My approach to life, work, and communication centers on the beautiful, complicated human experience. Attuning to the way people travel through life helps me identify needs, discover solutions, and realize growth.
The Meandering Path
In my experience, the most meaningful careers do not unfurl in straight lines.
Professional communication has brought me across North America, through Europe, into Brazil, and as far as Japan. Colleagues have become lifelong friends. I’ve been in the foxhole with brilliant professionals across specialties, transforming businesses from the inside out.
I earned seats at executive tables early in my career because there were needs, I raised my hand, and I committed to learning and teaching foundational technology systems. I have also earned expertise in implementing Workday for large, multi-faceted organizations.
I have held roles in creative agencies and on corporate communication teams. I’ve worked for start-ups, companies more than 100 years old, and myself, as an independent consultant. I’ve written for internal audiences, like employees and board members, and external populations, like IBM clients and T.J.Maxx shoppers. I’ve led project workstreams of ten and strategy practices of thirteen.
As an Affiliate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at Emerson College, I teach Organizational Communication in the graduate school and have taught Online Strategy and Content to undergraduates. When students ask for general career advice, the primary pointer I offer is to embrace the meandering path.
I advise students to orient toward what lights them up, always be first to offer ideas, and never stop studying micro- and macro-communications in all of life’s encounters.
A chance encounter with Arianna Huffington led to me writing for the Huffington Post on topics like professional women, community, and wellness.
The Art of Communication
Colleagues, clients, and students describe me as curious and comprehensive. Practicing and teaching User-centered Design lets me enrich these attributes while expanding my mindset and skillset.
The strongest communicators ask the best questions. Listening for what’s being said — and noticing what’s not — helps us assess the context in which we share news and information, create content that connects with users, and establish a culture of dialog and continuous improvement.
I learned how to observe, critique, and confidently create while earning a bachelor’s degree in Communication and Philosophy at Boston College and a master’s degree in Writing and Publishing from Emerson College.
My studies and ongoing practice have allowed me to explore and apply both “little c” communication: the casual, day-to-day expressions of humanity we exchange, and “big C” Communication: the strategic, measurable engagement we deliver on behalf of brands, businesses, and leaders.
The art is in holding the balance between the “Cs,” expressing complex ideas, simply and simple truths, gorgeously.
The Constancy of Change
When designing communication plans, I begin with the user — their wants, needs, fears, and aspirations — and end knowing the plan will change before the document it’s written on is even saved. It’s the nature of business and the world, and I’m here for it. I’m hoping for it, in fact. No change, no growth. And we’re all here to grow.
I’ve been successful in my work because I roll with the punches the market throws. After more than two decades of practice across industries, most notably in tech, healthcare, and finance, I can predict and plan for many “what ifs,” integrating the flexibility the modern landscape requires into the earliest stages of strategy and planning.
This is a secret-weapon mindset I endeavor to cultivate in my students.
The Way We Make People Feel