Blog
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, so it feels like a good time to address the deeper pressure that comes with helping organizations communicate in a moment when everything just feels so complicated. Communicators are being asked to develop clear, values-driven, credible content while also navigating changing expectations around language, politics, and stakeholder trust. This is…
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In my work with nonprofit leaders and communicators, I continue to see how communications is expected to accomplish so much with so little. The money required just can’t keep up with what’s needed to create insights-driven content and activities that move people to give, engage, partner or support. This year, I had the opportunity once…
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Curiosity has served me well throughout my communications career. I grew up in corporate communications departments where I had access to people across the business — and I used that access. I’d meet regularly with colleagues in marketing, HR, legal, investor relations, sales, and product development to understand what was happening across the organization. Part of…
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It may feel counterintuitive, but I’ve often had to recommend to leaders that they slow down just as it seems their business is about to take flight. That’s because I’ve seen far too often how challenging it becomes for communications to keep pace in a meaningful, strategic way when a company scales quickly. When it happens, you start…
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I don’t know about you, but I tell leaders they should never worry about over-communicating — especially when it comes to vision, core values, and goals. And that’s because they rarely do. In fact, they don’t communicate them enough. More often than not, organizations falter when it comes to reinforcing core values. And when they’re…
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If you’re like me, you probably choose a “word of the year” to frame what you hope to focus on. But this year, I almost didn’t do it. I found myself questioning everything as I emerged from the holidays. It wasn’t dramatic or overblown, just a quiet, introspective look at what matters most to me…
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Last week, my house went from 100 to 0 in a matter of hours. My son headed back to medical school right after the new year, and my daughter left late last week for a semester abroad. The abrupt switch from the frenetic pace of the holidays, which brought an unusual mix of sadness, love,…
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As this year comes to a close, I’m reflecting less on what happened in 2025 and more on what it revealed. One clear revelation is that organizations moved forward when leaders truly understood the value of strategic communications — not as output, but as a disciplined path to impact and results. I saw leaders and their teams…
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There’s one recommendation I always make to business leaders: Take the time to identify, prioritize and justify the stakeholders most important to your success — and do so with your team. Their input is worth its weight in gold if you want to communicate with relevance and authenticity. It’s misguided to assume you know what your ideal…
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I’m often in conversation with CEOs and business leaders whose calendars are packed with client meetings, “quick syncs,” conferences, and community engagements. They’re usually well-read, well-prepared, and genuinely committed to growth. And yet they still struggle to find the time to just…think. Strategic thinking helps leaders identify emerging opportunities, anticipate market shifts, and prioritize resources, but…
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