When I started working from home (and around the same time I became a mother), I thought a lot of my problems could be solved through “time management.” And I’m not alone. Oliver Burkeman has written an entire book (called Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals) about this cultural…

At the beginning of this month, I quit marketing my work on social media. To be clear: this wasn’t a big stretch! I haven’t talked about my work much more than “randomly” (and social media has never helped me sign clients). Still, it’s considered “the” place to share your work…

I started writing stories when I was young. My mom has file folders packed with elementary school essays and journaling pages. I liked writing stories because I could control the ending (or, the whole thing really). I especially liked writing the kinds of stories that have no problems, no misunderstandings…

At least once every year I read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. Usually it’s during a time in my life when I’m craving divine connection to Something Bigger Than Me. (Lately, and throughout the pandemic, it’s all I want to read.) The Alchemist is the story of Santiago, a shepherd…

I recently signed up to receive business advice from a local group of volunteers, many of whom are retired from their own small companies or freelance work. Aside from some possibly out-dated advice about marketing, I left with this feeling of unease in my belly. My mentor suggested I eliminate…

In November, I traveled from Northwest Ohio to Grand Rapids, Michigan, to explore a potential next step for our family: a move out-of-state. Since my miscarriage in September (and really, even before that) I’ve felt deeply unsettled and desperate to move towns. And this is what used to help: alone…