The best thing about what I do is that I get to make my reader feel like she’s not alone, that she’s not weird or freakish for feeling what she feels or experiencing what she’s experiencing, and that there is a way to address whatever she perceives as her problem so she can get to a better place.
Service journalism, which is a chunk of my work, is about how-to and taking action. In my 20s I wrote a column called Ask Anything for the late, lamented YM Magazine, and I still sometimes get women (who were teens or tweens at the time) telling me that I helped clarify deeply personal things for them when there was no one else to talk to.
The other part of what I do is helping to tell people’s stories and highlighting the universal element that makes the reader feel connected. Whether it’s the story of a Christian woman figuring out how to reconcile her religious and political beliefs with the fact that her kid is transgender, or a woman deciding whether to risk her life and carry her twins to term, I appreciate the opportunity to help us get to know one another — especially these days when it seems extra hard.
Right now I work in the health space, which is always fascinating, especially when I get to clarify misperceptions and put health information into context for people who don’t spend their time poring over research.
You can check out some of my work, below.
