Slow and cozy.
Hey, I’m Amelia. I’m a writer, marketer, and photographer living in a small town in Eastern Ontario.
I’m the creator of Hello Toad, a weekly newsletter full of stories about slowing down, connecting with nature, and making room for creativity in our busy lives.
Speaking of busyness, I’ve spent the past few years figuring out how to build a slower life. Like most of us, I have a demanding full-time job—I’m a content marketing lead in the tech sector, where things move fast. And I know better than anyone how easy it is to get sucked into that chaos. I spent my twenties hustling (I hate that word!), working in digital marketing for everyone from tiny new businesses to billion-dollar tech companies. I climbed the corporate ladder and wore my busyness like a badge of honour.
That is, until a cancer diagnosis in 2021 brought it all crashing down. In the fourteen months I spent away from work, I realised that I’d let that busyness keep me away from all the things that really made me feel alive: being out in nature, spending time in my cozy home, and telling stories that mattered to me.
Now that I’m in remission and back at work, I’m rethinking the way I move through life. From making more time for hobbies, to prioritising my time outdoors, to finding validation outside of being busy, I’m learning to build a slower life: one with less bullshit, better stories, and way more cozy.
Helping you tell your story (in a real way).
At heart, I’m a storyteller (which is a grossly overused word in marketing, so imagine me using it more in a sitting-around-a-campfire way, and less in a corporate-bro-on-LinkedIn way). Stories connect us. They help us find our people, help us build communities, help us tap into something bigger than ourselves.
I’ve been writing stories for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been lucky enough to turn that love into a career by working with businesses and entrepreneurs to tell their stories in a way that connects with their audience.
There’s a lot of bullshit in marketing today, and it can be tough to stay real in the face of it. But what will always be true is your story. I help you figure out how to tell that story and share it across your brand—through words, photos, and more—so that you find your people.
You can learn more about my experience doing just that on my LinkedIn, and get in touch with any questions.
What’s with the toad thing?
“Hello, Toad.”
That’s how my husband greets me when he finds me squatting in the garden, face close to the dirt as I peer suspiciously at a beetle—friend or foe?—on my coneflowers.
And while the comparison might seem rude to some, between us it’s an endearment, a gently teasing acknowledgement of everything I love: the forest and the rain and the slow progress of the garden. It’s a recognition of the life I want to lead, the things that I prioritise. The importance of having a snug, comfortable home; the time spent out in the dirt; the connection to myth and fable. A reminder to slow down and see what happens when we pay attention to the small moments around us.
