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When It Counts: Presence Is the Signal The Presence Gap Most capable professionals do not get stuck because they lack skill. They get stuck because their impact does not consistently match their intent. In high-stakes moments, people do not only evaluate your ideas. They evaluate how you deliver them. Tone, pacing, posture, and clarity land before your content is fully processed. Presence is the signal people receive before they decide whether to trust, follow, or invest. Whe

I know I am in the middle of 30 Life Lessons,  but my mind is not in that space today. As the sole content creator for this blog, I...

The task was simple. Drive three and half hours north to Potsdam, pick up Steph after an event in the music building at Crane (SUNY...

For many years, Thankception was the high point of the fall. Some of you reading this may call it “Friendsgiving,” but in our circle, it...

I completed my undergraduate degree in Potsdam, NY. For those unfamiliar with New York State's landscape, the Adirondack Mountains are in...

I have done a great deal of music theater in my lifetime. I have acted, directed, run sound, run lights, and produced. I even...

Having children does something to you. It takes a normally reasonably intelligent person and causes them to do impressively foolish...

As a twelve-year-old, I had a reasonably well-developed skill for figuring out what annoyed people and using it to cause trouble. Perhaps...

I have done most of my car repairs for most of my adult life. Part of the reason is financial. While I could usually scrape together the...

I was recently reminded of this story (and several others) by a dear friend. I am not telling you the exact one she suggested, but...

I went into college as a freshman with a laser focus. I was going to become a music teacher. I decided on this path in high school, and...

I don’t remember a lot about 9th grade. Bits and pieces, mostly. I suppose that’s normal, considering it was 35 years ago. However, one...

I have had an on-again, off-again relationship with physical activity. I know the value of sustained physical activity, both physically...

I could not wait to turn 11. In New York, at least in the 80s, 11 was when you could get working papers to hold a paper route. I was...

The year was 1992, and I was a senior in high school. Like most people my age, the reality of the end of high school was setting in,...

I don't know what year specifically, but I am pretty confident it was my junior year in high school, so somewhere around 1991 or 1992. I...

I grew up going to church. While I am sure we didn’t go every Sunday, as I think back over the years, I don’t remember not going. Mom was...

My parents split up when I was 8. For the first few years (until he went off to college), my eldest brother would keep an eye on my...

There were few sports I enjoyed growing up. Sure, I would occasionally go out on the driveway and attempt to put the basketball through...

Our lives are made up of countless stories. Some are filled with drama, others with laughter. One story might be shared when we need a...