About

I was afraid to be honest in my college essay.

The girl who razzed me daily through the window of my ice cream truck didn’t get the enlightened treatment I claimed. She didn’t get free snow cones. I wasn’t very nice to her.

I told the story I thought would make me look like a great guy. I didn’t know how to share that the shame I felt about how I had treated her helped me learn how much I value compassion, patience and kindness.

This wasn’t a big part of my story, and it made no difference in my early acceptance to Williams College.  But to this day, I wish I had written an essay I could have been proud of.

In the years since I wrote about that ice cream truck, I’ve become very proud of the integrity of my communication. This is key to my own writing, and it’s what I stress as a consultant and coach to leaders, business owners, professionals and high school students.

I’ve been helping people communicate well and tell memorable stories for twenty years. I’ve been an English teacher, and run a teen leadership program at my local ski area. As a coach, writer, mentor and friend I support people in living meaningful, fulfilling and happy lives.

And three years ago I began guiding high school students as they write their college essays.

I do all of this with a seriousness of purpose, and a lot of playfulness. I enjoy life, and have a lot of fun. I help make the process of writing an essay less stressful for students; they often find that it can be an enjoyable and eye-opening experience.

When writing this page, I asked myself the same questions I ask kids writing essays: How can I catch and keep the reader’s attention? How can I share what’s important to me, what I’ve learned, how I’ve grown, and how I interact with others? How can I tell an authentic (and true!) story, in my own voice?

And for me, how can I finally tell the truth about that little girl from long ago?

Here’s my very abridged resume:

Work

  • Self-employed business owner since 1999, with an emphasis on personal and leadership development, communication coaching and consulting, writing, and website development.
  • Ski instructor since 1996, and member of the leadership team at the Summit at Snoqualmie from 2005-2011. For five years I have led the Alpental Leadership Program.
  • Presidential Management Fellow and, later, Troublemaker (really, that was on my business card) at the U.S. Department of Labor from 1993 – 1999.
  • English teacher and department chair at The DeSisto School in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, 1988-1990.

Education

  • Master of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1993.
  • Bachelor of Arts, Williams College, 1988.