Surfing curiosity around ways to live and work better.
Essays. Stories. A smile here and there.
212 stuff. Marriage. Parenting. Communication. Grocery love soon.
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If you need a keynote speaker, please email me. Slightly more daring? Call me in Richmond, VA at 804-335-1283.
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For a big chunk of my professional life (24 years), I worked with a team of many to create content and training products helping thousands of organizations develop more engaged and effective people.
Our company was called InspireYourPeople.com. Most of our work can now be found at Successories.com.
During that time, I wrote 212° the extra degree, Lead Simply, Cross The Line, Smile & Move, and Love Your People—short books and booklets.
Now, I’m a motivational speaker. I love the work, not the label1—helps people get to this part of me faster.
I also work on special projects and serve as a volunteer board member for a community action agency. It’s a small piece of the enormous effort to reduce poverty. We help people with their urgent basic needs in addition to creating opportunities to strengthen their futures.
A thousand years ago, I earned a business degree from James Madison University. I think it’s funny feeling the need to share where I spent a few years of my life as a child.2
I also went to Edgar Allen Poe Middle School. Poe was a 19th-century horror writer who had a tough ending that no one is really sure about. Given my middle school experience, I find that fitting.3
My otherhalfofus4 (Jennifer) and I live in Richmond, Virginia with a 14-pound Fullawonders5 named Vinnie. A while back, we brought three other people into the world who now live and work in other places.
Please email me with edits, thoughts, comments, or suggestions (or put them here in the comments). Please don’t be shy or worry about my feelings. Quick, blunt, and maybe interesting or helpful6 is always welcome.
Why Back to Now?
Back to Now is a phrase in a closing sentence of my daily affirmation—a reminder to be present.
“Today, I lose as few nows as possible to things that don’t matter and I get back to now the second I realize my attention drifts to what’s not useful. I won’t be distracted.”
I never open with, “How’s everyone doing today?" But if I did (which I don’t), I would never follow it with something like, “Come on. We can do better than that. How’s everyone doing today?!” I love my audiences.
I’d love to go back in time and sit in the room where grown ups made that decision.
An otherhalfofus (pronounced with a similar beat as Snuffleupagus, the muppet) is most often a primate of the Homo sapien species with whom we share our lives for a distinct period of time ranging from a few weeks to as many as 75+ years. Wife, husband, spouse, and partner are the less scientific terms.
He’s curious and full of wonder. It’s very cute.
“Maybe interesting or helpful” is meant to free you of concern.
I’d rather you risk sharing something with me than being concerned it might not land well. If your thought implies I’m stupid or an asshole, you might be right. If so, I’d like to try to fix it.
