Built to understand what’s really going on.
Soulful Brand Lab helps experts, founders and organisations close the gap between the quality of their work and how it is positioned, presented and experienced.
We identify what’s getting in the way, then shape:
clearer positioning
stronger digital experiences and
more effective pathways to growth.
What we bring together
01
Commercial Thinking + Human Context
We look at what needs to work commercially over the long term, while considering the people, behaviours, trust and context behind each decision.
02
Evidence + Cross-Sector Understanding
Our thinking draws on research and experience across design, climate, communications, e-commerce, health, wellness, NFPs and social enterprise, alongside growing work in technology and emerging digital products. This helps us understand specialist subject matter without losing sight of the wider systems around it.
Strategy + Specialist Expertise
03
We diagnose the wider problem first, then bring together the right mix of strategy, design, marketing, UX, content and specialist expertise to solve what actually needs solving.
How SBL was born
Soulful Brand Lab grew from a pattern Cat kept seeing across people and organisations doing strong work, from independent experts to larger commercial businesses.
There were organisations doing genuinely valuable work, but from the outside, that value was not always easy to understand. The work had evolved, while the positioning, website or marketing had often fallen behind.
That disconnect matters. Good work does not automatically get understood, trusted or supported just because it is good.
Cat’s first training in diagnosis had nothing to do with brand. Before moving into communications, she studied Exercise and Sport Science at ACU, where she learned to look beyond the visible symptom and ask what was actually causing the problem.
That instinct followed her into brand and communications.
If something is not working, we do not want to jump straight to a new logo, website or content plan. We want to understand what is underneath it first — whether the real issue is positioning, the offer, the audience, messaging, the customer journey, growth strategy or the way the business itself has evolved.
That thinking still shapes SBL’s Diagnostic process today.
Cat later worked across national digital campaigns at WooliesX and, while building SBL, as Director of Communications at MLI supporting multicultural climate leaders across Australia and the US.
Those experiences shaped the studio we are building now: commercially grounded, curious about what is actually driving the problem, and conscious of the people and systems affected by the decisions we make.
Technology can accelerate output. Taste, discernment and understanding still shape what is worth putting into the world.
Meet Cat
Founder & Lead Strategist at Soulful Brand Lab
I’m naturally drawn to complexity, especially the kind that builds slowly until an organisation becomes harder to explain than it should be.
I tend to notice where the positioning has fallen behind the work, where the offer has become difficult to understand, or where several good ideas are competing without a clear centre.
Much of my work starts with listening closely, finding the pattern underneath it all and helping people see what is actually getting in the way.
I care about strategy, but I care just as much about what happens after the workshop. The thinking has to hold up against real deadlines, limited capacity, different personalities, commercial pressures and the ordinary mess of running an organisation.
The people I work with often already have substantial expertise, ambition or momentum. The challenge is making that value easier to understand, structure and act on — whether that means sharpening the positioning, clarifying the offer, improving the customer journey or deciding where growth should come from next.
My role is to help turn complexity into clearer decisions, then connect those decisions across brand, digital presence and growth.
Why “Soulful” Brand Lab?
Soulful Brand Lab was chosen because I believe growth should still feel human.
“Soulful” reflects the part of our work that considers people, values, trust and the wider impact of business decisions.
“Lab” reflects how we work. We investigate, test, diagnose and bring different disciplines together before deciding what should be built.
The result is a studio that takes commercial growth seriously without stripping the humanity out of it.
How we think
We care about what you’re trying to build
We take the ambition, purpose and context behind the work seriously, while testing whether the positioning, 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 decisions are clearer and better prioritised.
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, while making the business easier to operate and grow.
Substance with structure
We help turn expertise, ideas, services and products 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.
Chris Blanco
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.
Nora Ngo
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.
Sammi Feng
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.
Jamie Beaton
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.
Priyanka Padhy
Priyanka is our Marketing & Content Intern, supporting market research, content creation and case study development across SBL. Currently completing her Master of Commerce (Marketing) at UNSW, she brings experience in editorial content, content strategy and influencer marketing from roles with Tira Beauty and Blank Media.
She has a strong interest in health and wellness, particularly where it intersects with food, beauty and makeup, and enjoys keeping up with emerging trends across these spaces.
Moji
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.
David Beaton
STRATEGIC ADVISOR,
BUSINESS STRATEGY & DEVELOPMENT
David has 30+ years’ experience in management consulting, project and program management and advisory services for the delivery of large complex business and operational technology projects.
David has worked for DMR Consulting, Logica, and Kema Consulting and was a director and principal consultant at DGA Consulting. He has been trained in and applied proven, accepted and effective methodologies, including program and project management, quality management, test management, benefits realisation, strategic consulting, business process modelling, enterprise architecture, and best practice change management frameworks.
He has mainly focused on providing expert consulting to senior executives through proven methodologies and industry experience.