Words Can Build or Break

I came into the field of marketing almost by accident. Ten years ago, I was a burned-out third-grade teacher, trying to figure out what I wanted to do next. I didn’t have a roadmap, and the field of marketing wasn’t on my radar, but I started freelance writing after my teaching contract ended, and surprisingly, it felt like a seamless shift.

People are often puzzled when I say that teaching and marketing aren’t all that different. But hear me out: both require you to capture attention quickly, connect with your audience, and communicate ideas in ways that stick. Whether I was standing in front of a classroom or writing a brand message, the tools were the same—empathy, clarity, and the ability to see a problem from someone else’s perspective.

Over the past decade, I’ve honed that craft. I’ve come to believe that communication is one of the most powerful tools we have as humans and as leaders. Because whether you’re marketing a service, leading a team, or speaking to a nation, the words you choose shape how people feel, what they believe, and what they do next. Communication is a form of power. And like all power, it can be used for good or for harm.

Here’s the thing: both tactics work. But they produce drastically different side effects.

Empathy-based communication builds connection, trust, and resilience. It doesn’t require turning a blind eye to danger or disagreement, but it does mean remaining committed to seeing the humanity in everyone, even those we disagree with. It helps people think critically, feel seen, and move toward growth. Fear-based communication breeds paranoia, dependency, and insecurity. It shuts down curiosity. It reduces people to stereotypes. It keeps us locked in an us-vs-them dynamic that corrodes our collective well-being.

And if this sounds like it’s about more than marketing, it is.

We are watching the effects of communication strategy play out in real time, especially in how our national leaders and media outlets are talking about immigration, safety, and identity. Across the political spectrum, there are voices using repetition of fear-based phrases, selective framing of facts, and language that dehumanizes entire groups of people. 

We’ve all been seeing these unhelpful communication patterns show up in our newsfeeds and on social media lately. Some are blatant—belittling language, name-calling, and rhetoric that reduces people to threats or categories. But often, these communication patterns are more subtle. They show up unconsciously, shaped by unchecked biases and repeated narratives from any side of the conversation. These choices, whether intentional or not, aren’t neutral. They shape public perception. They justify harmful policies. And they train us to view our neighbors not as people, but as problems.

It’s disturbing. And it matters.

As someone who spends my days thinking about messaging, what it says, what it signals, and how it impacts the people who receive it, I can’t not say something. Especially because I know so many of you are also communicators. You lead teams. You write newsletters. You share on social media. You tell stories. You have influence.

So here are a few questions I’m sitting with, and I invite you to sit with them too:

• What kind of stories am I telling, about my work, my team, my community, the people I disagree with?

• Are my words (or my silence) helping people feel more empowered and connected, or more fearful and divided?

• Where might I be repeating language that feels familiar, but isn’t rooted in truth or humanity?

• What would change if I chose empathy over fear? Nuance over certainty? Humanization over headlines?

We can’t control how national figures choose to speak. But we can reclaim the narrative in our own spheres of influence. We can model what it looks like to communicate with clarity and compassion, even in divisive times. We can choose to tell stories that make people feel seen, not scared.

That’s the kind of leadership we need right now.

May we all remember that our words hold weight, and may we find compassionate, creative, civil ways to communicate in ways that build something better.