We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Marlaina Knowlton Faith Murphy. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Marlaina Knowlton below.
Marlaina Knowlton, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So let’s jump to your mission – what’s the backstory behind how you developed the mission that drives your brand?
Wildheart Ridge was born out of a longing. A longing for freedom, for meaning, and for a more intentional connection between life and business. As creatives, moms, and business owners, we craved a space where our work could thrive alongside real life; messy, beautiful, and ever-evolving.
Our mission at WHR is to help brands roam freely and blossom boldly, but that didn’t come from a marketing strategy. It came from lived experience. We’ve built businesses while chasing nap schedules, created beautiful things with baby monitors next to our laptops, and carried a deep desire to do good work that actually means something.
This mission is more than just words, it’s how we run our business. Everything we’ve built, from our client process to our communication style is rooted in honoring real life. We created WHR out of the lessons we’ve learned firsthand, and we’re committed to practicing what we preach. That means allowing space for growth, for messiness, for evolving visions and imperfect beginnings. And helping our clients do the same.
We want the people we work with to feel seen, supported, and free to show up as they are. We believe in giving business owners permission to grow in the mess, to embrace the wild, and to build something deeply aligned with who they are, not just what the algorithm says they should be.
At the end of the day, Wildheart Ridge exists to empower others the way we once needed empowering; to remind them they can build a business they love without losing themselves in the process.
Marlaina Knowlton, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
We’re Faith and Marlaina (MK), the creative duo, strategy minds, and heart-led co-founders behind Wildheart Ridge Design Studio. We’re brand storytellers, web designers, and creative business moms who believe in building businesses that feel as good as they look and sound.
Our story started during COVID, when both of us were looking for connection and something to call our own outside the walls of motherhood and daily routines. We ended up joining the same fitness-focused nonprofit for moms and from our very first conversation, something clicked. We connected instantly and haven’t stopped talking since.
While working in that space, we found ourselves surrounded by fellow women and entrepreneurs who had big visions but lacked the tools to fully bring them to life. That’s when we realized: the skills we had (and loved using) could meet a real need. So we decided to take the leap and start something of our own.
Wildheart Ridge was built on a foundation of curiosity, creativity, and the desire to help others feel seen and empowered in their work. We’re both self-taught in our crafts; stumbling into design, strategy, messaging, and storytelling in different ways, but falling deeply in love with the process of shaping meaningful brands. We always say it was the best kind of accident, the kind that turns into a wild, beautiful adventure.
We both had the same heart for storytelling, design, and helping others bring their vision to life. What started as voice memos and collaboration ideas turned into something deeper: a desire to create a space where brand strategy, messaging, and life strategy could exist side by side.
Today, Wildheart Ridge is a full-service brand studio that blends strategy, messaging, and design into one soulful, seamless experience. We help passionate business owners go from feeling scattered and stuck to rooted and ready. So their brand finally feels aligned with who they are and where they’re headed.
We specialize in:
Brand strategy & messaging : helping businesses clarify their story, connect deeply with their audience, and communicate with purpose
Brand identity design : including logos, color palettes, typography, and full brand suites that feel both beautiful and authentic
Custom web design : story-forward, user-friendly websites built to support connection and conversion
Whether our clients are just starting out or evolving after years in business, we help them:
– Define and refine their mission, message, and voice
– Create a cohesive, professional brand they can feel truly proud of
– Show up online with confidence and clarity
– Build a brand that grows with them—not just for them
What sets us apart is the way we work. Our process is built to honor real life and real people. We meet clients where they are and help them step confidently into what’s next. As moms, creatives, and community-minded women, we’ve shaped WHR into a space where passion, grace, and growth are part of the process, not just the outcome.
We’re most proud of the community we’re building! Fellow dreamers, doers, and Wildheart Explorers who are growing businesses with intention, courage, and a little bit of wild.
If you’re looking for a creative studio that blends strategy with soul, design with depth, and storytelling with substance…you’ve found your people.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
When we first started Wildheart Ridge, we believed that perfection was the key to success. We thought every project had to be flawless before we could share it, every client interaction had to be scripted perfectly, and every detail had to be meticulously controlled. But honestly? That mindset almost held us back.
The turning point came from lived experience; through juggling motherhood, entrepreneurship, and personal growth, we realized that perfectionism was more of a cage than a compass. It created overwhelm, stalled progress, and made us doubt our own voice.
What helped us unlearn this was embracing the beauty of the messy middle. Those imperfect, in-between moments where creativity and growth really happen. We gave ourselves permission to show up authentically, flaws and all. That shift transformed not only how we work but how we connect with clients.
Now, our process honors real life. We encourage space for mistakes, experimentation, and honest storytelling because that’s where the most powerful brands are born. Unlearning perfectionism allowed us to practice what we preach: growth comes from the wild, imperfect journey.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For us, the most rewarding part of being creatives is the real, human connection we get to build through our work. It’s not just about pretty designs or clever strategies. It’s about helping people tell their stories in a way that feels true to them.
There’s nothing quite like the moment when a client sees their vision come to life and finally feels proud of how they’re showing up in the world. Knowing we played a part in that; helping them find clarity, confidence, and courage, is what keeps us passionate every single day.
Being creative is also a journey of growth for us. We get to explore, experiment, and learn alongside our clients, which makes every project feel like a shared adventure. That feeling of making a real difference, of helping others believe in themselves and their work, is the greatest reward we could imagine.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.wildheartridgedesignstudio.com
- Instagram: @wildheartridgedesignstudio
- Facebook: @wildheartridgedesignstudio
Image Credits
Be Boulder Photography LLC