I have to write.

“I have to write to be happy whether I get paid for it or not. But it is a hell of a disease to be born with. I like to do it. Which is even worse. That makes it from a disease into a vice. Then I want to do it better than anybody has ever done it which makes it into an obsession. An obsession is terrible. Hope you haven’t gotten any. That’s the only one I’ve got left.”

– Ernest Hemingway On Writing, page 16

I’ve been interested in words for as long as I can remember. I began reading the daily newspaper at five years old. I used to write and staple my own books together as a kid.

In fourth grade, I went overboard when working on my writing portfolio. I turned in a twenty-page, single-spaced, short story told from the perspective of a Confederate deserter at the Battle of Antietam.

When my life is troubled and turbulent, writing brings me peace.

It’s how I express myself and what I’m feeling. Words and characters, strung together in a deliberate order, are how I decompress and bring myself to understand the world around me fully.

Writing has always been a part of what I do. I’ve been a published columnist and opinion writer, reporter, and newspaper editor. I’ve also had speechwriting roles and corporate marketing and communications gigs where every word mattered.

Recent years have been the most bizarre time of most of our lives. A global health crisis brought chaos, heartbreak, loss, failure, uncertainty, and disappointment. Along with it came silver linings, joy, renewal, innovation, and success.

Personally, though the last few years brought plenty of trouble, they have also brought me indescribable joy, soaring success, love, and passion.

These years were a few that made no sense to many of us. Living them myself, I couldn’t believe it.

After a few years stuck inside, on ZOOM screens, and behind a mask, we finally had the opportunity to reintroduce ourselves to the world. It was during this time that someone close to me asked the question:

“If you could do anything, and money wasn’t a factor, what would it be?”

That prompt inspired me to try to make sense of all of this in the only way that I know how – by writing about it.

Until recently, I could not connect the dots and reconcile in my mind how I exist today the way I do. Because of writing, I’ve finally figured out what I want to do when I grow up. I finally understand what I am here to do.

There are many things I do not know and do not claim to understand. I cannot explain poverty, reconcile hunger, or entertain injustice. My skill set is not one to cure cancer, discover medical breakthroughs, or democratize clean drinking water across the globe.

But I can help. I can help people skilled in these areas connect with each other, connect with new ideas, and connect with information that will advance their causes. I can also help these people craft messaging to rally support, inform the masses, and influence positive change.

I can use words in a way that will inform, influence, involve and inspire. I can help others craft a clear message and a strong call to action.

There are many things that I do not know. What I do know is that I have to write.

I've spent my career connecting people with information, ideas, and each other so that they can make a difference in their communities. I’ve interviewed presidents, rock stars, and death row inmates. My work has taken me all over the United States to report, speak and advance the mission of writing for communities.

“Your life is a movie,” I was once told. (Side note: I later married the girl that said this to me.) Maybe one day there will be a screenplay, a memoir, or a book worth reading. Until then, I plan to help others inform, involve, and inspire the people around them.

I’ve fallen in love with the written word. It is my pleasure to use this passion and skill set to help others clarify what they’re trying to say. Words make the world go around, and I believe you should tell a great story. I’m here to help.