I was born in Calgary, AB and grew up in Victoria, BC. I completed a diploma and got my bachelor’s degree at Capilano University in Vancouver, then set out to explore Canada and the world.   

I lived and/ or worked in six different Canadian provinces and two territories, before settling down in Calgary in 2009.  

I started my career working as an expedition leader and guide. Highlights of those early days included leading polar bears tours in Churchill, MB, sea kayak expeditions in Baja Mexico, and numerous adventure trips through the Canadian Rockies, BC, Yukon and Alaska.  

The adventure lifestyle was fun, and I had to opportunity to connect with diverse people from a variety of different backgrounds, but I soon found myself in a more traditional 9-5 job, with the task of starting a social media program at WestJet. It was the early days of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and there was no guide book to corporate social media success. So I wrote it myself.

Over 12 years, I led WestJet’s ever-growing Social Media team with the humble goal of being the best airline on social media in the world – a recognition we received from our industry peers in subsequent years. Not only did I develop and implement a framework for using social media to connect with customers, build loyalty and drive revenue, but I also learned how to  be a great collaborator and team leader in a dynamic and fast-growing company with a large marketing team. I led people and managed the complex technology platforms we required to do our jobs and measure our success.

I had the opportunity to learn, develop and test best practices for digital marketing (including social media, email and content marketing), SEO and SEM, digital advertising (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, Google, LinkedIn & Snapchat), influencer marketing, public relations, and of course, social media community building. I was either directly responsible for, or highly involved in dozens of viral campaigns and social moments. While the accolades and awards were nice, seeing the 7, 8 and 9-figure annual contributions of my team’s efforts to WestJet’s bottom line was what mattered most.

After retiring from WestJet in 2021, I started DreamLoft Digital  to offer companies the same collaborative, KPI-driven marketing leadership, but on a fractional (part-time) basis.

Over the past few years, I have had the good fortune to work with business owners and senior executives in a variety of industries including: technology, retail (eCommerce),  hospitality, travel & tourism,  property management, construction, energy , and  professional services.

While each industry has its unique set of circumstances, and brings its own challenges, I’ve found that success comes from collaborating with business owners to develop and implement a practical, measurable marketing strategy.