Core Areas of Work

The thinking behind the work

Explore the core areas of my work below. I've included a short audio reflection that explores (1) how I approach the work, (2) where people and organizations tend to need the most help, and (3) how my methods support your goals.

These are the disciplines behind the By Design Consulting engagements. For representative engagements, see the Portfolio.

Press play on any card. Transcripts are additionally available.

01

Executive Communications & Speechwriting

Public remarks, talking points, leadership messaging, founder voice, interviews, live events, and ghostwritten executive content.

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02

Brand Narrative & Message Architecture

Positioning, messaging systems, content strategy frameworks, brand voice, website copy, campaign language, and communication architecture.

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03

Technical Storytelling & Complex Translation

Clear communication for AI, web systems, automation, open-source technology, defense-adjacent innovation, engineering concepts, and complex stakeholder environments.

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04

Scriptwriting, Wordsmithing & Creative Direction

Promotional, real estate, training, and explainer content, documentary-style assets, testimonials, voiceovers, and production-adjacent storytelling.

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05

AI-Enabled Content Systems

Custom copywriting bots, prompt systems, knowledge bases, AI dashboards, multi-agent workflows, content systems, and brand-aligned AI support.

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06

Editorial Development & Thought Leadership

Books, articles, newsletters, bios, long-form frameworks, course content, executive voice capture, and publication-ready editorial development.

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07

Sales Enablement & Strategic Assets

Proposals, pitch decks, service positioning, pricing language, offer architecture, discovery scripts, onboarding materials, and stakeholder presentations.

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08

Internal Communications & Training

Manuals, onboarding systems, process guides, leadership materials, training resources, internal communication tools, and knowledge translation.

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In Depth

What each discipline involves

The thinking behind each area of work, what it concretely includes, and where it tends to help most.

Executive communication is about more than words on a page. It is about helping a leader sound like the truest, clearest version of themselves in the moments that matter most. I work closely with founders and executives to shape remarks, talking points, and ghostwritten content that carry conviction and read as authentically theirs.

What this includes
  • Public remarks & keynotes
  • Talking points & briefings
  • Leadership messaging
  • Founder voice
  • Interview preparation
  • Live event scripting
  • Ghostwritten executive content
Best for

Leaders preparing for a high-stakes moment, or founders whose public voice has not yet caught up to their work.

Emily took pages of ideas and partially formed thoughts and turned them into a seamless keynote. I walked off stage and had several attendees remark on the power of my talk.

Founder & CEOSeries B fintech

Before the right words come the right structure. I build messaging systems that give an organization a coherent story to tell, language that holds together across every platform and audience, and a narrative foundation the whole team can build on.

What this includes
  • Positioning
  • Messaging systems
  • Content strategy frameworks
  • Brand voice
  • Website copy
  • Campaign language
  • Communication architecture
Best for

Brands whose messaging feels scattered, outdated, or hard to reuse as they grow.

Every level of our team was telling a different version of our story, so we brought in DavesWRC to help us unravel it all and clarify what we were actually trying to say, and how to say it. Now it’s a single, cohesive brand message. Emily's approach is kind, and her work is unmatched in this field.

VP, MarketingEnterprise SaaS

Some of the most important work is also the hardest to explain. I translate complex systems into language that stays accurate while becoming genuinely legible to the people who need to understand it.

What this includes
  • AI & web systems
  • Automation
  • Open-source technology
  • Defense-adjacent innovation
  • Engineering concepts
  • Multi-stakeholder environments
Best for

Technical teams whose audiences keep losing the thread, where clarity cannot come at the cost of precision.

Our engineers trusted her with the nuance, and she was relentless in getting to the crux of our differentiation and positioning. Her ability to work internally and think externally is truly masterful.

Head of ProductAI infrastructure company

A good script finds its rhythm and earns its tone. I write and shape promotional, training, and explainer content, along with the documentary-style assets, testimonials, and voiceovers that surround it, so each piece lands with the feeling it was meant to carry.

What this includes
  • Promotional & explainer content
  • Real estate & training scripts
  • Documentary-style assets
  • Testimonials
  • Voiceovers
  • Production-adjacent storytelling
Best for

Teams with footage, a message, or a moment that needs to become a finished, resonant piece.

Emily is an excellent wordsmith who approaches her work with remarkable care and precision. She helped our team shape a hard drive of raw footage into an award-winning short film. Her skills in scriptwriting and storytelling are extraordinary.

Director72Hour Film

AI works best when human voice and judgment stay at the center. I design brand-aligned content systems (custom bots, prompt libraries, knowledge bases, and multi-agent workflows) that extend a team's capacity without flattening what makes their communication theirs.

What this includes
  • Custom copywriting bots
  • Prompt systems
  • Knowledge bases
  • AI dashboards
  • Multi-agent workflows
  • Brand-aligned AI support
Best for

Teams ready to scale content thoughtfully, who want systems that protect voice and trust.

What Emily built for us changed how we create. She designed a knowledge base and integrated system that scaled our content without ever making it feel automated or artificial. It still sounds like us, just ten times easier to produce, and with a level of confidence we did not have before.

Content LeadGrowth-stage startup

A body of knowledge deserves a structure that can hold it. I help authors and experts develop books, articles, frameworks, and long-form work, capturing an executive's voice and shaping ideas into publication-ready material without simplifying away the substance.

What this includes
  • Books & long-form frameworks
  • Articles & newsletters
  • Bios
  • Course content
  • Executive voice capture
  • Publication-ready development
Best for

Experts and leaders with something substantial to say and no structure yet to carry it.

I had a decade of ideas and no book. Emily worked with me week after week, part editor, part counselor, part philosopher. She gave my work everything it couldn't find on its own. The truth is, I would still be working with drafts if it weren't for her.

Author & industry advisorPublished 2025

A great deck carries an argument, wherein the offer language is part of the grand design. I build proposals, pitch decks, and positioning assets that help prospects understand the value, trust the source, and make a confident decision.

What this includes
  • Proposals
  • Pitch decks
  • Service positioning
  • Pricing & offer language
  • Discovery scripts
  • Onboarding materials
  • Stakeholder presentations
Best for

Teams whose offer is strong but whose materials are not yet doing it justice.

The proposal Emily created didn't just look far better than what we'd put together; it had everything ours was missing. Emily doesn't just understand how to find the right words; she knows how to get the right words to do the real work.

Chief Revenue OfficerB2B platform

Operational knowledge only helps when it can actually be used.  I translate process, leadership, and training content into internal systems and resources that people understand, return to, and keep alive as the organization changes.

What this includes
  • Manuals & process guides
  • Onboarding systems
  • Leadership materials
  • Training resources
  • Internal communication tools
  • Knowledge translation
Best for

Organizations whose institutional knowledge lives in people's heads instead of usable systems.

Knowledge that used to live in my head is now a system that my whole team can apply. Our onboarding time is cut in half, and everyone is literally on the same page, thanks to Emily's documentation system.

Chief Operating OfficerProfessional services firm
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