
The Contrarian
There's a popular view in the startup world that some of the best founders are contrarians. This idea was spearheaded by PayPal founder Peter Thiel, who was also an early investor in Facebook. For those unfamiliar with the term, it's someone who rejects popular opinion and in doing so, is able to create exceptionally successful products. If this opinion is truly the key factor to a strong entrpreneur, then I have a future Mark Zuckerberg on my hands. Maisie is the ultimate co

Knowing You -- An Open Letter to Maisie Ahead of Her 1st Birthday
Dearest Maisie, A year ago, I barely knew you. Even though you were inside of me, my knowledge of you was basic, and not in the Basic Bitch way. I knew you frequently had the hiccups, a trait we would call Maisie-ups when you were born. I knew you went crazy for Taste Nirvana coconut water. Besides that, I knew nothing. I didn’t even know your gender. When you were born, we were strangers. Your cries were hollow. Your smiles random. Merely 11 months later, I realized I know

The Problems With No
A few years back, I was given the professional guidance to say "no" more. The thinking was that because I was taking too much on, I couldn't get everything accomplished. Or, in getting everything accomplished, I was burning myself out. With trepidation, and the support of my supervisors, I began to say no. While I wasn't thrilled with turning people down, I was eager to advance my career by taking on the advice of seasoned professionals. The response to my "nos" was nearly a