On the Page
Stories That Stay With Us.
Not every story becomes a book.
Some remain essays.
I write about home, belonging, family, friendship, and the ordinary moments that quietly shape a life. Each piece begins with a story and usually leaves me with more questions.
Take your time. Read along. We'll see what we discover.
Every essay is part of a conversation I’m still having.
How do I keep becoming as I live?
As I tell my stories, my perspective shifts. Stories have a way of changing the questions we ask.
The Next Seven
This one is heavier than usual. It touches on sexual assault, serious injury, suicide, group dynamics, power, and what it means to speak up when something is wrong.
I have no insider information about either of the cases I mention here, and I do not intend to monitor them as they unfold. This essay is less about the specifics of either case and more about the larger culture and conditions that make these situations possible.
Please read it when you have the space for it.
I am not writing this as an expert standing at a distance. I am writing as a mom, an educator, and someone who keeps thinking about what we teach our children before the stakes get high.
Because speaking up is not one lesson.
It is a lifetime of practice.
No Dead Ends
A family photo from the summer of 2019 becomes a meditation on what we know only after life has changed. In this essay, a labyrinth offers a way to think about memory, uncertainty, and the quiet practice of staying where your feet are.
Not Everything Needs to Be Teamwork
Not everything needs to be teamwork.
Some work is too large for one person. Some work needs diverse thinking. Some work benefits from a group making an existing idea better.
But some work is just a task.
This essay is about what happens when we turn everything into teamwork, why that makes people frustrated before the work even begins, and how a little clarity can help us stop asking people to mind-read their way through collaboration.
America’s Birthday
I just drove across 15 states in 30 days.
I didn't watch the news. I spent my days with people.
Explore the Ideas
Each conversation includes essays, podcast episodes, practical tools, research, and ways to continue exploring.
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Growth rarely happens all at once. These stories reflect on change, identity, and the quiet moments that shape a life.
Explore the Becoming collection.
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Home is more than a place. These essays explore the people, places, and ordinary rituals that shape our sense of belonging.
Explore the Home & Belonging collection.
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Not every story fits neatly into a category. These essays are rooted in the present moment—the ideas, questions, and experiences I'm living through as they unfold. They're reminders that becoming is always happening, even in the middle of ordinary days.
Explore the Life Right Now collection.
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Marriage, friendship, and community are built through everyday decisions. These essays explore what it takes to stay connected.
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The people who raise us, the stories we're told, and the traditions we inherit shape us in ways we often don't recognize until much later. These essays explore family, memory, culture, and the relationships that quietly become part of who we are.
Explore the Family & Culture collection.
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Every meaningful conversation begins with curiosity. These essays explore listening, disagreement, and the relationships that grow stronger when we learn to talk—and truly hear.
Explore the Better Conversations collection.
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Work shapes more than our careers—it shapes who we become. These essays explore teaching, leadership, purpose, and the everyday choices that help us build a life of significance, one ordinary day at a time.
Explore the Work & Purpose collection.
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Service isn't always found in grand gestures. More often, it's discovered in quiet acts of generosity, courage, and showing up for one another. These essays explore what it means to live a life that makes room for others.
Explore the Service collection.
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Some adventures change our plans. Others change us. These stories celebrate curiosity, play, and the unexpected gifts of saying yes.
Explore the Joy & Adventure collection