My Substack

It’s the season for baby birds to fall out of nests. On Saturday afternoon, one fell out of the big maple tree in our front yard, right into a patch of creeping jenny. I was outside with my kids when we discovered it, its tiny mouth growing bigger than…

I was having a conversation with a client the other day. We were working on refining the mission statement and brand promise/elevator pitch for his company. He’s been in business for more than a dozen years, so he’s not new to this game. “People…

I don’t like to be misunderstood. No one likes it. But I REALLY don’t like it. After all, my career is about using words to communicate. Isn’t that why writers write? (It is, according to this picture I took in my son’s first grade classroom.) So…

Last week, I was at a writer’s conference in New York City. Whenever I go to events like this, I alternate between inspiration and overwhelm. Friday evening, after the final session for the day wrapped, I knew exactly what I needed: falafel and a walk…

I’ll never forget watching myself on camera in Sister Cecelia’s freshman speech class. I was 14, awkward as hell, and truly awful at communicating a message. As part of our “training,” she recorded each of us giving a speech. Standing in front of…