Strategic brand, websites and growth systems
FOR PURPOSE-DRIVEN ORGANISATIONS READY FOR THEIR NEXT STAGE
We combine strategy, design and systems to build brands that connect deeply, communicate clearly and grow with intention.
What we bring together
Strategic Clarity
01
Audience, positioning, message, offers and growth priorities.
Brand + Creative Direction
02
Brand identity, visual systems, storytelling, copy and creative direction.
Marketing + Digital Systems
03
Websites, content systems and marketing foundations that support the next stage.
A brand rarely
struggles in isolation.
When a brand starts feeling unclear or inconsistent, the problem is rarely limited to the logo or website.
The positioning may have fallen behind the organisation. The offers may be difficult to understand. Marketing may be happening without a clear system. The website may no longer reflect the quality or maturity of the work.
We look at how the brand, business and growth systems interact, then identify what needs to change and in what order.
All this helps clients avoid fixing individual symptoms while the wider system stays fragmented.
Why this matters to us
Soulful Brand Lab grew from a pattern Cat kept seeing across purpose-driven movements and large commercial organisations.
Some organisations were doing genuinely valuable work for people, communities and the planet, but that value was not always easy to see from the outside. Their work had evolved, while their brand, website and marketing were still reflecting an earlier version of the organisation.
That gap matters. Good ideas and important work do not automatically reach the people who need to understand, trust or support them.
Before founding SBL, Cat led communications for the Multicultural Leadership Initiative, supporting multicultural climate leaders across Australia and the United States. Earlier in her career, she worked at WooliesX on national digital campaigns for Woolworths, Everyday Rewards and Everyday Market.
Those experiences shaped how SBL works today: combining the commercial discipline needed to operate in the real world with a deep respect for purpose, people and context.
We want good organisations to have a better chance of succeeding
How we think
We care about the change you are trying to make
We take the purpose behind the organisation seriously, while still testing whether the message, offer and growth model can hold up commercially.
We bring evidence, theory and judgement together
Our thinking draws on brand strategy, communication, behavioural insight, systems thinking and real-world implementation. We use research where it improves the decision, without hiding behind frameworks.
We build for use, not just presentation
A strategy only matters when people can apply it. We create practical systems, tools and guidance that teams can continue using after the project ends.
Our values
Strategic clarity
Clear thinking before clear design. We help you understand what matters most across your brand, website, message and growth systems, so every decision has a stronger purpose.
Depth over surface
We don’t create pretty branding for the sake of it. We build from strategy, story, audience insight and business context, so the outside reflects the depth of the work.
Ethical growth
Growth should build trust, not pressure. We avoid fear-based marketing and manipulative tactics, and help clients communicate in ways that respect their audience.
Human-centred systems
Good systems make growth feel less scattered. We create brand, website and content structures that support the people using them, not just the business trying to scale.
Purpose with structure
Purpose needs form to move. We help turn meaningful ideas, services and impact into brands, websites and pathways people can understand, trust and act on.
Our team
BUILT AROUND THE NEEDS OF THE WORK
Soulful Brand Lab is led by Cat Dao, Founder and Lead Strategist, alongside a flexible team of strategists, designers, marketers, developers and creative specialists.
We assemble the right mix of expertise around each project, rather than passing every client through the same fixed production model.
Founder & Lead Strategist at Soulful Brand Lab
Meet Cat
I’m naturally drawn to complexity, especially the kind that builds slowly inside an organisation until everything starts feeling harder to explain than it should.
I tend to notice where the story has become fragmented, where the language no longer fits, or where several good ideas are competing without a clear centre. Much of my work begins by listening closely, finding the pattern beneath the noise and helping people see their organisation with fresh eyes.
I care about strategy, but I also care about what happens after the workshop. The thinking has to survive real deadlines, different personalities, limited capacity and the ordinary mess of running a business.
Clients often come to SBL carrying a lot in their heads. My role is to help make it visible, give it structure and turn it into decisions people can actually use.
Chris is our senior designer and creative problem-solver, bringing 15+ years of experience in branding, digital and web design magic. He’s the one who turns big-picture visions into polished, beautiful assets that flow across print and digital — always with precision, care and a bit of creative flair.
Outside the studio, you’ll find him exploring trinket shops, sipping black tea, camping under the stars or nerding out over AI and new music finds.
Chris Blanco
Nora is SBL’s Marketing Lead Strategist, specialising in brand and content marketing strategy and turning market research into useful audience and campaign insights. With more than five years of experience, a Master of Commerce and a certificate in UX Psychology, she brings research, copywriting and production together to shape clearer strategies for SBL and our clients.
Outside work, you’ll find her looking for a new matcha cafe or touching grass on her long walks.
Nora Ngo
Sammi is our Content & Marketing Coordinator, bringing experience in campaign reporting and media production. With a Master of Commerce in Marketing and Strategy and a Bachelor’s in Communication, Media Arts and Production, she helps with content planning, scheduling, campaign coordination and video editing.
Outside work, she’s usually at the gym, trying a new hobby or exploring a new restaurant.
Sammi Feng
Jamie is our UX Copywriter, Editor and Customer Relationships Advisor, helping SBL shape clear website copy, tone of voice, client communication and relationship-led content strategy.
With a BA in Public Communication and a background spanning operations, coaching and customer support, Jamie brings a grounded, human-centred lens to how brands communicate and build trust.
His experience includes tailored written communications at Westpac, operations leadership with Vision Personal Training, and editorial contributions to internal content distributed across Australia and New Zealand.
In his downtime, you’ll find him reading philosophy, meditating, sipping No Sugar LA Ice or snuggled with Moji.
Jamie Beaton
Dave is our Strategic Advisor, bringing 30+ years of consulting, general management and business leadership experience across Qantas, Ausgrid, KPMG and Macquarie Bank.
He supports SBL with high-level guidance across business structure, consulting frameworks, client relationships and strategic decision-making, helping us bring greater clarity and alignment to the way businesses grow.
When he’s not stress-testing strategy, you’ll find him getting his 20,000 steps in around the shoreline, watching the footy or keeping tabs on the latest political and AI debates.
Dave Beaton
Moji is our resident emotional support officer — a silent yet powerful presence during creative sprints, high-pressure deadlines, and vision-stretching meetings. With a calming purr and steady gaze, he keeps the team grounded, reminding everyone to pause, breathe, and pet the cat.
When he’s off duty, you’ll find him sunbathing in warm spots, flopping, inspecting laptops with mild suspicion, or offering slow blinks of encouragement from across the room.