About

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 I'm a  writer, keynote speaker, workshop facilitator, and author of  How Does Disney Do That? and Where Are We Going So Fast?  My background also includes being a blogger for the Chicago Tribune Media Group,  and columnist for the Chicago Tribune and Pioneer Press, along with being an adjunct professor and Communications Advisory Board Member for the School of Communications at Loyola University Chicago, and a Guest Speaker for DePaul University Chicago. 

  I was driving to work on the highway about 20 years ago when, for some reason, I decided to get out of the left lane and slow down. When I did, I quickly noticed how fast everyone was driving past me (insert "Whoosh!" sound effect here). And I realized that I’d just been doing the same thing, as if I were the one on cruise control. 

For some reason (again), a question  came immediately to mind:  "Where are we going so fast?" Which, over time,  made me wonder if I might be "going too fast" in other parts of my life, too.

Since then, I've been trying to figure out the answer to that question. I believe it's partly about paying more attention and connecting . An answer that has led to my wanting to put more humanity into everything I do, from writing to speaking to music to communications and marketing and everything in between.

But I also believe, the more time goes on, that the answer isn't something to be "figured out," but to be lived into in a way that also helps others.

Which brings us to you.

  To put it simply, I want to show you what I've seen. 

I promise you that, once you start looking at life in this new way, you'll also begin connecting more to  yourself, while also wanting to make a real, authentic connection with more of those around you. 

Whether it's through an article or meeting, at a conference or a workshop, or through my book or blog, there will be a moment where you and I connect, in person or virtually. And, when we do, that's another one in the plus column for a human connection being made. 

Then, over time, I believe you'll get closer to the people in your organization, on your team, and in your life. You'll find new ways to find joy amidst the hurry and worry. And, if you haven't already, you'll discover your purpose, which can help those around you, and those you work with, also find or remember their purpose, too. And you'll learn something else. That you're not alone on this journey. 

Never were. Never will be.

After all, as Ram Dass,  the famous  spiritual teacher, psychologist, and author, said, "We're all just walking each other home."

Yes, I write and speak to help connect audiences with each other, their organizations, and the brands they love, along with encouraging them to put more humanity into what we do all along the way. But that, in no way, means I'm an expert in it.  

Not even close.

On a regular basis, I still rush through things, forget to show people what they mean to me at work and home, stubbornly refuse to have fun or break out of old patterns, spend too much time "of the moment" and not in it, etc.  But I'm committed to continually looking to make sense of what I asked myself on that day on the way into work, and acting upon it. 

And sharing that journey with you as openly as possible, shadows and all, through my writing and speaking.

Because, really, upon further reflection, I don't believe the end goal is to be an expert, to be perfect at it, to "fix "ourselves. In fact, I don't believe now that there even is an "end goal," just another stop along the way to being as authentic as we can with ourselves and each other. 

Oh, yes, and helping others along their own paths. Not forcing them, but being there if we're needed.

That's the journey I'm on.

Feel like walking a while with me?