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Broadway musicals are a touchy subject for me- not many people know this but my mother directed plays in NYC and my father built the sets. My entire childhood is set to a soundtrack of musicals (and classic rock but that’s a story for another time) I’d never seen Wicked before last week. I’d known people have LOVED it and when the film came out (and everyone was crying), I knew it was something…

Not many people know this about me, but while I looooooove analyzing and thinking about communications and messaging, one of my passions as a hobby is home decor design.  When I have some downtime, I always find myself throwing together some fun designs to be put on products like pillows, blankets, and even custom cups.  These are all things I’ve designed and you can get them here

Action movies, let alone superhero movies, are not the things I choose to watch. They’re the things I gently turn down because I find absolutely no joy in them. They’re not deep, and they’re not supposed to be.  They are an art all their own, and I don’t like to be the one making loud gutteral noises of Jewish disdain while people are actively enjoying what they enjoy.And yet this week I…

I read this article and was taken aback at the casual humor it contained.  As someone who’s experienced dismissal, potential collaborators’ outright laughter, being interrupted, and even asked if I would serve as a topless bartender (during a meeting to discuss branding), I totally understand why a woman would make up a male persona to be taken seriously.Just last week a friend recommended one…

The most expensive hobby I have? Opinions.

The other day I saw a post from a fellow woman entrepreneur who runs a marketing business. “Sometimes I want to send out an email that just says ….blah blah blah…. are you reading thisblah blah blah blah blah. Should i do it? ha ha” Here’s what I wrote: “Uh no. Inboxes are already filled to the brim with empty air masquerading as “marketing”, why add more that says even less” And then there…

Your Beliefs and someone else’s Reality.

“While some employees disagree, we have a strong belief that content on screen doesn’t directly translate to real-world harm” Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos. Here’s the interesting thing about beliefs:  They can be wrong. You can also change them but that may be a post for another time. Today we’re going to focus on the fact that they can be wrong. People believe the Earth is flat— they’re…

Authenticity and Auto Responders

Do you use autoresponders? I do. I used to suffer from inbox anxiety and the ability to have boundaries (and an instant response) to any incoming message means I don’t have that same self-imposed pressure to always be tied to my email.  But autoresponders done without intention— or at the VERY LEAST, attention— can completely demolish any sense of authenticity and connection with your audience,…

The Racism Fall out

I had a pretty interesting week.  And by interesting I mean on two separate occasions I had to gently confront two separate individuals on instances where their lack of awareness caused me pain– both physical and emotional. Pain that I needed to sleep off for two days each. So this week, I slept for the equivalent of 4 days as I figured out how to tell these people the effect of their…

“But they’re good people!”

See here’s the thing. 

If you know someone (and we all know someones), you only know them within a few contexts. Rarely do we ever see people in their TOTALITY. Even if you’re married and you work from home, there’s still things you don’t see. Conversations you don’t experience. Attitudes sent through emails. You know, minor things that end up creating holistic major things.

They say if…

Why is something created in 1957 from the thing written in 1597 still relevant today, in 2020? (Is it interesting to anyone else that 1597 and 1957 are just rearranged numbers of each other?)

Or, a different question:

Is Romeo and Juliet a meta-metaphor for humanity? 

This is the question that hit me in the face as I was watching…

The Most Fucked Up Riddle

Content warnings! Trigger warnings! I’m sorry. The other day a thread emerged sharing some really disgusting sentiments from men referring to rape victims as damaged goods. Things like “irredeemable” and “there’s no coming back from that” (and worse) were thrown around. It was terrifically upsetting— and that’s certainly saying something for 2020 which has been terrifically upsetting all around. 

I’m going to start this post off by stating emphatically, that I love this movie.

I love Jay. I love Silent Bob. I actually find Randal- as a character in a movie— hilarious. I do the Randal shoulder jiggle in and out of rooms. It’ll never get old for me. 

Other disclaimers? My mother taught Kevin Smith at Brooklyn Community College and we weren’t allowed to watch his films in her house. I…

Labels that no longer suit you

I think it surprises literally no one that my Jersey self loves the Sopranos, if only for deeply nostalgic and Jersey moments where I am reminded that I come from a people where yelling isn’t necessarily indicative of anger purposes. Expressive talking through volume purposes. All the cold cuts and ziti purposes. 

During the SIP time, Jake and I watched the entire series and while it was…

“The voice inside sings a different song, What is wrong with me?” OOOOOOH. Let me start this off by saying there is nothing wrong, Moana. Nothing. And that is the entire point.

When I first saw Moana it immediately struck me as a strong metaphor for my experience going out into business for myself. 

I’m sure most business owners would repeat that sentiment— but I felt it deeply because not…

The Cluster of Peloton & Lizzo

The cluster of issues: Peloton & Lizzo

What an interesting couple of weeks it’s been, you guys.

I’m sure by now we’ve all seen/talked about/thought about BOTH the ad from Peloton and Lizzo’s outfit, but the parallels between the two were too juicy to leave alone. 

Let’s start with Peloton. 

Some people are upset because the actress they put as the role of recipient of the exercise…

The Invented Myth of Thanksgiving (in chart form!)

This chart is a year in the making. Not that it took me a year (by no means did it take anywhere near that long), but I came across this article last year and didn’t have the time, the mental energy, or the creative juiciness to make it happen in a relevant time. Fast forward to 2019 and I knew by July I’d be working on this for the holiday. And here it is! A walk through of the information we…