Articles & Essays
A collection of my essays, reflections, and creative pieces. Topics span marketing insights, book reviews, music experiences, and original creative writing.
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How to Say the Hard Things: Lessons from a Crude Wake-Up Call
Sometimes wisdom comes from unexpected places. For me, it arrived through five crude words at a Christian music festival in 2004: "Pull your head out of your ass."
Leaving and Leading: How One Idaho Native Is Reshaping Rural Mental Health
Discover how one Moscow, ID native transformed her teenage struggle to find mental health care in rural Idaho into a mission to serve rural communities from her Portland therapy practice. A conversation about small-town roots, social mobility, and reshaping rural mental health access.
The Fest 22: Notes from Punk Rock's Annual Family Reunion in Gainesville
During "Art Is Hard," the band pulled back, the volume dropping to a hushed pulse. Something was about to happen, but I wasn't sure what. "Alright guys. I'm confident we can do this. We can do this, you guys," Kasher called out. I watched him gather his mic stand, then his guitar …
Meeting Audiences Where They Are: A Framework for Ethical Communication in Marketing
One of the most striking patterns across sessions emerged in the tension between connection and strategic messaging. While the word "authenticity" dominated many conversations, its overuse masks inherent contradictions. We talk about building authentic connections, yet …
AI as a Writing Partner: Personal Growth and Creativity in the Age of AI
When I first began incorporating AI into my workflow, I had a bit of a conflict of conscience. However, the reality of my situation left me with little choice. Our marketing department had been losing writers, and I found myself as the sole writer …
The Wharf
The angles are at odds with the almost soft and childish way you look back at me, a mixture of shame and fear in your eyes that I'm not used to seeing so prominently expressed. You look cold, a discomfort evident in the set of your shoulders, the tightness around your eyes. Yet you refuse to wrap your arms …
AI and Content Marketing: Enhancing Clarity and Consistency in Niche B2B Messaging
The power of AI to build robust style guides that speak to specific content pillars and buyer personas has revolutionized our approach to content marketing at my company. As a content strategist in the B2B space, I've discovered that AI's role extends far …
Syncopated Steps and Accidental Achievements
Just a week ago, I was on the phone with my mom as Hurricane Helene ravaged her home in Mills River, North Carolina. Though I couldn't hear the wind itself, the sound of windchimes on her porch furiously clanging in the background haunts me still. …
Wind Like a Freight Train
As I scrolled through my notifications, sipping my morning coffee, my phone buzzed with a message from Mom. Then another. And another. Each text was more alarming than the last. "We're probably gonna lose power here soon. Both of gran's dogw…
