A decade of writing for the biggest business publications on the planet under my own name and on the behalf of CEOs, CTOs, CMOs, and serial founders.
A decade of editing articles and special sections for magazines and newspapers and partnering with design experts to create websites, case studies, marketing collateral, white papers, and even a book on PR best practices.
A decade of leading marketing and brand strategy workshops, covering industry conferences for clients, crafting brand names, taglines and mission statements, building tone of voice guidelines, using my journalism skills to conduct customer research for global corporations, and helping marketing leads ensure consistency in their internal and external communication.
A decade of in-person speaking engagements and virtual workshops. A decade of going back-and-forth on my stance on the oxford comma. A decade of partnership. A decade of people — clients, colleagues, vendors who have become true friends.
And oh-so much learning. Learning by doing. Learning by reading, researching and interviewing leaders in technology, health, marketing, advertising, entrepreneurship, retail, finance, management, HR operations, culture — the list goes on. In addition to learning about subject matters, I have learned about formats and strategies. I remember when infographics were a new thing. I remember my first video script, my first podcast-related assignment, my first (okay, my only) project in the metaverse.
My work with digital media continues to grow while print assignments hold steady. I relish my work for mags and newspapers you can touch and feel and stand by the storytelling best practices that hold true no matter the medium: know your audience, find the emotion, write succinctly.
My goal for the next 10 years is to continue to partner with smart, creative, reasonable folks I can learn from and help. While I have tried to shake my people-pleasing tendencies, I have learned to appreciate the ways this personality trait benefits me and my clients. My biggest driver is not a paycheck, a fancy byline, or a big client name. Whether I like it or not, my chief motivator is making people happy. Helping. Ten years later and I still light up like a child on a snow day when a client says, “Thank you — this is what we needed” or, “Wow, our team really enjoyed working with you.” I savor those moments when a source fact-checks the article I featured them in and responds with, “How did you do that? How did you translate my 45 minutes of rambling into something, smart?”
Another goal of mine is to continue practicing gratitude. Not to brag, but I have gotten pretty good at it. My career affords me non-stop learning AND flexibility. I maintain a genuinely fulfilling career and still volunteer in my kids’ classrooms, serve on the P.T.A., exercise religiously, and sneak away for the occasional vacation or “girls’ night.” (My dirty secret is that I work a lot at night, but this arrangement suits me and my family.) Every day I am thankful.
Lastly, I hope in the next decade that I can tend to my pestering pang to write creatively. I want to write a fiction book, but my immediate goal is to write just to write. To enjoy the process. To write for me — a goal that can feel near-impossible due to competing demands for my time and also, fatigue. I write for others. When I have a free moment, my instinct is not to do more writing. But I know I am harboring a dull sense of disappointment — a frustration. I am angry with myself for not pursuing the thing I thought I would always do.
But enough self-flagellation. A ten-year work anniversary is a time for celebration. I am lucky enough to have the world’s best (fact-check me, I dare you) family and friends to celebrate with.
I am feeling compelled to sign this… yep, it’s happening…
Love,
Jacqueline
P.S. Honesty Update: That cake photo above is a stock image. No one gave me a cake. But here is a pic of me and the fam skiing in Utah for the first time this February. Better than a cake for sure.
