How’d a philosophy major from rural Canada end up in Seoul?
Hailing from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada, I came to Korea for an adventure at the tail end of 1995. I only intended to stay for a few years…oops! I’ve now lived in Korea longer than I did in Canada.
I taught at several different private academies throughout Korea from 1995–2003. Then I got a position at a small college-come-university in Seoul. While working there, I got my MA in TESOL from Sookmyung Women’s University in 2011 (Only the undergrad program is female-only—I didn’t need to complete my degree incognito! 😉). But it became painfully obvious that I had no desire to move on to a Ph. D. program. At all. Ever.
I enjoyed teaching & assumed I’d be in the classroom for good
Truth be told, after 17 ½ years at the same school, I expected to continue working there until I retired. I had a private office, a decent schedule, and for the most part, I enjoyed my job. But unexpectedly losing that job turned out to be the best thing that could’ve happened to me professionally. I transitioned into copywriting and proofreading and quickly found myself as the Marketing Team Lead in a large Australian SaaS provider across four brands.
Need help with English copy from someone who understands you, your brand, and your goals?
Perry Como? Albert Camus? Dean Comma?
An amusing (but daily) annoyance at my school was the spelling of my family name—Comeau. I’m used to people mispronouncing it, but at my school, it was written no less than three different ways in Korean. In the official computer system, it was 커머 (Kuh-muh). My office door proudly bore the name 커뮤 (Kuh-myu). The building directory had me listed as 거모 (Guh-mo). Three attempts and not one of them was right! For reference, it should be 커모 (Kuh-mo). Would’ve been an easy fix—if anybody had bothered to ask the person who actually knew! 😉
Grammar police or friendly English copywriter/proofreader?
I decided to transition into English copywriting and proofreading to turn something I’d been doing naturally for decades into a business. I wanted to help fix the errors (like the one with my name at my old school) I see every day. It’s my goal to help people get their message out there in fluent, compelling English.
I play guitar almost daily, and I used to take weekly lessons. During those lessons, I often felt like I’d played a passage well—“Hey, I got all the notes right!” But my teacher would point out several mistakes in my playing that I was totally oblivious to. And that’s what I’m trying to do with this business.
I’m here to help Korean businesses share their brands globally with fluent, engaging copy. I’m not judging your efforts—I want to help you improve. Just as my guitar teacher pointed out things I’d missed, I correct things you weren’t even aware were wrong. My guitar teacher made me a better guitarist. I’m here to clarify, strengthen, and help make your English messaging more professional and effective so you can grow your brand.
Have a question, want a free consult, or just want to learn more about my English copywriting, editing, and proofreading services? I’d love to hear from you! Just complete this form to start the conversation.
