Our True Story
About
I’m Melissa, founder of True Story.
I founded True Story in 2025 after more than 20 years working alongside founders, CEOs and leadership teams to shape brands at moments of growth, change and transition.
Much of my career has been spent partnering with purpose-led organisations where brand, product and customer experience need to work in step with business strategy. I’ve supported market-leading interiors, beauty and lifestyle brands to clarify direction, align teams and navigate complexity as they scale, helping shape the strategic direction, marketing vision and brand identity of impact-led businesses including Nkuku, L’Occitane and Neal’s Yard Remedies.
I’ve also worked with organisations operating to recognised sustainability and ethical standards, including B Corp and the Soil Association. This has given me a grounded understanding of what it takes to build credibility, maintain customer trust, and ensure values are reflected not just in brand messaging, but in product, behaviour and decision-making.
My Approach
At the heart of my work is alignment.
I help leadership teams connect brand and business strategy, ensuring that what a company stands for is clearly reflected in its products, customer experience and commercial priorities. When brand, product and customer are aligned, decisions become clearer, teams move in the same direction, and growth becomes more intentional and sustainable.
How I Work
That principle of alignment shapes how I work in practice.
I start by helping leadership teams sharpen their brand positioning and clarify the role the brand plays in the business. This means aligning brand and business strategy, and ensuring that product direction, customer value and commercial priorities are clearly connected and understood.
I work closely with teams to bring clarity to complex questions, whether that’s defining where to focus next, aligning new product development with the brand’s value proposition, or ensuring the customer experience reflects what the brand stands for. When brand, product and customer are aligned, decision-making becomes clearer and progress more confident.
Creativity comes into play once that clarity is in place. I guide how strategy is expressed through narrative, content and visual identity, working with trusted creative partners where needed to ensure expression is purposeful, consistent and grounded in the brand framework.
Throughout, the focus is on alignment, momentum and practical outcomes, not just ideas. The aim is to leave teams clearer, more confident and better equipped to move forward.
Experience & Focus
My experience spans D2C growth, B2B transformation, category expansion and preparing organisations for their next phase of growth, including investment readiness.
I’m particularly drawn to moments where leadership is evolving, whether that’s supporting founder transitions, stepping into fractional brand leadership roles, or helping teams bring greater clarity and alignment at board level.
I work as a trusted partner, bringing perspective, challenge and calm thinking into leadership conversations. My role is to help turn insight into clear direction and purposeful action across the business.
If you’re navigating change and looking for a senior brand partner to support what comes next, I’d love to talk.
Melissa
Selected Experience
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Strategy, Marketing Activation & Senior Leadership at Nkuku
Brand Thinking for a Changing World
True Story Insights explores the evolving world of brand-building. We look beyond trends to examine the behaviours, ideas and cultural shifts shaping how brands grow and communicate.
If you know your brand needs clarity, alignment, or a fresh sense of direction, let’s talk.
We’ll start with a short, focused conversation to understand where you are, where you want to be, and what may be standing in the way.
This is where your True Story begins.
Melissa