to support heart-led entrepreneurs — life coaches, healers, creatives, and changemakers — by helping them see themselves clearly and be seen.

I believe branding isn’t just about making something look beautiful; it’s about reflecting the deeper story, growth, and soul behind the work. I’m passionate about creating visual identities that feel like a true extension of who my clients are — honoring their journey, their authenticity, and the light they’re bringing into the world.

What drives me is the understanding that when entrepreneurs are supported and mirrored in this way, their work can ripple outward and impact even more lives. I want my clients to trust that their quiet power, their authenticity, and the depth of who they are is more than enough. They don’t need to chase trends or reinvent themselves to be seen — they simply need to become more of themselves.

My work is all about helping that truth shine through, so that every brand, every design, and every piece of content becomes a clear reflection of who they are.

At the heart of my creative journey is the belief that healing ourselves is how we heal the world — and when we show up in our full truth, our work becomes part of that collective healing.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sparrowandspruce.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sparrowandspruce/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sparrowandsprucedesigns
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jackie-dahm-8a73a8271/

Image Credits

Everwild Photography (https://www.instagram.com/everwildphotography)