She’d laid out jump ropes wrapped around a high bar, Bosu balancing platforms, hand weights and weighted balls. The second-floor exercise deck near the track at the YMCA was outfitted with every toy and prop my personal trainer Sandy could think of. “I’ve figured you out,” she said. “You get bored. So I’m mixing it up.” We had worked out… Read more →
Over the weekend, I listened to the dynamic Nikki Sunstrum, social media director at the University of Michigan who truly knows her stuff. She was a bit tough in her delivery but offered tons of great information about the state of social media today and how we should be using it. Except one thing sort of left me wondering. She was… Read more →
“If you just focus on the product, people will tune out. You have to share stories.” ~ David Hendrickson, founder of apparel company Hendrick & Co., who kicked off his brand-building with a heart-tugging tale about his sick puppy William (from Inc. Magazine, February 2015) Think about it. The only way to pull people in, is through story. A compelling… Read more →
“Out of your mouth, printed.” That’s the way my father has always cautioned me on thinking before I speak – and the power of what you put out into the world. It’s what my Grandma Sarah used to say to him when he was young, warning him to be careful before he spoke. Long before there was an Internet, my… Read more →
The first thing the guys from Straight No Chaser said on stage last night at their Detroit concert was to encourage the packed Masonic Temple crowd to take photos and videos of the concert and post them widely on social media. What a refreshing change from most musical acts! Perhaps because the a cappella group Straight No Chaser won fame… Read more →
Tonight is the last time my fall 2014 writers workshop will gather to share words, offer feedback and encouragement, and feel a part of something meaningful and focused. I have a surprise for each lovely participant as a tantalizing farewell in the hope that they will keep writing and spice it up. This year I’ve spent a lot of time… Read more →
They sat on chairs and couches in my living room, ready to read and hear feedback on their work. Their incredible work. Lines of prose and paragraphs that build to a story, to a peak, to a pinnacle, to a message. Last night was session 5 of my fall writer’s workshop, and it was a grand night. The women who… Read more →