Reflections: What LinkedIn Doesn’t Show You We see the triumphant social media posts all the time: “Excited to announce my next chapter!” or “Stepping away from the corporate world to start something new.” But we rarely see the months of quiet turmoil behind those announcements. Leaving a career, whether stepping into retirement, pivoting to fractional […]
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Meet the Locals: The Eastern Rat Snake
Call them rat snakes, chicken snakes, or black rats. No matter what the experts are naming them this week, these native reptiles are essential, non-venomous members of the Briarhopper Ranch ecosystem. Plentiful across the farm, they are very much friend, not foe. Growing typically between 3.5 to 6 feet long (with the largest exceptional individuals […]
Meeting the Locals: The North American Crawdad
Call them crayfish, crawdads, mudbugs, or crawfish: no matter which name you prefer, they all refer to the same resilient little freshwater crustacean. These creatures are standard inhabitants of clean, healthy ecosystems throughout North America. They thrive in freshwater habitats where they can find plenty of cover, feeding on a wide variety of organic material […]
Meet the Spiny Softshell: The Pond’s Living Fossil
Don’t let the name fool you; there is nothing delicate about the Spiny Softshell Turtle. Unlike most turtles with hard, bony shells, this ancient-looking reptile sports a flat, rubbery, leather-like shell that acts as the perfect camouflage at the bottom of the pond. Capable of growing up to 18 inches long, the large females are […]
The Ultimate Illusion: Why a 9-to-5 is the Most Fragile Strategy on Earth
We’ve been sold a massive lie: that a corporate job equals security. Reflections Right now, platforms like LinkedIn are flooded with heartbreaking, multi-year job search manifestos. Millions remain trapped in the mindset that the corporate mothership will reward you with stability if you just follow the old rules. They’ve fallen victim to corporate Stockholm syndrome […]
A letter to Millennials and Gen Z
My writing usually targets Gen Xers and/or folks in their 50s and 60s near the end of their careers. But today, I’m writing a special letter to the kids and even grandkids of my target audience. Reflections The latchkey kids are aging, and the reality of their late career selves is a stark contrast. While […]
Financial Eggs in One Basket: Why Corporations Fear the Financial Backbone
Reflections As I was cleaning the farmhouse today, a task that always brings a sense of order to my mind, I found myself thinking about the bizarre advice I’ve been fed by others when it comes to professional reputation: “Don’t mention your side business. Hide your real estate activity. Don’t list fractional advisory roles. If […]
Rehabilitating a Neglected Homestead with Four Buckets
Reflections from Briarhopper Ranch Four months in, and we’ve officially survived the seasonal transition from “the last breath of autumn” to “stark winter” to the “is it here or not?” arrival of spring. When we pulled up to our new homestead, a few trees were still clinging to their fall wardrobes; today, everything is accessorizing […]
Taking Leave of Our Senses (And Finding Our Cozy Place) in Appalachia
Reflections Most of our inner circle has been remarkably supportive as we trade our Rocky Mountain yuppie life for a life-stage August season on an Eastern Kentucky farm. I’d like to think we’ve even inspired a few friends, in ever how small a way, to reconsider their own trajectories. However, the fact remains: some people […]
The Completion Myth: Finding Peace in a Dream Under Construction
Reflections It’s hard to believe it’s been more than three months already since we moved to Kentucky. We have such exciting dreams for this farm, but the to-do list seems so overwhelming. We have projects great (full renovation of the farmhouse, revitalizing the pond, fixing the driveway, etc.) and small (setting up our grow light […]