What happens when you blend 20 years of creative firepower, a haunted hotel, and a glass of red wine?

You get Monica Ballard.

She’s written jingles. Directed shows. Led ghost tours. Voiced ads you’ve definitely heard. And if you’ve called “A Place at Home – North Austin (512) 521-3010,” you’ve already met her without knowing it.

So when my friend Marion, a jingle writer himself, nudged me to invite Monica onto the Rock Solid podcast, it wasn’t even a question. We’ve known each other for over two decades, both alumni of Roy H. Williams’ Wizard Academy. What followed was a conversation filled with laughter, marketing wisdom, and more than a few goosebumps.

She moved to Austin in 2001 to join Roy’s team as a message developer, back when the Monday Morning Memo arrived by fax. Red or white? That was her first interview question. The answer: red. Smart choice.

But what truly makes Monica remarkable isn’t her resume. It’s how she listens. How she hears the story behind the story. How she helps businesses discover the one thing that makes people care.

Want to know the magic formula?

It’s consistency. Roy hasn’t missed a Monday memo in nearly 30 years. Monica hasn’t missed a ghost in 20. Stories told week after week, moment after moment, with care and craft. That’s what sticks.

We talked about her books, especially True Haunted Tales of the Driskill Hotel. She’s just released another one now (True Haunted Tales of Austin & Central Texas), packed with history, research, and some myth-busting. Because in Monica’s world, telling the story right earns you respect on both sides of the veil.

We also dove into No Place Like Home Services, her recent book with Ray Seggern. At the core? Story. Culture. Experience. They form a loop. Break one, and trust crumbles. Honor all three, and your brand becomes unforgettable.

She shared a powerful moment. A plumber who broke his back on the job. That moment of pain became the why behind his business. That’s the story people remember. Not the bullet points. Not the price.

The moment of animation. When their eyes light up and their shoulders lean in. That’s where the gold is.

It’s the same spark that makes Monica’s ghost tours so electric. The same spark behind the ads she writes as a Wizard of Ads partner, the shows she produces, and her podcast Two Beers In (yes, it’s as fun as it sounds).

So here’s what I want you to ask yourself:

What’s your moment of animation?

Not your mission statement. Not your features list. The moment you decided to do what you do.

Find that. Tell that. Shape everything else around that.

Because as Monica reminded me, the best advertising isn’t a transaction. It’s a relationship. And great relationships start with a story that matters.

Thanks, Monica. I’m still smiling.

P.S. If you haven’t taken her Austin ghost tour, go. Just don’t forget to bring a friend or three.