WHY I DO WHAT I DO
I’ve always been fascinated by how brands become more than just businesses — how they take on a personality and a meaning beyond what they sell. But I’ve also seen how hard it is for founders to translate what they know and feel about their brand into something the world instantly understands.
I know this because I’ve been in their shoes.
Over the past decade, I’ve built and led multiple brands, balancing creative vision with the realities of running a business. I’ve experienced the thrills and frustrations, the excitement of growth and the challenge of keeping a brand’s identity clear through it all. I know what it’s like to wrestle with messaging, to feel disconnected from your own positioning, to wonder if what makes your brand special is truly coming through.
And I also know how transformative it is when you finally get it right.
That is why I do what I do: help founders and brands move past the noise and confusion, find clarity in their story, and communicate with confidence — so they can grow in a way that feels effortless and true to them.
WHAT I DO BEST
I’ve spent my career uncovering what makes brands stand out. I started as a journalist, drawn to the stories that shape industries, culture, and people’s decisions. I’ve worked behind the scenes of lifestyle brands, defining their voice, sharpening their identity, and making sure their audience felt something every time they encountered them.
But beyond strategy and storytelling, what I do best is help founders get unstuck.
Every founder knows what makes their brand different. The hard part is putting it into words, making it consistent, and showing up in a way that feels natural. But that stuff is my jam. I help you refine what’s already there, shape it into a brand that feels unmistakably yours, and build a foundation that makes growth feel intuitive — not like a hustle.
When your brand finally clicks into place, everything else follows.
BOOKS I WROTE
My first book “How Blogs Work” was published in 2014 with Lannoo. Drawing on my extensive experience as a journalist and one of Belgium’s first lifestyle bloggers, it was a guide to help bloggers professionalize their platforms, and for brands to work with them as a new generation of earned and paid media.
In 2015 I co-founded a consultancy agency with my business partner Nele Pieters, and three years later we published “Community Marketing” with Pelckmans. Based on our experience consulting for brands and launching our own direct-to-consumer furniture brand, this book helped brands navigate a new way of connecting to their customer base through community marketing.
In 2020 we followed up with “You Do You”, focused entirely on brand strategy as the foundation for everything marketing and storytelling related. In it, we share the building blocks of our Community Brand Methodology, our take on competitive strategy for the 21st century.
RESUME
Brand and communications strategist for lifestyle businesses
2022 — now
Consultant sustainable branding and communications at Encon
2020 — 2022
Founding partner of brand consultancy and incubator RPPRT
2015 — 2020
Editor-in-chief Label Magazine
2008 — 2014
Journalist for ELLE, L’Officiel, Condé Nast Traveler, Kwintessens, and more
2008 — 2014