Dani Kimble

Two years into running my marketing business, I almost quit.

Not because I lacked clients - but because I was buried in one-off requests for ads, SEO, and lead gen.

The problem?

Most of those tactics were built on shaky ground. 

No positioning. No story. No brand foundation. Which meant no real scalability.

So in 2023, I rebuilt my business around what was missing: brand strategy.

And in 2025, I layered in AI to help clients actually execute that strategy.

Today, I help businesses stop wasting money on disjointed marketing and instead:

Build a brand foundation worth recommending
Create a strategy that scales with them
Activate their story with an AI-powered system that turns strategy into consistent, on-brand execution

My core work:

Brand Audit – diagnose strengths + gaps
Brand Strategy – positioning, messaging, POV, story
Brand Activation + AI – a clear marketing plan + custom GPTs trained on your brand to help your team execute

Because brand strategy alone isn’t enough.

And AI alone is just noise.

But brand + AI together? That’s the multiplier that makes marketing work.

👉 Visit azeliestudio.com or DM me to see how your brand can run smarter, not harder.

Fractional CMO

5 kids later, and I finally gave myself permission to take a real maternity leave.

With my first four, I was back at my laptop within weeks. 

Answering emails from the hospital bed. 
Hopping on calls between feedings. 
3AM work sessions while everyone was asleep.

I wore the hustle like a badge of honor.

Baby #5? He slowed me down in the best way. 

He's almost a year old now - and for the first time, we've truly been home. 

Did I still tinker during nap times? Of course. 😉

Taking on a few little projects. Experimenting with AI. Posting here and there. Sending my weekly newsletter. Studying and obsessing over where branding and marketing are headed. (What a time to be in this industry!)

But those things? They filled me up. 

They didn't feel like obligations. They were curiosities I got to explore on my own terms.

The difference between "I have to" and "I want to" is everything.

I used to measure success by how quickly I could "bounce back."

Now I'm realizing success might look more like staying still long enough to actually rest and enjoy the season you're in.

To the families wrestling with that same guilt - it's okay to redefine what this chapter looks like for you.

You're not falling behind. (I know it can feel that way...)

You're exactly where you need to be. ♥️

P.S. Feeling ready (and really excited) to tip-toe back into a balanced work mode for 2026 - rested, with our little crew settled into a good rhythm here. Here we go!

Brand & Marketing Strategist @ Azelie Studio

"Do minifigures sleep with their eyes open?"

That's how the LEGO Group opens a job posting.

They're hiring a writer for their customer experience team. And look at the real customer questions they lead with:

"What are you doing to protect the polar bears?"

"Are there minifigures with prosthetic limbs?"

"My kid wants to know if minifigures sleep with their eyes open."

And then this: "If questions like these make you smile instead of sweat, you'll click perfectly with our team."

This is not corporate HR speak.

But here's the line that really got me...

Buried near the bottom:

"Children are our role models. Their curiosity, creativity and imagination inspire everything we do."

That right there is the culture filter.

More than a copywriter, they're hiring someone who sees the world through play.

The hiring manager literally says you might spend your day "playing with LEGO bricks for research." 

Most companies display values on a wall and call it culture. Then post job descriptions that sound like they were written by a compliance bot.

LEGO wove their entire brand philosophy into a job posting.

Warmth. 
Empathy. 
Imagination. 
Curiosity.

Not efficiency metrics. Not deflection tactics.

No wonder their customer service team is one of the most beloved in the world.

Job postings are brand moments. Most companies treat them like paperwork.

What does yours say about your culture when no one's watching?

📸 Pictured: the Kimble R&D department hard at work. ;)

Skull logos. Tallboy cans. A tagline that says "Murder Your Thirst."

This is a water company. Valued at $1.4 billion.

Liquid Death built a billion-dollar brand by doing something most companies are terrified to do:

They rejected everything their category stood for.

Every other water brand plays the same game. Clean. Pure. Blue. Natural. Soft pastels. Earthy imagery.

Liquid Death looked at all of it and said... nah.

Heavy metal fonts. Cans that look like they should come with a hangover. "Death to Plastic" as a rallying cry.

The water itself? Completely unremarkable.

The brand? Impossible to ignore.

Look at this ad below....

They're not trying to win over Michael W. They're using him to attract the people who think his disgust is hilarious. 

When we build brand strategy, one of my favorite exercises is mapping the trade-offs. What your brand refuses to be. What customers you're okay losing.

Most companies try to appeal to everyone... and end up blending into the noise.

Liquid Death made a different bet: Be sooo specific that some people hate you... and the rest become obsessed.

So, what are your trade-offs? What's your brand saying no to?

January 5th: New year, fresh goals, ready to finally get ahead.

January 21st: 5 of 7 Kimbles have been down with a virus, one by one. Sick days. Snow days. Early dismissals. Zero routine. Winter break vibes are back. 😅

I used to think the goal was to find the rhythm. Get the routine locked in. Then the real work could begin.

Turns out, there is no "normal" week waiting on the other side.

Most days actually hum along just fine. But I'm learning to build a life that bends when it needs to... and that's not plan B. That's just... how it works now.

The margins are where the magic happens for me. The 90 minutes at wrestling practice. The work sessions during nap times. The early mornings before the house wakes up.

Perfect conditions aren't coming. And I think I'm finally okay with that.

So to the ones already re-adjusting their 2026 goals:

Same. ♥️

How's your January going... really?

P.S. They're all back to school today (we'll see if anyone calls home 🤞). Even managed to sneak this lunch box note in for my daughter - the real priority this morning. Ha!

Nobody budgets for confusion. But everyone pays for it.

I talked to a CEO last month who'd cycled through three marketing directors in 5 years.

She said each one "just didn't get the brand."

I asked for their brand materials to do an audit.

What I got back was a target market bio and a few ad samples:

CFO
age 45-48
Husband and father of 2
Listens to business podcasts
Attends industry conferences

The ads? Generic stock photos and taglines that could've belonged to any competitor.

That was it. The entire brand foundation.

No story. No stakes. No reason a prospect would choose them over anyone else.

So every new hire started from scratch. Every campaign needed six rounds of feedback because "it doesn't feel right." The sales team was making up their own pitch on the fly - and every call sounded different.

Here's the thing no one talks about:

Clarity is infrastructure.

You can't build momentum on a foundation that shifts every time someone new walks in.

Confusion doesn't show up as a line item on the balance sheet. It shows up as prospects who can't explain you to their boss. As talent that leaves because the vision keeps changing. As years spinning instead of scaling.

Three directors. 5 years. And the real cost wasn't in the severance... it was in the momentum they never got to build.

Confusion tax at its finest.

P.S. 📸 The Kimble creative department hard at work... and also what your sales team looks like without brand clarity. ;)

Experienced independent insurance agency owner, with a demonstrated history of working in the commercial sector. Skilled in Cyber Liability, Property & Casualty Insurance, Contractors, Sales Management, and Workers Compensation. Strong business development professional with a passion for higher education holding having the CIC | CRM | CCIC designations.

Ciara CIC

Had my first day of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program yesterday, and it felt like the first day of school! 

I’m attending in person at Miami Dade College in Downtown Miami. 

Left my house at 6am because of rain and traffic. Parked at 7:15. 

A shaket (shirt + jacket in one) because it might be cold. A pullover sweater because it might be really cold! 

Umbrella, emotional support (non spill) water jug, my trusted BÉIS work tote with laptop, mouse, notebook, and other essentials that I don’t have to unpack for the 12 weeks of the program. My regular purse with the everyday stuff and a mind ready to absorb! 

First day was FUN! We got to meet, made commitments to the program and each other, team building exercises and met three alumnus that have made the best of the program and used their growth plan and IT WORKED 👏🏼 

Cohort 36. 
30 entrepreneurs. 
We employ over 400 employees. 
Over 30M in revenue in the room. 

🚀🚀🚀

Ciara Gravier CIC, CRM, CCIC

Helping modern businesses protect what they’re building | Speaker

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The weather in Texas didn’t stop Independent Insurance Agents of Texas (IIAT) from putting on a killer event! 

We started the day with Nicole Malachowski the first woman thunderbird pilot and she is SO COOL 😎

She went through the times in her career where she had to break barriers to get to the next level. Some of these barriers were outward, imagine the perseverance it took to become the first woman thunderbird pilot. But also she shared how some of the barriers were in her own mind- and that happens to all of us. 

Some of the lessons were: 

- The path to success is not always linear 
- Know your audience 
- You are never too important to ask for help 

My favorite one was “believe those who believe in you”. 

We do such a great job at convincing ourselves that we can’t do something or we will never achieve “X”, and it’s our own self imposed barrier.  

What would happen if we listened to others that see our potential and know what we are capable of? 

Thank you Marit Peters, Kier Lewis and the rest of the IIAT team for working tirelessly for those of us that made it to the event to make it so special!

We are proud to help 200 South Florida businesses move from danger to a safe place with us. 

What does that look like for them? 

✅ We make understanding insurance easy 

✅ We help our insured’s anticipate growth and risk 

✅ We don’t work in silos, we work together with the CPAs, Attorneys and Lenders that also help support the business 

✅ We partner with the best vendors in the insurance industry to help make it easy for you to work with us

Moving from danger to a safe place isn’t about being risk-free. It’s about being prepared, informed, and supported when it matters most.

If you are working with an insurance agency that is peddling policies without taking time to understand you, your goals, and what keeps you up at night-  we are ready to help you move from danger to a safe place and welcome you into The Bunker! 

Luis Gravier CPIA 
Sofia Ferraiuoli 

📸 Daniel Wakefield, obviously (lol)

In the latest episode of #TheBunkerTalk I sit down with David R. Carothers, CIC, CRM, CWCA owner of Florida Risk Partners, an insurance agency out of Tampa Bay. 

David also owns Killing Commercial Insurance Sales Training, where he mentors over 200 insurance agency owners in the country, and over 1000 producers (myself included). 

In this episode, David shares what he has seen to be the common theme between the best performing owners and producers. 

What else would you add to the list of winning characteristics?

Module 2 of our Goldman Sachs 10K SMB program was all about growth opportunities. 

How to test an idea to know if it’s worth making it a growth opportunity. 

They had us draw out what we imagine the big picture future of what our business can be. 

Here is my Picasso 😂 

I’m insuring all of the businesses in South Florida while my clients and my advisors I work with are IN The Bunker - having fun and making money. 💰 

Then they started giving us checks. 

We had 6 months to invest. How would we use the money? 

$50,000 in 6 months. 
$500,000 in 6 months. 
$5M - and asked, does the picture look any different at this number? 

And mine didn’t. If I had a larger sheet of paper, I would’ve drawn a longer street. 

Now one of these buildings was The Bunker HQ, filled with people that love to work as a team in an environment that is flexible but high performing, and we are protecting businesses while improving quality of life for everyone that comes into The Bunker!

The building has an event space where my advisor partners can host their events, podcast studio- think an industrial but chic vibe. Fridges full of Topochicos. 

The Bunker HQ would house the ecosystem to protect the entrepreneurs dream! Like think a members only co-working space where you get to meet with your advisors, work, learn and play. 

How Miami is this dream? 😂😂 

The point of the exercise was just to think big. With no boundaries. Draw it, and then you realize - it’s still pretty small. 

So why not dream bigger?

Women control one-third of all the US household financial assets, roughly $10 TRILLION and about 40% of the worlds wealth. 

This morning I had the opportunity to moderate this panel thanks to Kamilah Jones and the The Planned Giving Council of Broward County. 

This panel represented a good portion of the next generation of women in wealth- we are all in our 40s and in various stages of life: 

Myself- business owner, DINK (double income no kids) with a corgi! 🐶

Karen Ross, EA - business owner, sandwich generation, taking care of elderly parent, son in college, daughter on her way. 

Lauren A. Klein, Esq., LL.M. - business owner, mentoring younger women in law, married, two boys under the age of seven.  

We discussed the profile of this woman that is passionate about philanthropy, empathetic, educated, understands that wealth comes with responsibility. 

Discussed how this ideal woman chooses to get involved in philanthropy, how they are choosing to invest, spend, share with their heirs, and give back to society. 

The biggest takeaway? The woman that is in position to inherit wealth is savvy and wants to work with a team of advisors that collaborate and are passionate about helping her achieve purpose-driven giving, and care about the future of impact. 

How are you prepared to help the future woman inherit responsibly?

Suing a client for unpaid fees feels like a business decision.
From an insurance perspective, it’s often viewed very differently.

One of the most common patterns malpractice carriers see starts with a fee dispute that escalates, not because the firm did anything unethical, but because money tends to turn disagreements into claims.

What surprises many attorneys is that:

 • Fee disputes themselves are often excluded from malpractice
 • Winning the fee case doesn’t erase insurance risk
 • Escalation matters more to carriers than who’s “right”

I break this down in a new video and explain why insurers pay so much attention to how firms handle fee disputes and what that means for renewals and future claims.

If you’re building or transitioning a law firm and want your insurance to support how you practice, not work against you, The Bunker is here to help you move your law firm from danger to a safe place. 

🔗 in the comments

Excited to be moderating this panel with such incredible professionals that help women navigate important financial decisions daily. 

Join us! 

Lauren A. Klein, Esq., LL.M.
Karen Ross, EA
Kamilah Jones

The Planned Giving Council of Broward County

View company: The Planned Giving Council of Broward County

Women now influence the majority of philanthropic decisions and are poised to lead trillions in wealth transfer by 2030. This shift isn’t coming. It’s already here.

On January 21, join the Planned Giving Council of Broward County for Empowered Wealth: Women Shaping Philanthropy, a dynamic breakfast conversation presented with The Daily Drip.

Moderated by Ciara Gravier CIC, CRM, CCIC of The Bunker Insurance & Risk Management, with insights from:
 • Lauren A. Klein, Esq., LL.M., Flourish Law Group
 • Karen Ross, EA, Palermo, Landsman & Ross, P.A.

Hear fresh perspectives from thought leaders shaping the future of giving, explore what this power shift means for advisors and nonprofits, and connect with Broward’s philanthropic community

Be part of the conversation. Register today: https://wix.to/bMoa5K8

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Dani Kimble

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The Battle

Dani Kimble

Ciara CIC

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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);}Dani Kimble's LinkedIn Performance

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