Where did you grow up and what was your childhood like? Did you have any particular experiences/stories that shaped your adult life?

I grew up in the suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky with two parents, a younger brother, and a long-haired chihuahua named Walker. My parents ran small businesses, and while their talk about small business ownership and responsibility made me roll my eyes too often back then, I think about those days all the time now that I’m running my own small business.

What is something you wish you would’ve realized earlier in your life?

That no one is going to come along and give you permission to make the choices you want to make. Make them or don’t, but don’t wait for someone to tell you it’s okay.

What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise?

I too often hear the advice “follow your passion” for your work life. Of course, you should feel passionate about your life and your work—but passion without strategy isn’t going to take you anywhere good.

Tell me about one of the darker periods you’ve experienced in life. How you came out of it and what you learned from it?

I experienced a sudden onset of anxiety following the events of 9/11 and struggled with it for many years afterward; it’s still something that rears its head from time to time. I learned so much from the experience about caring for my body and mind, about why we can’t compare losses and the great value of sharing your struggles with others.

What is one thing that you do that you feel has been the biggest contributor to your success so far?

I’ve benefitted from dumb luck and a few great ideas, but feel pretty confident that the biggest is being able to put my butt in the chair and get to work.

What is your morning routine?

I’ve always been reluctant to embrace routine, but greatly benefit from putting routines I can rely on in place. My morning routine varies with the time of year and with my children’s schedules; I have four kids with wildly different school schedules, and their school status has a big impact on the adult work schedules at my house.

These days I’m rising at 6, brewing coffee and taking my vitamins, and sitting down to work on my biggest writing project for an hour before I go on mom duty or do any other work. After that, I hang out in the kitchen with my family for a bit while we make breakfast and prepare for the rest of the day.

What habit or behavior that you have pursued for a few years has most improved your life?

Long walks and short runs, whether they’re solo, with a friend, or with my dog. Moving my body helps counteract all the sitting I do as a writer and desk worker, and I think so much more clearly when I’m active—whether the ideas are coming to me during a run or after a long morning walk.

What are your strategies for being productive and using your time most efficiently?

It’s not possible to “finish” most of what I do—writing, blogging, and podcasting will take every hour you have to give and then some; there’s always something else you could be doing. Because of that, I’m diligent in prioritizing what I take on. I also learned long ago that time management is energy management: I pay attention to not only how much time events take up on my calendar, but how much and what type of energy they demand from me.

I also build in plenty of time to rest. Thankfully, reading is one of my favorite ways to rest and recharge.

What book(s) have influenced your life the most? Why?

I have so many favorite books and so many that have influenced my life in big ways, that it’s hard to choose! I’ll offer a few books that I read early in my life, that made me think, I didn’t know a book could be like this. I read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky for the first time in high school, and marveled at how piercing and relevant this dusty old work of literature was, even to an immature seventeen-year-old! I read Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek at eighteen; I had never read anything like it. And Anne Fadiman’s Ex Libris was my first book about books—a genre I would go on to know and love and even contribute to myself.

Do you have any quotes you live by or think of often?

My most-referenced quote is from Emily Dickinson: “I dwell in possibility.”