Karla McNeilage

Making your brand memorable through story-led marketing. Using creative content strategies to drive growth • Social Media | Copy & Content Writer | Founder of Wave Socials 🌊 Mental health and wellness advocate

In 2014, my passion for writing and storytelling led me to study English Literature at uni.

I loved it so much that it influenced my career:

→ 2016: Started dabbling in copywriting jobs to see if I enjoyed it.

→ 2016: Created a Wordpress blog as a creative outlet. Fell in love with content writing.

→ 2018: Graduated. No grad job. Wanted to work in marketing but didn’t know what niche. Ahh. Spent 8 months working 14-hour days, juggling different unpaid internships.

→ 2018-19: Landed an internship and eventually became Head of Social Media & Influencer Marketing for an e-com start-up.
Sold out every launch with my marketing strategies, my content reached millions of impressions p/m and took our IG from 3K > 80K+ followers in <10 months.
I loved creating marketing campaigns. But I didn’t get to write much. I missed it.

→ 2020: New job. Head of Social Media for another e-com start-up.
Brought the same energy and sold out every product launch, reached millions p/m and grew a loyal community of superfans.
This time, more copy & content writing opportunities: email marketing, website & landing pages, paid ads.
I started ghostwriting as the founder. I loved stepping into someone else’s shoes.

→ 2022: Quit my job. Started my business, Wave Socials. Never looked back.
Services: social media marketing and copywriting/ content writing for 40+ CEO’s & founders, e-com businesses, agencies and big corporates.

→ 2024: Pivoted my services to LinkedIn personal branding. 
Took my own strategy seriously. Became a content creator on LinkedIn. Have a fully inbound business as a result. Also grew an amazing community and network.

Realised personal branding is the perfect blend of social media marketing and writing- all the skills I’ve been honing for nearly a decade.


Now, I help 6-8 figure C-suite execs, founders & creators amplify their voices on LinkedIn to grow their businesses.

I’ve carved out a career that feeds my love for writing, creative content, connection and storytelling.

-

SERVICES:

• LinkedIn Ghostwriting & Personal Brand Management:
For those who lack time, knowledge and/or expertise to create outcomes and impact.

• LinkedIn Workshops & Masterclasses:
Teaching you and your team how to leverage your personal brands on LinkedIn for business growth.

• LinkedIn Coaching:
Master the art of creating a personal brand that gains authority, builds trust and attracts quality leads and opportunities.


Want to work together? Fill out this form and I’ll be in touch!

https://forms.gle/Qf7vPL4ed53tSrPf9

My DM’s are open if you have any questions :)

Owner

Karla Mcneilage

Everyone talks about building confidence.

But building self-respect changed my life!


When I started respecting myself…

Doors opened in business.
My character developed.
And people respected me more.

The difference:
Self-confidence is believing you can.
Self-respect is deciding what you will and won’t tolerate.

Instead of people-pleasing and weak boundaries, I now tell myself:
→ “I won’t forget my worth”
→ “I won’t lower my standards”
→ "I won't stop working on my goals"
→ “I won’t betray my values for approval”


Here's 16 ways I actively build self-respect:

• Leaving situations that aren't serving me:
Friendships, relationships, clients, environments.
Even if it’s really bloody hard.

• Saying ‘no’ to what’s unaligned
I’m now a psycho about protecting my energy.
It's a non-negotiable!

• Brutal self-honesty
Taking responsibility and dropping fantasy versions of myself.
Acknowledging weaknesses = can work on them.

• Not dramatising setbacks
I used to wallow in self-pity…
Now, I give myself grace, but regulate my emotions.

• Taking aligned action
Following through on my promises, even motivation dips.
Difficult for us ADHDers, but working on it.

• Pushing past my limits
I push myself in the gym until I physically can't walk.
Bodybuilders who once intimidated me now ask if I'm a PT lol.

• Sticking to the plan, not the mood
I no longer let my feelings throw me offtrack.
If I need to set aside an extra 30 mins to journal, I will.

• Acting with quiet consistency.
I love documenting my journey/ building in public.
But I work harder on my goals when nobody is watching.

• Eliminating distractions
If things dilute my focus, I’ll quickly get rid of them.
I’ve not watched TV in 3+ years, I deleted social apps from my phone, I’ve not drank alcohol since 2023.

• Prioritising myself first
Filling my own cup.
Then have more to give others: win-win!

• Standing up for my values & beliefs
If someone crosses the line, I address it.
I spent too many years as a wallflower. I refuse to bite my tongue now.

• Not shrinking to make others feel comfortable
I won’t put myself in a box or suppress who I am now.
Outgrow people is part of life.

• Feeling fear - and doing it anyway
Pushing myself out of my comfort zone. Always.
Doing things that TERRIFY me controls my anxiety.

• Quitting the comparison game
Everyone’s on their own timeline… including me.
I *try* to not let internal/ external pressure get me down.

• Being open-minded
Listening to others and staying curious.
I'm a "how?" and "why?" person.

• Becoming my ideal future self
Enclothed cognition is a great example.
I try to dress, talk, act like the best version of myself would!


This isn't about ego.

Self-respect is built in hard decisions, difficult conversations and discipline nobody sees.

It’s character, integrity and dignity.

And at every opportunity, turning struggle > strength.


When you respect yourself, you start to embody it.

And that’s what earns trust - in life and in business!

Personal Brand Strategist & Ghostwriter for B2B Founders | Helping You Build Influence, Thought Leadership & Revenue Through Strategic Storytelling | UK’s #3 Content Marketer | 📍 Bali

70 hours travelling: 5 countries, 4 plane rides, 3 timezones & a 1-day spontaneous adventure in California.

Bali → Taipei → Los Angeles → London → Glasgow.

This is the time and location freedom I used to dream about.


I was stranded in Bali due to flight cancellations.

So the only way home was looping around the Pacific.

Defo not the route I had planned.

But the crazy journey was worth it to be home for my 30th party on Friday and family time!!


When I worked in-house, all I wanted was the ability to travel.

*Without* asking anyone’s permission.

I remember saving my annual leave for months.
Then feeling guilty for actually using it.
I even dreaded holiday requests, as they were rarely approved.


So when I built my online business, I did it intentionally.

I wanted flexibility.
Not being stuck in an office 9-5.
But designing a life and schedule that works with me.


Over the past 3 chaotic days of travel, I still:

→ Batched client content
(From airport lounges and the sky)

→ Received 5 inbound leads
(even though I hadn’t posted on LinkedIn in 1.5 weeks)

→ Got invited onto a panel & in-person Podcast
(in the UK & Bali)

→ Got B2B paid partnership offers
(from 2x aligned brands I love)

→ Started conversations that turned into leads
(all from saying ‘hi’ to people sitting next to me)

→ Had an in-person meeting in the USA
(a day of movement, sightseeing, shopping + networking!)

→ Had 2 people recognise me from LinkedIn!
(and it led to lovely airport chats)


Meanwhile I was also:
Temporarily packing up life in Bali
Navigating visas and immigration
Buying last min flights from airports
Sorting storage units
Trekking 50kg around the world
Fighting with eSIMs that refused to work
Managing client work + comms
Planning my 30th birthday party
Coordinating with events companies
Organising upcoming travel
Trying to keep my sanity!


And somehow, I was still able to be fully present in California:

• Hiked up to Griffith Observatory over the Hollywood Hills
• Went shopping on Melrose Avenue
• Met up with a friend


Was I standing in airport queues answering emails while jetlagged AF?
Yup 😂

Was I as "productive" as I wanted to be?
Nope.

But opportunities kept coming in anyway!


When you build a strong personal brand, presence and consistency is key.

There’s a lot of pressure to show up here every day.

But sometimes life life’s.

And in those moments, it’s okay (healthy, actually) to spend time offline.


The great thing about growing a high-converting brand and business is that the work compounds.

I was stuck 30,000ft in the air for 30+ hours…

Yet I was still attracting aligned leads, partnerships and opportunities.

And to me, that’s a wholeee other level of freedom and leverage.


Brb, making the most of the final week of my 20s.

And doing it on my terms, surrounded by all my fav people.

Pinch me, living my dream life ❤️


Next up:
Egypt → UK → somewhere spontaneous (where next ???) → back to Bali!

13 things I love about running an online business:
29-year-old digital nomad with ADHD edition.

•⁠ I get to work from cosy cafes cross-legged
(I gave it a good bash, but office life isn’t for me)

•⁠ I can also work from anywhere I want
(Pool, airports, planes, beach, balconies, home)

•⁠ Created location freedom for myself
(Next 5 weeks: Bali > Scotland > Egypt > England > Scotland > Bali)

•⁠ Don't need to abide by a dress code
(Go with my mood / plans: some days I dress in a dress and heels, other days gym clothes)

•⁠ Still getting incredible results for clients
(I optimise my life for my creativity and it works pretty damn well)

•⁠ Time difference isn't an issue - I’m 8 hours ahead of clients
(I front load work before they wake up which feels like cheating time)

•⁠ Scalability!
(High profit margins. Plus, I can sell to someone in NYC while I’m asleep via my brand and content) 

•⁠ I get to eat 10/10 food. Every. Single. Day.
(I used to eat soggy sandwiches in the office and hated it. Today, I had a dragonfruit smoothie bowl & strawberry matcha during a lunch with a LinkedIn friend)

•⁠ Get to create my own schedule
(Beach walk, gym, work, appointments, meetings, activities… in any order)

•⁠ I don’t need to work in a set 9-5 block
(I work a LOT, but with my brain & energy: 1-3 hour deep work, broken up with different resets)

•⁠ I have met the most incredible people
(Best friends for life on LinkedIn, founders shaping their industries at networking events, strangers with the coolest stories at cafes!)

•⁠ Nobody telling me what to do
(Had 2 toxic bosses before and that amount of micromanagement is enough for a lifetime lol, no thnx)

•⁠ Work doesn’t feel like work
(I chose this - every single part of it, and I get to wake up so bloody excited to build, grow, create!!!)


Running a business is really bloody hard.

I don’t switch off, my mind doesn’t stop, I have to skill stack like crazy, the pressure is real and I *wish* it was as easy as I sometimes make it look.

BUT…

Having worked in jobs / environments that made me stressed, depressed and anxious, this little business (and life as a result) I’m creating is pretty sweet.

This season is all about building.

It's also about deep gratitude though - for this present moment, and all the ones that came before that led to this.

I took the risk to rip my old life down and start from scratch. But look at how happy and content I am that those risks are paying off. 

Your dream doesn't work unless you do ❤️

Personal branding isn't as complicated as you think it is.

I've built a high-converting audience, fully inbound business, been flown abroad for events and speeches, created a global network of thought leaders, grew a lovely community and opened doors I never could have imagined...

Allll from LinkedIn.

Going live today with some amazing creators & founders who've also leveraged this platform:
Shoaib Ahmed, Hannah del Herrera & Louis Butterfield ❤️ 

Shoaib's out visiting me in Bali right now.
Hannah and I got drowned in a thunderstorm together 2 weeks ago.
Louis lives on a different continent, but he's with us in Asia in spirit 😂 

Come hang out, have a bit of fun and learn what actually works.

We don't gatekeep!!

$2.4M generated from 1 video/week → 122/250 founders (and counting)

3 people who've built ~60,000 followers each.

Literally 100's of clients between them.

Going live with Shoaib Ahmed, Karla McNeilage and Hannah del Herrera to break down what actually makes strangers trust you online.

Not the stuff you've heard a thousand times on the feed.

Like what is the EXACT way they did it from 0-60,000?

So you walk away knowing exactly how to do it yourself.

Les do it.

Ammar Karimi, John Siber and 8 other connections attending

The stupidly simple way to build a brand + win strangers’ trust

Hi, I’m Sara (pronounced sah-rah) 👋🏼

I’m a dynamic people-first marketing professional with 3+ years’ experience helping brands connect through storytelling and strategy.

I’m passionate about creating marketing that adds real value - building trust, educating audiences, and driving positive social impact.

I believe marketing should do more than sell...it should support and inspire while still partnering with operations to deliver what’s needed for success and to drive growth in the market.

Let’s create something meaningful together.

taplio

The Battle

Karla Mcneilage

Sara van Velze 🌸

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreKarla Mcneilage's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Karla Mcneilage

Sara van Velze 🌸

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Karla Mcneilage's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreKarla Mcneilage's LinkedIn Performance