2025 was a year of reckoning for me both personally and professionally. I got to experience the joy that is perimenopause, continue navigating my ADHD, and I got to witness women standing up to weaponized incompetence at home and systemic bias at work. My Top 5 from 2025 are the themes I couldn’t stop thinking […]
I have the phrase “find comfort in the uncomfortable” tattooed on my arm; it’s a reminder that growth happens in the uncomfortable, and while this is true, it’s also my trauma response. I sought out hard things, not to grow, but to punish myself. My comfort came from the chaos; if it didn’t exist, I […]
“Bode, you seem angry. You should take a break.” I’m not angry, I’m f*cking nuclear. I’ve spent my career fighting for small businesses, standing up for vulnerable populations, and building a community where people look out for each other. Now, I spend my days talking with business owners who are shuttering their doors, laying off […]
(If I hear this one more time, I’m gonna throat punch someone.) If I had a dollar for every time a technical or contracting company said, “We don’t do marketing*,” I could fund my own tradeshow booth next to Lockheed Martin at AUSA. With lighting. And carpet padding (and actual comfy chairs). Every time, I […]
“Can a person live on iced, shaken espressos only?” I texted my best friend, Sue. “Yes,” she responded. That, right there, is why Sue is my best friend. The past two+ years have been the hardest of my life. I was diagnosed with ADHD (at 45). I faced a situation that tested everything I had […]
It was standing room only. Business owners packed into a room to talk about something most of us avoid like the plague: ourselves. Not our services.Not our logos.Not our team’s credentials or the client list we’re proud of. Us. Because here’s the truth: people don’t buy from logos—they buy from people. And if you’re not […]
Imposter syndrome won this past weekend. I think I spent most of Sunday staring at a wall, contemplating all of my failures. What a great time. Highly recommend spending your day like this. I don’t typically sit around and feel sorry for myself, but these past two years have been absolutely brutal. It caught up […]
Travel is stressful enough without dealing with complete and utter...people who apparently forgot how to act in public the second they stepped into an airport.
Look, I travel a lot. Like, a LOT lot. And after years of trial and error (and some spectacularly bad packing decisions), I’ve got my travel game semi-down. Some of my most recent travels had me scratching my head at other travelers, so I turned to the women who know best: my friends. These women […]
“What on earth are you watching?” I ask Josh as I crawl onto the bed in our motorhome (in our driveway) and lie down next to Frank*, the office dog (picture below). *We brought Frank to our house for the weekend so he could run around the yard and sleep in a real bed. Josh […]
The Great Resignation, Great Exhaustion, and Quiet Quitting – what does it mean to small businesses?
Perhaps by calling it Sharkie Poo, it was a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. All seven dogs have a nickname – Millie is Millie Vanilli, Noodle, Silly Millie…I’ll spare you the rest; you get the drift. It only felt fair and proper to give the Shark Robot a similar name; after all, he is now […]
I am not a fan of the phrase “thought leadership,” but I have yet to come up with a better term, so here we are. It’s why I titled this blog “I’m Kind of a Big Deal,” it gives off some serious narcissistic vibes. Basically, it means a person has a unique perspective and insight […]
If I had a dime for every time someone referred to me as “too much,” I’d have a pretty decent chunk of change. Like…what does that even mean? Often-used words or phrases I’ve become intimately familiar with: Scary Acquired taste Abrasive Aggressive Loud A lot Intimidating I’d be lying if I didn’t admit these […]
If I asked you what your hiring process is would you say: 1. Post job to Indeed/LinkedIn or other job boards, 2. Filter through applicants, 3. Schedule interviews, 4. Interview, 5. Interview again, 6. Hire. We blew up our hiring process this past year, cause we realized it just wasn’t working and it certainly did […]
I had every intention of continuing this series, but several things have happened since I started it, which I will share at the end. The conclusion is a bit longer, stick around til the end. As I drove my shit-filled truck back to our cabin, I reflected on how I got here. I’m sure a […]
Guys, guess what? Women have worth outside of motherhood. Gasp! I know, who would have thought? It’s true! You’d think I was walking around with horns and a tail by the way people look at me when the question, “do you have kids?” inevitably comes up. I was interviewed a few weeks ago by a […]
Coming back from vacation is so overwhelming that it’s tempting to just never take one. That’s basically been my approach for 2022. To state the obvious, that is not healthy. After spending time relaxing on the beach it’s ironic to come back and immediately be stressed with all you have to accomplish. So how do […]
I spoke to several female business owners/professionals in the past few weeks and they all have one thing in common, they’re exhausted. Just absolutely burned out. Their mental health is shit. Now is as good of time as any to remind you, you’re not invincible. Your physical and mental health is important, make it a […]
Why the hell is it so hard for us to accept help? The only time we’re in it alone is when we’re too stubborn to rely on those around us. We’re all struggling to adapt to 2020, part three, not to mention the never-ending surprises 2022 has already thrown at us. I mean it’d be […]
I’ve been quiet lately, laugh it up people that know me. I’ve been grieving privately over the loss of a family member and I have been struggling. The funny thing about grief is it comes in waves, you think you’re fine and then boom – knocked on your ass. I also got in my head […]
