For a long time, doing it alone felt like freedom. The first 15 years of my career were built inside of systems—and relationships—where my power was controlled by someone else. First, inside of corporate America. Then, inside of the first company I co-founded. I knew what it felt like to have my choices restricted by other people’s authority. To develop my ideas inside structures where they could never be fully realized. To depend on people and institutions for access, resour

At my yoga studio, there's a huge container of wipes near the door. They are offered to any person who wishes to use them. These wipes come in one long roll, each separated from the next by a perforated line—a suggestion of where one wipe ends and the next begins. On the container is a hand-written sign: PLEASE TAKE ONE WIPE. So, naturally, I obeyed the rule. The pull of the Good Girl identity is strong. The problem was, one wipe was never enough. I would start at the top of

I’ve started writing my second book. And I’ve already caught myself writing for the reader's gaze. A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with a woman in publishing about my book. She asked me for three things, when I was ready to share more: an outline, an introduction and a sample chapter. There was no deadline. No pressure. No expectation that I produce any of them immediately. And yet—as I started writing—I put her in the room with me. I started thinking about the outline.