Julia (she/her) is a storyteller, communicator, and data and research enthusiast. As a vice president at Wonder, she lives her passion for understanding people more deeply, and using that understanding to translate emotionally complex concepts into messages and stories that are clear, impactful, and real.
Julia’s work at Wonder has included partnering with community-based and policy organizations to develop effective narratives that will change how people think about the economy, racial justice, and wealth and well-being; supporting organizations working on gender justice to build their capacities for audience-centered storytelling and messaging; and creating messaging strategies to help reach grasstops decision-makers about ideas to address climate change impacts.
Prior to joining Wonder, Julia’s experiences included working as a nonprofit fundraising and communications specialist; organizing for social justice and labor rights; and conducting quantitative and qualitative behavioral research on pro-environmental interventions as part of her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan. Julia lives in sunny and mountainous Colorado Springs, and outside of work she loves diving into worlds outside of ours — through books, movies, shows, games, you name it — each with their own stories to tell.
What motivates you to do this work?
“In the often challenging times that we’re living through, I am motivated by my communities — as a daughter of Chinese immigrants, a queer woman, a psychologist at heart, and more. I once saw a quote from a therapist who said that we as humans did not evolve to process suffering and trauma on the immense global scale that we experience in the modern day. That feels very real to how I often feel about social change work. And at the same time, I also find optimism and hope that we can live meaningful lives and have deep lasting impact by being rooted in and fighting for our communities, however that’s defined for each of us. That’s what brings me to this work.”
What’s your superpower?
“Finding meaning in what may seem noisy and complex. We may assume that we know what’s going on in our audiences’ heads and hearts that influences them to support or oppose an idea, and then feel overwhelmed by what we’re up against; or we may even hear things from our audiences that sound self-contradictory and confusing! But in my experience, bringing it back to a Heartwired analysis of our audiences’ emotions, identities, experiences, values, and beliefs can often surface underlying themes that weren’t obvious before, and that can help us find a meaningful way forward to take them on a journey with us.”
