It’s been a long time since I worked in a corporate environment as an employee. I had some good experiences—interesting projects here and there, fun holiday parties, good connections with colleagues—but here are the more prominent memories:

“Fast and free buses.” That’s what people call out to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani when they see him on the street.

There are two kinds of people: those who lead the energy and those who reflect the energy in the room. Which are you? Here’s a test if you aren’t sure:

I finished my keynote and relaxed into the audience Q&A that the organizers asked me to do. An audience member in the back raised his hand and asked, “Who is a CEO I particularly admire for their storytelling skills?” 

My phone rang at 10:36 am PT last Wednesday. It was my husband, Patrick, from inside the house. I answered, wondering if he had fallen and couldn’t get up.

Listen to the blog here. In my early 30s, I lived in Seattle, had a good job, a great social circle of friends, and owned a condo. Generally, things were excellent. But I was restless and really wanted to be back in the mountains. (You can read the full, not very long story here.) The short version […]

Listen to the blog here. A question I’m often asked is how to know how much detail is too much in your story. Of course, the answer is “that depends,” which is my least favorite answer, so let’s explore this. Stories hinge on moments. It’s a helpful lens to keep in mind when crafting your […]

Are you skilled at handling tough conversations, or do you tend to avoid them? I prefer to avoid them altogether. I’m tough conversation-avoidant. Some are tough conversation-relishers. (It’s my article, and I can make up words if I want to.) I dread conversations like when you have to address someone about subpar performance; you need […]

Listen to the blog here. I want to talk about summer reads, guilty pleasures, and the community that is built from “easter eggs.” Let’s start with one of my guilty pleasures: Following Instagram influencers for fashion, wellness, and generally to keep up with the “kids.” One of those is Taylor Owen (and her now-fiancé James Neal), who […]

I wrote an article about AI and it needed editing. I felt lazy. So I decided to ask Claude to edit it then I had a better idea. I had a conversation with Claude about authenticity, creativity, and why your stories make you irreplaceable.   Me: Claude, I’ve been avoiding writing about AI. The whole AI conversation felt like […]