About

My favorite poem is “Song to Myself” by Walt Whitman. In it, he describes how he—and all of us—are not one “thing” but rather contain “the multitudes.” 

I’m inclined to agree. I was born—and currently reside—in New York City, but I was raised outside Atlanta, where every soft drink is a Coke, all the tea is sweet, and world actually goes to sleep at night. Depending on the day, I’m either savoring the hustle and bustle of the city that never sleeps or plotting my next adventure to give my introverted mind a rest.

I’ve lived in New York for nearly three years, but it’s been a bumpy road to the Big Apple! Since graduating college in 2014, I’ve pursued a number of ventures, finding success, failure, and wisdom along the way.

Professionally, I began my career by launching an e-commerce clothing brand that was eventually acquired. In 2016, I built a no-loss recycling company from the ground up, taking books destined for landfills and repurposing them for commerce, recycling, and education. Through that venture we saved more than 1 million books, partnered with Books for Africa to build a library in Adidas Ababa, Ethiopia, and worked with Atlanta public schools to ensure students in underserved districts had the resources they needed to learn. After two years as a sustainable entrepreneur, I donated the remaining books to pursue my love of writing.

A brief stint as a copywriter opened new and unexpected doors. In early 2018, I moved to New York and joined Publicis Health as Global Communications Manager, creating content and leading PR-initiatives on an integrated marketing-communications team. Content I’ve created, pitched, or ghostwritten has appeared in AdWeek, AdAge, Thrive Global, MM&M, Sirius XM, and USA Today as well on stage at Cannes Lions, 3% Conference, and HLTH—among others. I also connected my personal passion for inclusion with business needs and, along with my colleagues, am actively working to build a more inclusive workplace through internal communications initiatives and business resource groups (BRGs). I currently serve on the New York City board of Egalite, Publicis Groupe’s employee-led BRG for LGBTQ+ staff and their allies.

Personally, I’ve traveled to more than 40 countries on 5 continents, volunteering and capturing stories in the form of documentary film, photography, and writing. I’m passionate about diversity, inclusion, and equity and have spoken publicly on the subjects of vulnerability, mental health, the LGBTQ+ community, and religion including to a crowd of thousands at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) National Convention in Seattle. My photography has been featured across social media and appeared in print campaigns in Time Magazine, People, and Entertainment Weekly.

I’m currently working on my first book, “Brave Once More: A Memoir of Expectation” with a planned publication date of 2021.

When I’m not on the road, you can find me in my Brooklyn apartment either reading novels or watching Taylor Swift music videos with Caspian, my tabby.

I love stories and I’d love to hear yours, feel free to contact me via the social links below or fill out the form below. 

Courage dear heart,

~ JMC