Substack
Essays, reflections and poems. One thoughtful note at a time, straight to your inbox.
Communication · Community · Meaning
Stories that connect.Communities that matter.
I help brands and organisations communicate more humanly, while the stories I meet continue to shape my own.
Three ways in
Depending on what you came here for.
01
Mission visible
An online visibility audit for organisations doing important work the world needs to see.
02
Services
Communication, community, events, storytelling and creative thinking for brands and organisations.
03
The in-between
Stories about identity, relationships, work, motherhood, meaning and becoming, on Substack, Instagram and the Just Carla Podcast.
Ten years. Thousands of conversations.
I've spent more than a decade helping universities, global brands and purpose-led organisations turn communication into connection.
That means building communities, shaping stories and understanding what people actually think, not just what the analytics say. I've read the comments so you don't have to, and I know how to turn what I find there into sharper content, stronger relationships and better decisions.
Organisations I've worked with and for
Carla consistently delivers work of an exceptionally high standard, and has a strong ability to understand an organisation's voice, build meaningful relationships with stakeholders, and create content that connects with the right audiences. Her ability to foster strong relationships, combined with her strategic thinking and attention to detail, makes her a valuable asset to any team.
Carla is an exceptionally gifted social media manager, who goes above and beyond to ensure alignment to a client's vision and goals, while making sure the content resonates and captures the attention of the target audience. I am also impressed by Carla's transparency and honesty, which is not a trait that saturates the marketing and advertising industry.
Work with me
Senior content, community and storytelling support for teams doing meaningful work but struggling to communicate it. Whether you need the right words, a clearer strategy or simply someone experienced enough to pick things up and run with them.
See how we could work togetherFor NGOs, nonprofits and purpose-led organisations
Your work is real.
Let's make it visible.
You know the value of your organisation's work. You see it every day. But does someone encountering you for the first time understand it just as clearly? What feels obvious from inside an organisation is not always what people see, understand or remember from the outside.
Mission visible takes an honest, independent look at how your organisation tells its story online, in its documents and within its own team. You receive a score out of 100, a practical fix for every finding, and a clear, prioritised list of what to do next.
Free for now
Report within 5 working days
- Scored across 8 areas, out of 100
- Website and every social channel reviewed
- Your proposals and reports assessed if available
- An AI readiness rating for your team
- At least 6 fixes you can make this week, free
- One audit per organisation, done properly
About
Hi, I'm Carla.
Most of my career has been spent in communications and community, but job titles have never been the most interesting part of the story. What matters to me is making people feel recognised rather than processed.
I'm a romantic who still believes in fairytales, mostly because I married my Prince Charming. I became a mother through adoption, which taught me that the best stories do not always begin the way you imagined. I'm a South African, an aspiring writer, an ocean lover and an ambivert who loves connecting with people just as much as disappearing into her own thoughts at home. I believe in living consciously, loving deeply and not taking any of it too seriously, preferably with a glass of wine in hand.
These are not the things I do outside of my work. They are the heart I bring to it.
The in-between
Where I write and talk about the parts of life we're all still figuring out. Identity, relationships, work, motherhood, meaning, and what happens when life ignores the plan and does whatever it wants.
A mix of work, words, ideas and everyday life. A place to collect, create, curate and connect, not because I have to, but because I want to.
The Just Carla Podcast
Conversations for curious people with a million tabs open. Some useful, some personal, and at least one playing music from somewhere.