When I was a child, my two best friends lived 4 houses away. One summer when we were teenagers, we took a package of 3×5 index cards and a box of skinny markers to the kitchen table. My friend had an idea. We began to write positive, uplifting quotes and messages – one on each card – along with some subtle artistic designs. We taped them at the top of our bedroom walls a few inches below the ceiling, making a border all the way around. We loved the creative outlet, and over time, I came to realize they had…

Last week, I presented “The Entrepreneurial Artist’s Business Model Canvas” with Harrison Hand and Ariana Friedlander at Loveland Startup Week. We had a great turnout – the room was packed at over 50 attendees, many of whom lingered long past our 90 minute time limit to continue side conversations. To what can we attribute the event’s success, and what can we glean for future talks? Preparation is Paramount. Harrison Hand did a fantastic job setting up the event and thinking through its purpose and objectives. An artist and author himself, he is steeped in the local artist community. He specifically…

All presidents strive for a strong start to their term in office. Their first official opportunity to do so takes place on January 20 when they deliver their inaugural address. Tomorrow, President-elect Trump will give his first, and like every president before him, he will strive for a strong start. Inaugural addresses provide incoming presidents with their “first official opportunity to wield the power of language”, noted by the late political science expert, Lee Sigelman.  Inaugural addresses are powerful. They come with myriad constraints. Like all speeches, they come with certain expectations. Like all major political addresses, they become part of…

This is a story about why I do what I do. Looking back, there are many stepping stones that led to my passion for public speaking. This is one of the early stones. The year was 1999. The conference room felt enormous, and I stood front of the wall-sized projection screen. Wearing a suit and heels, I looked at my audience of over 100 predominantly male managers. Our client was a multi-billion dollar global pharmaceutical company. I was one of 5 women in the room and the only speaker on the agenda. The technology was working, the microphone was hooked up, and my…

Throughout the year, there are countless articles on the importance of good storytelling. As we near Christmas, have you ever stopped to think about the stories we hear during the holiday season – the ones that come right through our radios (or iheart, Pandora, or Amazon Prime apps)? I find Christmas music fascinating. Every year, I look forward to hearing this genre of music, nearly non-stop. I am particularly fond of the original version of these songs versus the re-recorded, “new” versions of today. And recently, I’ve begun to wonder why. What do the songs of old have that their re-makes do…