Copywriting and brand voice are personal.

Our work together produces the guidelines and wording to bring your message to your audience and the world.

We’re going to get familiar — fast. Allow me to get the ball rolling…

When I was about four years old, we went on a family trip to Sesame Place. Amidst the excitement of furry, brightly colored characters, shows and rides, I noticed something else — my dad running into someone he knew. While Pennsylvania is just a few hours from where I grew up on Long Island, it seemed like we were a world away; my tiny mind was in awe of him. This happened everywhere we went, and I thought it was so cool. I told my mom, “I want to be like that when I grow up.”

Over the years, I realized that those encounters were about more than just knowing people. My dad was, and still is, an incredible resource to everyone who has ever met him. He is generous with his time, and if he can make a connection for you, it’s done before you even thought to ask for it. 

Flash forward to 2016.

I’ve just left my job as marketing manager for the Decoration & Design Building and gone to work for Schumacher.

As I walk down the mahogany hall that leads to the main elevator bank, several people stop to say hello and comment on how it’s good to see me back. My new coworker, who has made the trip with me from our corporate office in Midtown Manhattan, says, “So, do you know everyone who works here?” “Kind of,” I reply.

My path to becoming a self-employed brand voice strategist was far from straight. But every bend in the road — including running dispatch for my family’s trucking company — made me that much more qualified for the work I do now.

What is Brainstorming the Castle?

As a one-woman brand voice and copywriting consultancy, I’m here to help you with:

  • Defining your voice

  • Distilling your brand’s message

  • Connecting with right-fit clients

  • Gaining a fresh perspective

  • Understanding what messaging can do for your brand


It’s also my vehicle for doing great work for good people and supporting others in their journey to do the same. Sound like you? Great — let’s do this!

How does Brainstorming the Castle help with all that?

  • My marketing and copywriting experience is diverse. I’ve tackled topics ranging from wedding venues to SAP software, grocery news, and pet business.

    But the world of architecture and design became “home” (pun intended) when I went to work for the D&D Building in 2014. In just two years, I got to know every one of the 130 showrooms laid out across the 18 floors of that building. Familiarizing myself with the showrooms, the various brands and lines they represented, and the design professionals who populated the building on a daily basis was a crash course in the world of luxury.

    I organized and attended countless events in my time there and — with the cooperation of the showrooms — built the building’s Instagram following from 2,200 to over 13,000. The voice I created for the building was recognized across all of our digital platforms and print pieces. It was an incredible opportunity for several reasons, but my biggest takeaway was the acceptance.

    Interior design is a very welcoming industry. Outgoing and curious by nature, I felt comfortable almost immediately. In other positions, the people had been what kept me around. Learning their stories and figuring out how they liked to work so I could lean into their strengths and get the most out of our working relationships. In these positions, I would focus on organization and efficiency to make as much of my job as possible about branding and marketing (my version of eating all of your vegetables so you can have dessert).

    When I went to work at the D&D, marketing was my full-time focus. It was the consistency I’d been craving and allowed me to excel at all my favorite things at once — people, branding, writing, and creating systems.

    My boss and I did everything in service of the showrooms. Tasked with goals like increasing foot traffic and creating and promoting quality programming, we were on a mission to make the most of every opportunity. She also shared my love of connecting with people and graciously invited me to every event, always as her peer. My fear of missing out vanished, and I could finally come into my own.

    That same boss had told me up front that this would be a two-year position. When the opportunity to work for FSCO, handling press and marketing for their Schumacher and Patterson Flynn brands, presented itself, I knew it was time to move on. I worked with the most talented team of creative individuals and reported directly to our creative director, CEO, and the vice president of Patterson Flynn. They taught me that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel when it comes to content. You do, however, need to have clear goals and a solid handle on your analytics to market your brand efficiently and effectively.

    As much as I enjoyed my time there, the idea of starting my own business was always in the back of my mind. I missed working with multiple brands, perfecting different voices, and tackling challenges unique to small businesses. At the start of 2018, I decided that it was time for a new brand adventure, and Brainstorming the Castle was born.

    Now I proudly bring all of that experience to my work with interior designers, architects, and professionals in the A&D industry.

Five things that will make even more sense once you get to know me

  • 1

    Gregarious from birth, I’m always happy to join the party, and I’m often the last to leave (look for me in the kitchen helping with the clean-up and finishing my glass of Sancerre). Regulating my eagerness to learn about people and share with them without freaking them out is something I still work on. (If you’re trying to imagine me as a kid, think of your standard 80’s sitcom neighbor: a freckle-faced chatterbox with a complete lack of boundaries). 

  • 2

    I was a cheerleader. Energy is something that I’ve always had an abundance of, but it finally started to pay off in my career. Amplifying the work of others, pumping them up, and offering community and support are compulsions of mine. Helping others identify and get excited about what they do by giving them a fresh perspective and the words to talk about it gets me fired up. Cultures built on mutual respect, collaboration, and open-mindedness are where I want to spend my time and energy.

  • 3

    I’m not everyone’s cup of tea; by the same token, you might not be my beverage of choice. No one is for everyone — and that is a good thing. Embrace it. Own it. Be upfront about it. It will save you and others more time than you can imagine. It took me a long time to get here, but I encourage you to be yourself unapologetically. You just might make others feel comfortable enough to do the same.

  • 4

    I’m an external processor. In order to fully understand what I’m thinking or feeling, I need to talk about it. My clients find this helpful because they get to see how my brain works — it’s like watching someone “show their work” in math. When you work with me, you genuinely understand what we've done together and how to put it to work. If the brand voice guide I created for you languishes on a hard drive, I have not done my job correctly.

  • 5

    Phillip Lopate was my grad school advisor. I say this not just to name-drop but because it tells you about my writing style. This brilliant essayist told me that my writing could stand independently without all of the pop culture references and heavy-handed metaphors I had lazily used as crutches up until that point. As someone who thrives on constructive criticism, I took that note to heart, and my writing is better for it.

Here’s my official Bio:

Kim Healy is a former everything-but-the-kitchen-sink marketing and event manager turned brand voice strategist and copywriter.

Her previous corporate gigs include F. Schumacher & Co., the D&D Building, and Jones Apparel Group. She also worked in the AEC industry.

She received her MA in English and creative non-fiction from Hofstra University. Her editorial experience spans the worlds of interior design, fashion, wedding and bridal as well as b-to-b publications in a variety of industries. 

She lives on Long Island with her husband, Vinny, and their two sons.

Finding the right writer for your brand is as much about style and personality as it is about qualifications, but I’ve got those too.

The future of design needs your voice.

How can I help you stand out?