Meet Isabella Duddy: LA Mama and Cove Collective Founder

“Moral of the story: Hard work pays off. But never get too comfortable — you always have to be flexible, adapt, and persist.”

WHAT DO YOU DO AND WHAT LED YOU TO THIS CAREER?

I'm the founder of Cove Collective. We're a digital marketing company that focuses on food, beverage, and lifestyle content. Cove was founded almost five years ago. I worked my way up the ladder in hospitality and fashion, then shifted my way to consulting in the F&B industry. We're definitely seeing some difficulty in this sector due to Covid. We've had to get very creative in supporting our mom-and-pop clients during this difficult time. Plus, working remotely with two kids at home is definitely fun but has it's challenges ( ie: breastfeeding a one year old during a call/jumping on Zoom meetings half dressed and muting my phone constantly!).

WHAT ARE THE NAMES AND AGES OF YOUR CHILDREN?

London will be turning 5 on October 14th and Oli is 1.

WHAT HAS BEEN YOUR BIGGEST CAREER ACHIEVEMENT THUS FAR?

Building a successful marketing company from scratch in a very saturated market. For me the biggest success with Cove is helping our incredible clients, building awesome brands, and seeing everyone thrive because of it.

WHAT IS THE MOST REWARDING ASPECT OF BEING A MOTHER?

Everything. The love you receive from your little ones is unlike any feeling in the world. You are the center of their universe (and they are the center of yours). It's so beautiful, exhausting, maddening, and fun all at once.

AND WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING?

Time management. Running a business (which needs 24/7 attention), while also trying to be a present and patient mother.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR SOMEONE NEW TO YOUR INDUSTRY?

Focus, work hard, and put in the hours. I spent over a decade working 12+ hour days to build Cove. Moral of the story: Hard work pays off. But never get too comfortable — you always have to be flexible, adapt, and persist.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST ADVICE FOR A NEW MOTHER?

Change is okay. You have a plan but it most definitely will change. Be pliable, listen to your child, and embrace every moment because time is fleeting when you have kids.

WHAT'S NEXT FOR YOU? DO YOU HAVE ANY EXCITING PROJECTS COMING UP?

We're starting a satellite office in Austin and will be building Cove in its second location!

Follow Isabella at @isabelladuddy & @cove_collective.