The Written Word
Essays
Dispatches on culture, leadership, identity, and the examined life. Published regularly on Substack — where the real conversation happens.
Follow on Substack"Writing is the act of discovering what you believe."
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Recent Essays
Blind From Birth (But You Don't Have To Be)
On the willful ignorance we inherit — and the choice to see clearly.
There is a particular kind of blindness that has nothing to do with the eyes. It is chosen, cultivated, and passed down like an heirloom. This essay examines what it costs us — and what it takes to finally open our eyes.
Managing Up: The IC Playbook
What individual contributors need to know about navigating power.
Most career advice is written for managers. This is for everyone else — the individual contributors who do the work, carry the weight, and often go unseen. A practical guide to making your value visible without losing yourself in the process.
The Margins Series, Part One: The Truth
What lives in the margins of history — and why it matters.
History is written in the center. But the most honest accounting of any era lives in the margins — in the footnotes, the redacted lines, the voices that were never meant to be heard. Part one of an ongoing series.
More Than We Can See, Part Four: Greater Things
Part four of five in the "More Than We Can See" series.
With all that's going on in the world, it can be hard to remember that we still have reason to hope. But hope for what? Hope in what? This series is a reminder — and an invitation to see beyond what's in front of us.
Timing Is Everything, Part Two: The Evidence of Excellence
Part two of five in the "Timing Is Everything" series.
Excellence leaves evidence. But so does impatience. This installment examines what it looks like when timing and preparation finally meet — and what we miss when we force the moment before it's ready.
Timing Is Everything, Part Three: The Fight That Remains
Part three of five in the "Timing Is Everything" series.
The fight isn't always with the enemy outside. Sometimes the hardest battle is the one that remains after every other obstacle has been cleared — the internal resistance that shows up right before the breakthrough.
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