If you’d told me a few years ago that I’d be managing a portfolio of clients in a marketing agency, I would’ve laughed. Back then, I was convinced I was heading into astrophysics.

I’d been homeschooled for most of my life, and science was my language. Numbers, formulas, theories about the universe - that was my world. But after Year 12, I took a gap year and moved to Adelaide. I worked in a café, lived with friends, and that time completely redirected my future.

I came to realise that beyond my love of science I loved people. Not just small talk - I loved hearing stories, solving problems together, and working towards something bigger than myself. Science still fascinated me, but I could see it wasn’t going to give me the human connection I wanted every day.

The Conference That Changed Everything

To scratch the itch for something “business-y,” I enrolled in a Diploma of Business at Swinburne. That year stretched me more than I expected - project management, emotional intelligence, recruitment, teamwork. One of our major assignments was to run a conference for future students. My classmates voted me in as project manager.

It was stressful. It was chaotic. It was also exhilarating. I organised sponsors, wrangled speakers, and learned how to lead a team that didn’t always want to be led.

Funnily enough one of the speakers I invited was Andrew Ford. I didn’t know it then, but his presentation would completely shift how I thought about marketing.

Like most people, I thought marketing meant advertising. Campaigns. Ads. Billboards. Andrew flipped that on its head. He talked about personal branding, about marketing as a core business driver rather than just a promotional layer. Suddenly, marketing wasn’t just noise - it was connected back to the people, their passions, strategy and growth.

I left that conference curious, so I did what any young professional does: I stalked Social Star online… extensively. Website, socials, team history - you name it, I went down the rabbit hole. Something about their approach just clicked.

My First Week at Social Star

Not long after, with some expert LinkedIn connection leveraging, I joined Social Star as a Marketing Coordinator.

My first week was intense: Andrew handed me his inbox - hundreds of unread emails - and I built a system to sort, prioritise, and action them. On paper, that might sound like admin. But to me, it was front-row access to how he thought, how he dealt with clients, and how strategy turned into results.

I absorbed everything. The way Andrew framed a pitch, the kinds of questions he asked, the balance between empathy and commercial focus. That crash course in the “behind-the-scenes” of client work became a blueprint I still use today.

What My Work Looks Like Now

Fast forward to today, and my role is much broader. My week usually starts with back-to-back meetings - clients and internal. Every client in my portfolio gets a weekly check-in. Yes, we talk about content and approvals, but we also go bigger: What’s happening in their business? Where are the roadblocks? What’s keeping them up at night?

That’s the part I love most. At Social Star, we don’t see ourselves as just marketers - we’re business partners. Marketing is the lever that helps founders hire, launch, grow, and scale.

Because most of my clients are founder-led, our conversations often cross into things like recruitment, partnerships, and expansion plans. My role is to bridge their challenges with strategy - to use marketing not as a band-aid, but as a growth engine.

How I Solve Problems

Every founder is different. Every business is different. That’s where empathy comes in. I spend as much time listening as I do advising, because the “right” answer isn’t always the obvious one.

A lot of that mindset comes from shadowing Andrew early on. He never jumped to solutions - he asked questions that got under the surface. I learned to dig deeper, think bigger, and adapt strategies to fit the person as much as the business. Now, I’ve built my own “toolbox” of approaches. If the standard fix doesn’t work, I’ll create a new one

Projects I’m Proud Of

One highlight was our work with Alexander Spencer, an accounting firm wanting to attract better job candidates. Instead of just advertising roles, we built an employer brand - testimonials, culture stories, visibility of their team. The result? Regular job applications straight through their website, which continue until now. Because branding is built to last long after I shifted my focus to another area of the business.

Another was with Architect GP, a founder-led practice passionate about making architecture more accessible. We worked side by side to refine her messaging, clarify her audience, and build a strategy that honoured her vision. Helping someone translate passion into a sustainable business model is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do.

Stepping Into My New Role

Now, I’m stepping into my role as an Account Manager. It means continuing to lead my portfolio from a strategic perspective but also mentoring new team members and shaping our processes as we grow.

I’ve always been driven by results, but equally by people. This role gives me the chance to do both - delve even more into providing value to clients while also supporting the amazing team who are just starting out, the way Andrew supported me.

When I walked into Social Star fresh from my diploma, I had no idea where it would lead. Now, I get to play a part in someone else’s journey. That’s something I don’t take lightly.

If there’s one lesson this journey has taught me, it’s that marketing isn’t just marketing. It’s about people - understanding them, solving their problems, and building something that lasts.

And that’s exactly what I get to do every day at Social Star.

Video from the conference here

From Astrophysics to Account Management: My Journey at Social Star