You built something awesome.
Do customers and investors “get it” yet?
Hi, I’m Lara.
I help founders who are building something genuinely exciting get clear on what it is, why it matters, and how to make other people see it too.
A seasoned communications strategist (15+ years), lifelong writer and graduate-level social science researcher, I consider myself part listener, part translator, part strategist and part writer.
I started Message and Muse, LLC, to focus on my areas of expertise: language, research, and messaging.
In other words…
If positioning is the foundation and messaging is the framing, I’m the contractor who can tell when something underneath needs to be reworked before you waste time decorating the walls. Ignore it now, and you’ll just be tearing things back open later.
Brands I’ve Worked with:
Testimonials
It has been my great pleasure to work with Lara for nearly a decade, partnering to bring complex narrative theory and research insights to life for broad audiences. Lara has a rare ability to translate research, strategy, and organizational priorities into messaging that is both clear and deeply resonant. She consistently brings thoughtfulness and precision to the work, ensuring that ideas connect meaningfully with audiences. Lara is an exceptional communications leader and a trusted partner. When I need to move quickly and effectively in high-pressure moments, she is still the first person I call for help. I know that she can jump right in, work with the team, and bring us up to speed quickly with where we need to be in any given moment.
Sarah Lowe
Vice President, Communications + Research — Define American
“Lara has been a brilliant thinking partner in our quest to make finance clear, approachable, and beautiful. She has helped us to hone in on any key ideas and communicate with greater clarity, intentionality and impact."
Anne B. Johnston
Founder & Managing Director — Created Wealth Advisory
“I have known and worked with Lara for many years at Define American. I have always been impressed with her ability to boil down complicated concepts or organizational goals into clear, concise, and powerful messages. This is true whether working internally or externally. Lara is a great communicator and a fantastic collaborator.”
Shauna Siggelkow
Vice President, Programs — Define American
“Lara not only solves problems, but she's also so fun to work with. I struggled to name a new business idea that I was launching. Lara was a dream to brainstorm with, and helped me come up with the perfect name that captured the essence of the coaching program and incorporated what makes my brand fun. She was only able to do that because she's such a good listener and has such great ideas around storytelling and presentation!”
Alexandra Berrie
San Marino, CA
FAQ
Q:
“How do you work with AI?”
A:
In Life: Hallelujah
I use AI to keep my life in order. My favorite tools are Claude and Notion, and they’re connected to one another, as well as my Google account, so that I can easily sync, add and get (another set of hands??) to help coordinate my life.
It’s a life-saver for my brain, and I’m grateful for it.
In Writing: not for anything important
I’m a writer.
The right words have a… feeling to them. If your eyes glaze over when you read AI-generated copy, you already know this.
So when I’m writing something that’s ostensibly from me on a personal level (like this), I write it myself.
Essays, articles, Substack pieces, screenplays, songs, etc.? All me. It’s expression.
For something like a summary of a bunch of facts? Maybe. It’s impersonal and efficient, and I can tend to editorialize a lot and eat up character counts when I just need to write something succinct, like a snippet of factual information for my Music League about why Billy Porter’s cover of “For What It’s Worth” should count for double points as a historical song (I’m not still stuck on this or anything).
It’s so interesting watching the world navigate this technology for themselves and determine where their own boundaries are. I think everyone’s getting their sea legs, and it’s good that we talk about it. Broadly, though, I think we can all feel intuitively where the threshold for dishonesty is.
I’m always down to chat about stuff like this philosophically, so if you’re interested in enthusiastically exchanging pontifications on the topic, feel free to drop me a note! I also write about stuff like this a lot on my Substack, “LED Musings.”
With Clients: No, then yes
My goal with clients is to serve them well.
We do foundational positioning work and develop core messaging together because it’s an excavation and refinement process that requires a few skills AI isn’t great with (yet): truth-seeking, judgment, and nuance.
Frankly, businesses have a rare opportunity right now to stand out — largely because so much messaging is being generated by AI. So we go the human route to razzle dazzle ‘em.
Once that groundwork is laid, I help clients create a realistic and sustainable messaging infrastructure, which includes working with them to develop materials that they can use to train their AI tools and adapt the language for various formats as time goes on.
I do this partly because I don’t offer a fractional ongoing service: I’m in and out like Mary Poppins, but you can always call upon me again on a project basis.
To learn more, visit the Services page.
Contact Me.
I write regularly on LED Musings.
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