Strategy
When Control Becomes the Cage
I have watched leaders exhaust themselves trying to control outcomes they were never meant to orchestrate alone.The pattern shows up everywhere—in the manager who rewrites every team deliverable…
When Nonprofits Lose The Mission
I have watched organizations suffocate their own missions while believing they were protecting them. The pattern is consistent and well-documented — a gradual inversion in which operations no longer…
When The Space Tells You to Leave
I spent months in a project that was not working. The client had their diagnosis and their solutions. I had frameworks suggesting their framing was generating the problems they were trying to solve….
The $48 Billion Industry That Changed Nothing
The personal development market hit $48.4 billion in 2024. People bought books, downloaded apps, enrolled in webinars, and subscribed to podcasts. They consumed content about productivity,…
When the Performance Stops, the Learning Starts
Just a few classes into teaching business through a postsecondary prison education program, I have already learned more from my students than I could possibly teach them.
The Space Between What Worked and What Works Now
I have watched nonprofit founders navigate a particular kind of confusion that surfaces when their organizations begin to grow, and what strikes me most is how rarely anyone names what is actually…
Your Environment Is Your Architecture
Your environment is not decoration. It is architecture. Discover how your beliefs have square footage — and how to design internal and external spaces that transform.
The Madness & Sadness of a Poetic Soul
A raw, introspective poem about identity, existential fear, and the search for authentic spaces of belonging amid life’s controlling forces.
A Dialogue with Ian Shea
Meet Ian Shea, founder of Black Cat Contracting, and learn from his approach to organizational consulting.
Learning from Melissa Segal
Discover insights from Melissa Segal, LCSW and founder of InterHuman Solutions, on mission-driven work, communication, and creating meaningful change.
What Frederick Douglass Understood About Freedom That We Keep Forgetting
Explore what Frederick Douglass understood about true freedom that modern society keeps forgetting—and why his insights matter more than ever today.
Together We Be
A journey through identity, imagination, and interconnectedness—exploring the dance between self and other in shared sacred spaces.
Like a Butterfly
A poem about love, letting go, and the beauty of freedom—watching someone you care about soar like a butterfly through life’s journey.
Re-Evaluating Our Worth As Human Beings
A reflection on worth beyond productivity—AI acceleration, privilege, and identity—ending with a simple question: what do we actually need?
Accountability Over Accuracy — Spaciology Chronicles
A boardroom interruption shifts the room. David chooses repair over being right—and learns how accountability can widen trust.
Space As Home (Part 3): From Heroics To Habitat
The hero’s journey is a beautiful story. It is also a dangerous default. In its modern form, the hero narrative trains us to believe that transformation is a personal achievement accomplished through willpower, certainty, and conquest.
Space as Home (Part 2): Shared Space and the Ethics of Attention
If internal space is the room you live in alone, shared space is the room you co-create with others.
Space as Home (Part 1): Living Inside a Belief System
Beliefs are not only opinions floating in the mind. They are the invisible architecture that shapes what we notice, what we dismiss, what we fear, what we desire, and what we think is possible.
Who Wants To Live Forever?
A contemplative poem exploring mortality, love, and cosmic connection—from witnessing the universe’s end to finding grace in life’s final moments.
Learning from Laura O’Rourke: Grant Readiness and the Art of Sustainable Funding
This is the second in my dialogue series where I sit down with fellow professionals to explore their expertise and learn from their unique perspectives. Today’s conversation is with Laura O’Rourke of Laura O’Rourke Consulting, a fellow member of the Independent Philanthropy Advisor Referral Group (IPAR).
Learning from Seth Klukoff: Strategic Communications That Actually Work
Today’s conversation is with Seth Klukoff of Eoan Strategies, a fellow member of the Independent Philanthropy Advisor Referral Group (IPAR).
Into The Mystic
Voyaging through time and change, “Into the Mystic” captures the wonder, questions, and courage found on our lifelong journey beneath the spinning stars.
The Philosophy of Enough
Discover why mission-driven organizations achieve deeper impact by embracing ‘enough’ rather than chasing endless growth that dilutes mission focus.
The Universe, Kites, and Sadness
This poem reflects on longing, letting go, childhood joy, and searching for meaning—reminding us we are kites, tethered by the universe and human experience.
Why Slowing Down Accelerates Mission Impact
Slowing down gives organizations space to reflect, align with their mission, and focus resources for real impact.
Spaceship Earth
A poetic reflection on life, identity, and the mysteries of existence aboard “Spaceship Earth.” Exploring gravity, feeling, dreaming, and cosmic wonder.
Dust in the Wind
A meditation on reality, perception, and mortality – exploring how thoughts deceive us while we spin through existence until becoming dust in the wind.
The Deeper Story in Mission-Driven Work
Marketing for mission-driven organizations operates in spaces far removed from traditional promotional strategies.
One-Hit Wonders
A poem that explores what it means to be a “one hit wonder”—inviting readers to reflect on individuality, impermanence, and the shared beauty of fleeting moments.
Chasing Space, Finding Self
At the end of our lives, what will we think about? Will we remember those ‘important’ projects at work that diverted our attention from our children as they struggled to get our attention?