When Katie Miller turned 40, she realized she had been a successful stage actress for so long because her own story was too hard to tell — so she escaped into the characters she played instead.

 

That realization unlocked everything.

 

Katie is the founder and lead strategist and designer of Portia & Cleo, a boutique brand marketing studio devoted to helping visionary female founders and community based brands clarify who they are, what they stand for, and how their story moves people to action. For nearly a decade, she has guided founders through the work of shaping their brands with narrative strategy, refined design, and story-driven marketing — helping them move from simply participating in the market to leading within it.

 

Trained as a theater artist at the University of Washington, Katie spent her early years studying the discipline of storytelling — how intention drives connection, and how the smallest details can transform a moment into something unforgettable. Those lessons became the foundation of how she now thinks about brand. Every business is a story unfolding in real time. Every founder is the main character driving it forward.

 

Over the past decade, Katie has led marketing for luxury real estate brands across the Pacific Northwest and served in marketing leadership with the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, the Kirkland Downtown Association, the Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce, and the City of Kenmore while also serving many bold female led brands like, Flourish Family Medicine, Wander Cookie Co., Carin Susann Designs, Northwest Logo Products and MuniRM. 

 

Through that work, a pattern emerged: strong products, dedicated teams, ambitious visions — buried beneath generic marketing and scattered messaging. Working hard, but not being heard. Katie founded Portia & Cleo to change that.

 

Named for two of Shakespeare's most commanding female figures — Portia, the architect of strategy, and Cleopatra, the embodiment of presence — the studio builds brands with depth, clarity, and intention, then brings them to life through refined design and narrative-driven marketing.

 

Outside of work, Katie is mom to Mia (13) and Jack (10), wife to Chris, and dog mom to her two cavapoo cuties, Cruiser and Wake. You'll find her on community boards, volunteering locally, or out on Lake Washington on a sunny day — Sauvignon Blanc in hand.