Community Highlights: Meet Sara Chambers of Elly and Nora Creative

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Chambers.

Hi Sara, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m originally from California but moved to Arizona when I was in the 3rd grade, so I might as well just be a native at this point. I decided to go to college and major in theatre performance because at 17, I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else. But I quickly realized that moving to New York wasn’t for me and there weren’t many career options in small theatre for social change productions, so I changed to Journalism and Mass Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and changed theatre to a minor.

I graduated in 2008 at the height of the recession and job options were limited, so I put that theatre background to good use and began volunteering at a local Shakespeare company doing marketing. I got tickets, t-shirts, and tons of valuable experience. I used that as leverage to work at one of Phoenix’s largest regional theatres for several years. Since then, I’ve spent my career helping non-profits, authors, and lifestyle brands in marketing, public relations, communications, and everything in between.

In 2018, I was doing copywriting at a major humanitarian organization and had been freelancing on the side for about ten years. I had always wanted to venture out on my own but was terrified to assume the role of entrepreneur because it was risky. When I got laid off, it was the affirmation I needed to pull the trigger. I realized that I was always willing to bet on myself and was ready to stop devaluing my innate leadership skills. I just needed to give myself permission to fully lean into exactly who I am.

Since launching Elly and Nora Creative, I’ve grown a team of smart and talented creatives who are helping me serve purpose-driven businesses through branding, digital content, and public relations.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Nothing is ever smooth. We often see people in their greatest successes but don’t have visibility into the moments of trial they had to overcome in order to get there. My biggest struggles were coming up against systems, organizations, and leaders who tried to convince me that I needed to change and adapt to be more palatable, to take up less space, and to ask fewer questions. I found it incredibly difficult to walk the line between taking ownership over my work and also manipulate myself into a box that was too small.

It wasn’t until I stopped accepting these false narratives as truth that I finally found freedom and permission to expand and unapologetically lean into my biggest ambitions. There are still challenges daily because starting and growing a business has a steep learning curve, but I’ve found that when I stay true to my values, I can handle anything that comes my way.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Elly and Nora Creative is a boutique branding, digital content, and publicity agency based in Phoenix. We help purpose-driven brands grow their income and impact. We mostly work with social enterprises, lifestyle brands, and experts to help them tell their story in a cohesive way across multiple platforms. Marketing and branding can feel manipulative and predatory, but really what we’re doing is simply discovery. We’re helping our clients to better understand exactly who they are and in that, they can attract the perfect audience. Clarity and truth are our primary points of strategy.

I’m really proud of the work we’ve done because our clients are showing up in service to a greater mission. We’re a part of making that happen and it feels great.

Can you share something surprising about yourself?
I have a very large blended family that includes ten siblings. My parents divorced when I was one and they both remarried and had children with their new spouses. My mom and stepdad also fostered for years and adopted five out of foster care. So my youngest sister is only a few years older than my son. It’s big and crazy and loud, but I love it.

Contact Info:

• Email: sara@ellyandnoracreative.com
• Website: https://ellyandnoracreative.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellyandnoracreative/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ellyandnoracreative/