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?
RaeAnne Conat RaeAnne Conat

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.

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Soup, Salad & Business Strategy: Why I Can't Portion Food (or Workload) Correctly
Entreprenuership RaeAnne Conat Entreprenuership RaeAnne Conat

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.

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