Like any good couple, my wife (Jess) and I have our shows. There are shows I like. There are shows she likes. There are shows we both like. ​ For the most part, we do a pretty good job of watching TV together (underrated element of a modern marriage, IMO). But there’s one set of […]

My Great Aunt Josephine died two weeks ago. She was 101. One hundred and one! A true matriarch, she lived through the Great Depression, the World War that killed her brother, the deaths of two sisters, the death of her son, an alcoholic ex-husband, and a brief stint waiting tables on mafia members in South […]

Not that long ago upon a time, I coached a woman with an enviable/terrifying task: she was going to pitch an idea to Jason Sudeikis. ​ Among her questions for me: “How should I start my presentation?” ​ She’s a huge Ted Lasso fan. Should she start by fangirling about the show? That it’s so […]

There were basically two things I wanted to do growing up: ​ I loved sports so much and if I could only meet an athlete, my life would be complete. There were rumors that the Phillies backup catcher lived in my hometown. There’s really not much to do in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. If I hang out […]

There I was, innocently stealing my friend George’s Hulu password to watch Welcome to Wrexham. In episode 9 there’s this great part when Ryan Reynolds says “I hate public speaking.” He knows that’s surprising given his profession. ​ He’s hardly alone in that feeling. Harrison Ford has said public speaking is “a mixed bag of […]

Through a strange sequence of events, one of my friends from college had his rehearsal dinner at a major celebrity’s property. We’re talking major-major. Everyone reading this email knows who this guy is. ​ As a courtesy, the couple invites Famous Guy to the rehearsal dinner. Never do they think he’ll show up. Oh, but […]

Last year, in a moment of weakness, we signed up for meal delivery from Hello Fresh. They have a cool logo, a cool name and – most importantly – a product that would alleviate stress in my life. ​ One problem: they’re liars. ​ In what world could any normal person finish cooking these meals […]

Life moves pretty fast when you’re wondering if you misunderstood the assignment. Especially when you’re about to read that assignment to the rest of the conference. ​ Here was the deal: In grad school, my friend Imran and I wrote a literature review on cell phone communication. This is back in the T9 texting era; […]

Fresh off a week of orange Gatorade and Gigantosaurus (aka a week of shared Covid with my son), your buddy Mike is back with a look at his favorite day of 2022. Was it a particularly good date with my wife? Was it the day I got to present at Craft and Commerce? The day […]

There are FAQs and then there are QNDABTSA. Let’s say that one together:Questions Nobody Directly Asks But They Still Ask One of my favorites is:How well do I need to know the speech? This manifests itself through indirect questions like:“Do you have tips for how to remember what you’re saying?”“How much should I rehearse?”“Should I […]