I still remember how scared I was the first time I hit record during an interview about gay rights.
I was in high school, a baby journalist trying to put together a story about the raging debate over gay inclusion in the Boy Scouts of America. And I was terrified to touch what felt like a fully-electrified third rail.
What shocked me, though, was that the person I interviewed voiced full-throated support for LGBTQ+ inclusion in Scouting—an opinion I secretly held myself, but was not yet ready to verbalize.
That first story put me on a path to becoming a journalist, and later author, who sought out taboo topics and difficult conversations. On the Boy Scouts story and many others, I learned to amplify marginalized voices and call out discrimination. And I did it all with a level of transparency, vulnerability and narrative craft that infused my stories with a unique power.
I carry those lessons with me today, and still use my journalism to those ends: Empowering overlooked communities and illuminating solutions to our collective problems—all while spinning a good yarn.
Ready to get on board?