Julie explores life with curiosity, creativity, and connection. I share observations with humor, offering perspective on the world and how it shapes us—lightening life’s complexities along the way.
Patriotism Doesn’t Need a Parade. It Needs a Backbone. Happy Fourth of July. Today we’ll wave flags the size of pickup trucks. We’ll wear enough stars and stripes to qualify as temporary national monuments. We’ll grill hot dogs, argue about potato salad, and pretend that setting
Tomorrow, America celebrates 250 years. Or at least that’s what the invitation says. Somewhere between the fireworks, the flag-themed paper plates, and Uncle Bob explaining the Constitution while simultaneously misquoting it, we’re supposed to pause and celebrate the remarkable experiment called American democracy. Instead, it feels as
There are moments that change history. The moon landing. The invention of sliced bread. The day someone decided avocado belonged on toast. And now… Twenty-two glorious seconds of Sophie Cunningham standing on a basketball court, silently pointing at another player like an elementary school crossing guard who had simply
For most of my life, I thought success came from having a plan. Actually…let me correct that. I thought success came from having every plan. A backup plan.A contingency plan.A spreadsheet.A timeline.A risk assessment. Thirty years in corporate project management will do that to a
There was no announcement. No one sent a note saying, “This part of your life has ended.” No ceremony. No clean break. Just a slow, almost polite disappearance. For years, I knew exactly where I fit. In corporate life, there was no ambiguity. I walked into rooms where people expected
There is an old saying that if you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything. Which may explain why some people seem so exhausted these days. This week’s episode in the ongoing reality show known as American politics centers around the now-infamous reflecting pool story.
A few nights ago, I watched a documentary that left me thinking long after the credits rolled. Narrated by actor Woody Harrelson, the film explores a concept called regenerative agriculture—a way of farming that works with nature rather than against it. It is one of those rare documentaries that
As Father’s Day approaches, I’ve been thinking about the men who helped shape my life—not because they were perfect, but because they showed up. The older I get, the more I realize that fatherhood isn’t measured by grand gestures. It’s measured in presence. In consistency.
Somewhere along the way, many of us learned a strange lesson: Be more like them. Be more successful.More confident.More polished.More outgoing.More accomplished.More attractive.More productive. More. And in the pursuit of becoming more, we often lose sight of something important: We stop noticing who we
There was a time when most Americans understood that some places, traditions, and moments deserved a different kind of treatment. You didn’t have to agree with everyone around you. You didn’t have to share the same political party, religious beliefs, or worldview. But there were certain spaces where
I want to tell you about a woman you’ve never heard of. Her name was Claudette Colvin. She was fifteen years old when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. Not Rosa Parks. Claudette Colvin. Nine months before Rosa Parks. March 2, 1955. A
Recently, our insurance agent — a woman — referred to the other employees in her office as “the girls.” The girls will take care of it.The girls up front can help you.I’ll have one of the girls call you. And there it was again. That tiny little word that