SIDE NOTES
Welcome to Side Notes, a collection of essays, excerpts, and reflections shaped by two decades of building things from the ground up. These entries pull from the margins of business, creativity, reinvention, and everyday life. The parts we often overlook but always learn from.
Side Notes has been a great way for me to keep my mind active and grounded in writing while I work on my first book, Unfinished Business: The Art of Reinvention. A collection of humor-tinged lessons from life, twenty years in business, and what reinvention in my forties has actually looked like in real time.
You’ll find moments of humor, clarity, nostalgia, and insight. The hope is that somewhere in the pages, you find a moment of recognition, a shift in perspective, or simply a reminder that you’re not alone in the humor and complexity of it all.
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Why Do I Cover Up Food in the Garbage Like I’m Hiding a Crime?
Why do I flip uneaten food upside down in the garbage like I’m covering a crime scene? Childhood trauma? Oscar the Grouch? Maybe.
Welcome to the weird guilt of the Clean Plate Club era, where leftovers come with shame, and the trash can is judging you like some green monster with a lid hat. We’re diving into food guilt, parental programming, business burnout, and the ridiculous things we still carry as adults—from napkin-smuggling bites to rebellion in the form of garbage rituals. Trust me, it’s funny. It’s honest. And it might just make you feel normal for once.
Hi, I’m Business Bleu Cheese
You know what goes great with cold, lumpy mashed potatoes and overcooked peas you’ve been avoiding for an hour?A big ol’ glass of milk.At least, that’s what my grandpa thought when he tried to induct me into the Clean Plate Club. It did not end well. I decorated the family dinner table in a way no one appreciated, and to this day, I still can’t do cooked peas.
Why Is Picking Up a Bobby Pin Harder Than Running a Business?
Why is picking up bobby pins off the floor harder than running a business? Science says friction and surface area. I say there’s a small village of bobby pins living in my hair with a personal vendetta, and I am their pawn. But avoiding small, frustrating tasks, like picking up bobby pins, only makes them multiply. Business, life, or hair accessories… tackle them now, or risk a full Gremlin situation. And I think we all remember how that turned out.
Reinvention: Bangs, Business & Perms, OH MY!
Reinvention isn’t always glamorous—sometimes it’s a self-cut mullet in fifth grade, sometimes it’s a business pivot that saves you years of struggle. Either way, we’re diving into the wild, weird, and why didn’t anyone warn me? lessons of business and life.
So, if you’re ready for some hard-earned insight, a few laughs at my expense, let’s talk reinvention—bad hair decisions optional.
Soup, Salad & Business Strategy: Why I Can't Portion Food (or Workload) Correctly
It’s the weekend, which means it’s time for random thoughts. Today’s deep reflection? Why do I make enough soup to feed an entire rescue team and enough salad to deeply regret my life choices? If you've ever made an entire vat of soup when you meant to make two servings—or stored a sad, soggy bag of lettuce in the fridge knowing full well you’ll never eat it—this one’s for you.
And because I can’t help myself, yes—this somehow still ties back to business.
Why Do I Make My Cat Listen to "Sharin' the Night Together" by Dr. Hook 37 Times in a Row?
Why do I listen to the same song 37 times in a row? Maybe it’s stress, nostalgia, or my brain demanding a musical security blanket. Either way, my cat is suffering. But what does this weird habit have to do with creativity, burnout, and business? More than you think. Turns out, your brain clings to familiar loops during peak stress. Let’s unpack why we do this and how to break the cycle when needed.