HOPELINK

Hopelink is a purpose-driven jewelry company building a community of comfort and support.

The brand’s powerful origin story kicks off with its founder, Dr. Lori Stetz. As a physician, population health expert, and TargetCancer Foundation Scientific Advisory Board member, Lori was used to conversations about cancer. Throughout her life and career, she’d cared for individual patients and guided populations around the globe, helping people find the right experts and life-saving treatments. She’d always understood the unique challenges facing those with the disease, and so when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer at the age of 49, Lori was instinctively grateful for the large body of research behind what is literally the most common cancer in the world.

But even with her medical experience, Lori found the diagnosis daunting, and began looking for ways to bolster her strength during treatment. To harness the power of her community, she gifted small diamonds set on string bracelets to those who meant the most to her. From family and friends, to chemotherapy nurses, she asked her allies to keep her in their hearts and minds, as well as on their wrists, through the toughest part of her treatment, which lasted nearly a year.

When Lori finally reached her biggest milestone, and the chemo, surgery, and radiation were all in the rear-view, she collected the bracelets and strung the diamonds along a necklace that she wears to this day.

Enter: the first prototype for Hopelink, a tangible reminder of one’s own perseverance—and the community that guides them through.

With a brand name, visual identity, and nomenclature already in place by the time I joined the Hopelink mission, I stepped in to offer comprehensive brand guideline development, strategy, storytelling, and social media marketing aimed at helping others unlock their own networks of support.

Early on, my role involved conducting in-depth market research and analyzing the competitive landscape to identify Hopelink’s key differentiators in the crowded jewelry market. The brand’s unique “give and collect” model was perhaps its biggest advantage. Through focus groups and stakeholder interviews, I gathered insights directly from the community, which helped shape the brand's foundational principles—not to mention the empathetic, unifying, and grounded tone of voice expressed at every touchpoint.

What started as a way to connect with friends and family has quickly flourished into a vibrant community bound by strength, love, and hope. The bracelets of Lori’s allies, and those of countless others, have now become enduring pieces of jewelry; forever a reminder of our collective strength.

Hopelink’s e-commerce website and social presence are currently in development, gearing up to bring this meaningful gift and token of resilience to an even broader national audience.

Roles:
-Research
-Positioning
-Messaging
-Creative Direction
-Content Creation
-Social Media Management

Photographer: Lindsey McKee
Brand Designer: John Stetz