Meet Sophy
Stop feeling like the internet’s best-kept secret.
My Story
I believe our stories matter.
For the last decade I have worked online as a book coach and as a copywriter. These days my main focus is on copywriting and messaging work. I’ve been telling people’s stories, in print and online for a long time. My first career was in writing, publishing and the arts, which means that I know from the inside out how stories work. I was one of those children who was always lost in the world of a book, and it didn't surprise anyone when I did not one but two degrees in literature and publishing, or when I went on to work in publishing or when I later became a writing mentor.
When my mum moved house and politely insisted on returning everything I was storing in her cellar, I came across my 'Top Secret File' from when I was nine years old.
It turns out that, aged nine, I wanted to be a writer, inventor, archaeologist, detective and princess - my current field of work beautifully combines the first four of these elements (and luckily I don't want to be a princess any more...).
These days I get to write and invent in my work and, like an archaeologist, uncover the layers of my clients' strengths, values and sense of purpose to discover the key to their unique message. Like a detective, I get to investigate, and help my clients to do customer research for their own audiences - and find their ideal collaborators.
I only take on clients whose work I really believe in, so you'll get my full support to uncover the stories at the heart of who you really are. You'll also get a thought-partner, someone to bounce ideas off, and someone who won't be afraid to ask you difficult questions - and who will help you to explore different potential answers.
My core values inform every aspect of my business:
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Sustainability
I believe that less, done better, is more, in life and in business. I hate waste, want to make the most of resources and prioritise long-term viability over short-term gain.
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Self-expression
Being able to express your individuality and share your story matters hugely to me. I think it’s a big part of what makes us human.
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Connection
This is the flipside of self-expression - you create a sense of community and belonging by sharing what you care about. I’m not about huge communities - intimacy is key.
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Curiosity
I think curiosity is a superpower. It feeds into my love of learning, my nosiness about how other people tick and also my entrepreneurial desire to run experiments and see what works.
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Joy
Because, if there’s no joy - what’s the point? Struggle is inevitable, but moments of joy are what make it worthwhile.
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Depth
I like to know the big picture - the context, the history and the nuance, and I’m more interested in both/and than either/or.
My
Inspiration
One of the hardest things I’ve ever done (and also one of the most rewarding) was to become a parent. My baby’s birth triggered the development of a chronic illness, which wasn’t diagnosed for several years. As a result, I had no idea why I was so desperately tired all the time. I understood that I wasn’t getting enough sleep, but it was so much more than that.
I felt like all the colour had drained out of the world, leaving me trapped in a greyscale existence. I loved my daughter but I felt like I’d lost who I was. I desperately needed time to myself and time with other adults and barely had any of either. It felt like the world was going on as usual and I was stuck behind glass - I could see what was going on in the wider world but I couldn’t touch it or be part of it.
It taught me that I need connection and I need to express who I am as a person. And I need time to myself and time to write and to read every day. And I need more than four fractured hours of sleep a night…
This may not sound like the obvious starting point for a business working with people on their digital marketing - but everything I’ve done since has been related to self-expression and identity, connection, belonging and communication.
* You can find a media bio for me here.