“If you can lead a horse, you can learn to lead your life again.” – Karah Powell Some people show up to life. Karah Powell shows up to lead it. Not with fanfare. Not with flair. But with the kind of quiet presence that makes people feel like they belong. In our latest Rock Solid podcast episode, I sat down with Karah—veteran, nonprofit leader, and the heart behind ROCK (Ride On Center for Kids). And as we talked, I realized…
Over 25 years ago, we wrote our first book called Persuasive Online Copywriting. It was the business card packaged as a book to help people understand the value of increasing conversions. Back then, people didn’t take words seriously. They still believed marketing was about fonts, flash intros, and button colors. I knew better. I had seen it firsthand. The right words, spoken to the right person at the right moment, could change everything. Today, as I release I Think I…
Last week on the Rock Solid podcast, I sat down with fitness and menopause coach Karen Cerezo. I expected a great conversation. What I didn’t expect was to feel so seen. Because as Karen talked about brain fog, fatigue, and aching joints… about the slow erosion of identity that hits so many women in midlife… I felt my own story echoing back. Let me be real. Before my transformation, I knew the weight I carried wasn’t just physical. It was…
What if your morning coffee had commitment issues? Hot and iced, both at once. Undecided, until you decide. That’s not just today’s vibe. It’s how your brain and your universe actually behave. Your brain doesn’t passively receive reality. It predicts it. It guesses what comes next, then reshapes what you see, hear, and feel to match that expectation. Neuroscientists call this predictive coding.Marketers call it positioning.Storytellers?They call it the power behind everything. If your brain expects rejection, it filters for…
I didn’t time-travel this morning. But my brain did. One second I’m scrolling news, inboxes, calendars, social media. The next, I’m a kid again, sitting on the carpet, cereal in hand, watching Saturday morning cartoons like nothing else in the world mattered. I can’t wait to meet my friends in the park and play some basketball and wiffle ball.. That wasn’t just nostalgia. That was my nervous system crying out, “Please, make things simple again.” We’re overwhelmed because we’re off-script.…
Some stories start with inspiration. Others start with blood work. Mine started with both. In July 2024, I walked into Impact Family Wellness expecting just another check-up. Instead, I walked into the beginning of a new story. Monica McKitterick and her team didn’t just take my vitals. They ordered full blood work that uncovered the truth I had been avoiding. My blood sugar was more than triple the healthy range. My blood pressure was spiking. Other markers weren’t much better.…
Lately, I’ve been getting overwhelming feedback on my latest manuscript, I Think I Swallowed An Elephant (Kindle pre order is available). But the comments that stick with me most aren’t about what I wrote. They’re about what I didn’t. It’s what I chose to bury. Like an iceberg, the real weight of a story lives below the surface. The part you don’t spell out. The part the reader feels in their gut before their brain catches up. And here’s what’s…
Ever read an “About Us” page that made you want to work with the business, or just grab a coffee with the owner? Didn’t think so. Most About pages read like they were written by someone trying to impress a bank manager. Buzzwords. Bullet points. Boring. But that’s not your story. You built something real. Maybe from your kitchen table. Maybe from pure grit. Either way, people don’t want your mission statement. They want your why. They want to feel…