We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sabrina Evans a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sabrina , appreciate you joining us today. Let’s jump right into how you came up with the idea?

Thee Social Maven didn’t start from a business plan; it started from a pause.
I’d been working nonstop for years designing, managing campaigns, building other people’s brands, and I hit a point where I had to ask myself some hard questions:

– What do I actually want to be known for?
– Who do I want to serve?
– What am I truly great at?

The truth is, survival mode kept me busy, but it wasn’t building me a brand. And I didn’t want to keep telling clients about clarity and consistency while not living it myself.

So I built Thee Social Maven. A space where I could pair the two things I know make brands wi,n aesthetics and strategy. Because looking good isn’t enough. You’ve got to stand out and be remembered.

I knew it was worth it because I’d already seen the gaps businesses posting just to post, blending in, hoping for results. I had the skills to fix that and the lived experience to back it up. The only thing missing was betting on myself.

That’s what I did. And now I get to help other businesses show up bold, consistent, and unforgettable.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I like to say I didn’t just “get into” design and marketing, I grew up inside of it. I’ve been in this industry for over 10 years, working across corporate, agencies, and creative studios, and I’ve seen firsthand how brands win and how they get overlooked.

For me, design was never just about making something look pretty. It was about the strategy behind it, how visuals, messaging, and consistency come together to make people trust a brand, buy into it, and remember it. That mindset is what led me to launch Grafix JA, where I focus on bringing bold, aesthetic-driven design to life for businesses, everything from branding and packaging to digital graphics and campaigns.

But I realized something important along the way. Many businesses didn’t just need designs; they needed clarity. They needed someone to help them figure out their positioning, their voice, and their presence in crowded markets. That is when I built Thee Social Maven, a boutique brand and marketing consultancy that pairs aesthetics with strategy.

With Thee Social Maven, I help businesses stand out by creating bold, memorable brands that don’t just look good; they actually work. Whether it is brand identity, social media strategy, or LinkedIn optimization, the goal is always the same: to stop blending in and start building something unforgettable.

What sets me apart is that I have lived on both sides of the work. I have been the designer behind the scenes, and I have also been the strategist helping clients zoom out, get clear, and focus on growth. I am proud that I do not just talk about consistency and clarity; I have done the work myself and built two brands that reflect those values.

At the end of the day, what I want clients and followers to know is this: I believe starting over is not failure, it is strategy. And when you pair strong visuals with smart positioning, your brand has the power to cut through the noise, get noticed, and create real results.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

One of the biggest tests of my resilience came when life and career collided in the hardest way. Two days after my father had a stroke, I was handed a redundancy notice. Overnight, everything I thought I knew about stability, career, and balance disappeared.

I became his caretaker while trying to figure out what my next chapter would look like. For the first time in years, I wasn’t working nonstop or moving on autopilot. I was forced to pause, reflect, and rebuild. That season was heavy, but it gave me clarity I didn’t have before.

I realized that resilience is not about pretending everything is fine; it is about giving yourself permission to reset and start again. Out of that moment of stillness, I created Thee Social Maven. What felt like an ending became the foundation of a brand that is built on clarity, consistency, and strategy.

That experience taught me that starting over is not a crime; it is a strategy. And today, I carry that lesson into the way I work with clients, helping them find clarity and direction even when things feel uncertain.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was the idea that busyness equals success.

For years, I thought the harder I worked and the more I did, the more successful I would be. I worked nonstop, skipped breaks, skipped vacations, and wore exhaustion like a badge of honor. It felt like proof that I was building something real.

But the truth was, I was in survival mode, not growth mode. Being busy made me look productive, but it didn’t give me clarity or sustainability. It kept me stuck doing “all the things” instead of focusing on the right things.

The backstory is tied to a turning point in my career. After being laid off and stepping into a season of caregiving for my father, I was forced to stop. And in that pause, I saw clearly how much of my identity had been wrapped up in hustle. I realized that constantly doing more was not the answer; doing the right things with intention was.

Unlearning that mindset shifted everything for me. It gave me the freedom to build Thee Social Maven with focus and consistency, and it shaped the way I now guide my clients. Success isn’t about how busy you look; it is about how clearly you show up.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.grafixja.com | www.theesocialmaven.com
• Instagram: @theesocialmaven_ | grafix_ja
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-evans-78179a59/