Tag: authenticity

The Art of the Conversation

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I got a message in my email inbox this week from a stranger:

“Hey there, I went ahead and made a whole month’s calendar of social media content.

Can I shoot them your way?”

What? We haven’t even had a conversation?

I’m all for technology – in fact, I’m a computer consultant so my business is technology. But too often we get spun around and start working to fit technology into our lives, personally, professionally and at the corporate level – when it’s supposed to be the other way around — technology working for us.

It feels like technology keeps trying to tell us to speed up. It started long before AI but I feel it more intensely with the pitches that are reaching my inbox like the one above. It makes me so grateful for all that hosting and producing 200 podcasts episodes (135 on Sharing the Heart of the Matter and the rest on the Life of Try channel) has taught me about having deep conversations, slowing down, and making real connections.

In this milestone episode of The Life of Try, Dr. Vicki Atkinson turns the tables and interviews host me about nearly four years of podcasting—and what it takes to keep going.

I share what I’ve learned from 200 podcast conversations. Lessons like:

  • Why authentic conversations require both preparation and presence
  • Why you can’t host and produce at the same time (and it applies to writing and editing as well)
  • Why serving your audience matters more than simply publishing content
  • Creating meaningful work in the age of AI,
  • Finding the right collaborators

Not surprisingly, the best things I’ve learned in 200 episodes relate to conversation and connection, not technology. I appreciate each and every one of you that have listened to an episode. I know how valuable time is and if you’ve spent any time listening to me, and/or Vicki and me, I am so grateful.

If you feel stuck, uncertain, or impatient with your progress, this encouraging conversation is a reminder that growth does not have to happen quickly. One thoughtful conversation, one genuine connection, and one brave try can move you forward.

Links for this episode:

The Art of the Conversation transcript

Victoria Ponders – Dr. Vicki Atkinson’s blog

Vicki’s incredible memoir: Surviving Sue: An inspirational survivor’s story about a daughter and her life with a mother who was riddled with alcoholism, Alzheimer’s, anxiety, depression, and Munchausen’s. – print and eBook

Vicki’s gripping novel: Slivers on Eckhartz Press

Other Episodes You Might Enjoy

How to Finally Write the Book You’ve Been Dreaming About with Dr. Vicki Atkinson

How to Get Unstuck in Life and Start Moving Forward Again with Michael Yang

How to Celebrate Small Wins | Tiny Habits, Resilience & Personal Growth

Success isn’t always about finishing first. Sometimes the greatest victories belong to those who stay prepared, keep growing, and never stop trying.

(featured photo from Pexels)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

The Stories We Hold

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“Tell me facts, and I’ll learn. Tell me truth, and I’ll believe you. But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.” – Native American Proverb

My 11-year-old daughter, Miss O, came home from the second week of middle school with a story she was carrying. She said that there’s a 6th grade boy with ADHD. He’s short with short hair and wears purple glasses. She felt bad for him because her friends said that a teacher in a class stood behind him doing the hand motion for a chatterbox. You know – the talking with your hand kind of motion.

But then this kid got up to do karaoke at lunch. Apparently, they do karaoke on Fridays every week at her middle school. He picked a song and totally rocked it. He just gave it all he had and did great. She started crying as she told me this part because she was so impressed that someone could live out in the open like that, especially as a new-to-middle school 6th grader.

And I told her a story I was carrying. I was out walking Cooper the other day and from a block away saw my neighbor, Ken, out weeding. He lives one block west and one block south of us so not a close connection. But I have spent enough time walking with my dogs and children in the 26 years I’ve lived here that I’ve gotten to know these neighbors.

I watched as their kids left home. Then when they subdivided their lot and built a small house in the yard so their daughter and her husband could live in the house she grew up in. And then the daughter had two babies. We gave them our playhouse and our pink plastic “Fred Flintstone” car. So we’re close enough to be touched by each other but not in each other’s lives.

When I saw Ken, I wondered for a moment if I wanted to walk a different way. Not because I don’t like him, but because I knew in my gut something was wrong. The other day he was weeding his driveway and he didn’t look up. I haven’t seen his wife in a few weeks.

I chose to stay the course and used the block to just open my heart to hold whatever was coming. When I approached, Cooper leaned into him. As Ken threaded his fingers through Cooper’s fur, he quietly said, “I don’t know if you know but Marilyn passed away in June. She had pancreatic cancer.”

Oh dang. I remarked that she was young. Ken said she was 2 days younger than him – 75 years old. When I asked, he told me they’d been married for 48 years.

Both Miss O and I were crying by the time I finished telling the story. Two stories of the quiet struggle and courage of people living out loud. So many different ways to be courageous. The common denominator is that for all those that are watching, there’s not a dry eye in the house.

(featured photo is from Pexels)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

Please check out the The Life of Try podcast Where trying becomes the spark for personal growth, discovery, and re-invention!

Finding The Right Audience

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“Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” – Maya Angelou

I’ve talked with a lot of authors about their marketing strategy, I’ve promoted many who are trying to sell their books, I’ve written reviews of books I’ve read, I’ve connected with a lot of incredible people on WordPress. But if you ask me my marketing strategy, I think my best description would be “organic.” That is to say, I’m doing my best work and hoping that others will find it.

This is probably something you all know – but mostly I have podcast conversations because they are what I need to hear. They just happen to be recorded in the case they are useful to others. 🙂 The podcast conversation I had with Nancy Martira of Clew Strategy for this week’s The Life of Try episode about how to create a brand strategy for humans (in this age of machines) is one of the most helpful and informative.

So I loved talking with Nancy who is an incredibly smart and practical brand strategist. She helped me see some really key points:

  • Reputation vs brand: Reputation is how people perceive us and brand is what you say you are. There is risk when they are at odds. Think of a snarky blogger who tries to market an uplifting book. I only give that example because I don’t know any snarky bloggers but you can see why one might not believe that snark and uplifting go together.
  • We don’t have to be on all the platforms. This is one I wrestle with on a regular basis. It feels like there are too many platforms and I am always behind. Nancy’s advice is to be much more thoughtful about trying to reach for audiences that are already looking for what we have to give. (Big thanks to the WP community – I’m so grateful I’ve found you).

    My dear friend, Victoria Atkinson of the Victoria Ponders blog does this so well. She regularly speaks to audiences about writing for wellness, goes to lit fests, and serves on panels, and in doing so shows she knows how to find readers… and writers that need her beautiful guidance and her incredible books, Surviving Sue, a memoir, and Slivers, the companion novel.
  • Of course, finding the right audience means knowing what our value proposition is — or in Nancy’s great story about George Saunders, our “iconic space” (reference link below). Whether it is finding a job, marketing a book or a podcast, or anything else, knowing what it is that only we can create is essential. Nancy has some great actionable ways to do this.
  • How can we appeal to humans when technology like SEO, algorithms, and AI are cluttering the process? This one often makes my head hurt. Nancy offers some great suggestions for how and when to use technology in a way that doesn’t lessen the human appeal of what we have to offer.

Nancy helps expert-led businesses, authors, job seekers, and knowledge-based professionals find what makes them impossible to ignore. This conversation is especially helpful for writers, creators, entrepreneurs, and professionals who feel uncomfortable with self-promotion just like I do. Nancy’s approach to brand strategy is deeply human, clear, and encouraging — perfect for anyone trying to become more visible while staying true to themselves.

Nancy has a lot of incredible experience and actionable wisdom so the full episode is 46 minutes. Here’s a short clip that contains some great advice for authors:

If you’ve ever wondered how to market a book, promote your business, refresh your LinkedIn profile, stand out in a crowded job market, or build a personal brand that feels authentic, this episode will help you think more clearly about reputation, positioning, storytelling, and the courage to be seen.

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this full episode:

Links for this episode:

Nancy Martira at Clew Strategy: ⁠https://www.clewstrategy.com/⁠ and her Career Positioning Workshop.

Hyperfixed Podcast with Alex Goldman, September 2025. “Alex and the Impossible Ask” 

George Saunders is a best-selling author and a professor of English at Syracuse University. Nancy quotes from his book A Swim in a Pond in the Rain in our conversation. The book is available on Bookshop.org and the audiobook is available on Libro.fm. 

Nancy tells a charming origin story about her company name. This blog post goes more in-depth into what “Clew” means to her. 

 Other episodes you might enjoy

⁠Identity Before Strategy: How to Break Through Invisible Ceilings with Kevin Yoder⁠

⁠The Power of Looking At Your Life Through a New Lens⁠

⁠How to Tell Relatable Stories⁠

(featured photo from Pexels)

If my work has encouraged, inspired, or helped you try something new, consider supporting it with a small “cup of coffee” donation. Your support helps me keep creating conversations, stories, and resources that cheer people on as they do brave, meaningful work.

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram wynneleon

Backing Up My Assumptions

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“You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” – Buddha

Last week I experienced the digital version of having to evacuate the house. My beloved laptop stopped being able to connect to AC power. It’s been touchy for a couple of years so I’d been putting the plug in a certain way and then jiggling it until the red light came on. And then it stopped being able to charge at all.

So I had to grab everything I needed in the span of the power remaining on the battery.

In theory, this should be no problem. I back everything up to the Cloud. In practice, I like to put things in places that aren’t backed up and think I’ll organize them later.

I closed my laptop (to save battery, of course) and thought about it. The first list of things I came up with were the things I needed in the short term. It felt like this was the equivalent of getting my family out of the house in the case of an emergency. Pretty obvious what to grab and the high-level “go bag” I’d prepared helped make me efficient.

But then the next list of things were the precious things in case I couldn’t get my laptop back. These were the digital version of grabbing the baby books and my dad’s lucky baseball mitt before running out the front door.

At this point I was pretty sure I could live with what I had and just needed to spend the time to rebuild my old laptop for what I needed to get done. This is the step where I learned the most because I started making mistakes. I flubbed a post, called someone by the wrong name, and didn’t have time to double-check details.

I ran smack-dab into my assumption that even in the case of disruption, I should be able to get operate like it’s business as usual. Sure, I can rebuild a laptop, stop by the repair shop and still get Miss O to the orthodontist, make all our classes and activities, and just do meetings in the car. <eye roll> Dang, my face still hurts from hitting that metaphorical wall.

The good news is that I got the laptop to the shop with enough battery power remaining that they could get the encryption key they needed in order to fix it. I’ll be back to full power in a couple of weeks. But more lastingly, I learned that in order to give other people grace, I need to learn to give myself some too.

(featured photo from Pexels)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I host the How to Share podcast, a podcast celebrates the art of teaching, learning, giving, and growing.

I also co-host the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, an author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson.

Standing Up for Democracy: Lessons from Kids

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“To understand where you stand in own your life, you cannot remain seated.” – Christine E. Szymanski

I can rely on my kids to have a nose for what’s authentic. At 6 and 10 years old, they might not be able to tell me exactly why, but they can tell the difference between people who are phoning it in and others who are genuinely present.

At the end of the day this past Saturday, I asked them what they liked most about the day and what they could have done better. It’s part of our nighttime routine. Unless we are so tired that we’ve flipped our lids. That happens sometimes too.

They both answered that their favorite part when we went down to the little lake that is a five minute walk from our house and participated in a Stand Up For Democracy event. The organizers were trying to gather enough people to create a continuous loop of people to encircle the lake which is three miles in circumference.

What surprised me about the answer was they liked that even more than watching the Mariners down at the pub with our friend, Eric. Or playing with their friends, skateboarding, or building imaginary spaceships.

My kids can’t yet spell out the details of what makes a democracy, monarchy, or autocracy. But they can tell the good feeling of standing up for what matters and the sense of community that comes from people trying to quietly show their commitment. It’s authentic, it’s strong, and it feels better than worry.

I think they’ve got that right.

(featured photo is mine)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I host the How to Share podcast, a podcast about collaboration – sharing leads to success.

I also co-host the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, an author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson.

The Mysterious Case of the Barking Dog

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“In school we learn that mistakes are bad, and we are punished for making them. Yet, if you look at the way humans are designed to learn, we learn by making mistakes. We learn to walk by falling down. If we never fell down, we would never walk.” – Robert Kiyosaki

On a recent afternoon I was going through the mail in the mailbox and found an unsigned, handwritten note on a plain piece of paper that read (including word error),
“Please do not leave you dog out barking. It is unpleasant for neighbors.”

My ten-year-old daughter, Miss O, saw the look on my face as I tried to discern the message. She came to read over my elbow. Sensing a family meeting, six-year-old Mr. D wandered over and asked what we were doing. We read the note through one more time.

“But Cooper doesn’t bark,” Mr. D said. And he’s right, Cooper isn’t a barker. He’ll steal your socks and your steak but he’s quiet about it.

“And we don’t leave him outside,” Miss O added. Also true. Cooper is in the habit of lying on the front porch to watch the neighborhood but that’s when we’re home and the door is open.

“Maybe they have us confused with someone else,” I mused.

We couldn’t figure out the note but we were united in our righteous indignation in defense of Cooper’s honor. Mr. D suggested he rip up the note and throw it as far as he could.

It wasn’t until the next morning in the shower that I connected the dots. One day the week before we were getting ready to leave the house so that I could drive the kids to camp. Cooper was out on the front porch. I called him in and locked the door.

But when I came home about 90 minutes later after dropping the kids and picking up supplies, Cooper was on the front porch and the door was unlocked. One of the kids must have opened the door to check the weather and Cooper snuck out. He wasn’t barking when I came home so I didn’t realize it right away. He must have barked when he realized he was trapped out there.

The funny thing was that I almost didn’t tell the kids once I figured it out. Our righteous indignation felt so comfortable that I kinda wanted to keep wearing it.

But I also know that it builds up over time. The vulnerability of confession doesn’t come naturally to me, but I’ve found owning my errors and frailty keeps my pipes clean. Everything flows better when I don’t let the grime build up. More than that, I feel everything more fully when I shake off the protective coat of righteous indignation or defensiveness.

And it creates space for learning. When I told the kids my solution to the mysterious case of the barking dog, they both nodded and went, “Ooohhh, right!” I bet we’ll remember that lesson.

(featured photo is mine)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I host the How to Share podcast, a podcast about collaboration – sharing leads to success.

I also co-host the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, an author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson.

How to Share Risks

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“Remember: Not all positive change feels positive in the beginning.” – S.C. Lourie

This is a friendly warning: It’s risky to comment on this blog. I’m joking, of course, but have a great example of no good comment goes unpunished. 🙂

A couple of weeks ago Brian Hannon commented that he approached finding positivity from another perspective on the How to Share Optimism podcast I did with Mark Petruska. To hear Brian describe it, it’s like peeling back an onion. The outer layers are the risks of a thing, whether it be an idea, invitation, initiative, or something else. Those layers need to be dealt with before reaching the savory goodness on the inside.

At which point, I invited Brian on the podcast to talk about his approach of sharing risks.

As a corporate communications professional, Brian Hannon has incredible wisdom about identifying risks and communicating effectively. In this episode of the How to Share podcast, Brian shares his unique perspective on optimism, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging risks and challenges before moving towards a positive outlook.

Brian discusses the role of authenticity in communication, the balance between optimism and realism, and how humor can help navigate difficult conversations. Our conversation also touches on parenting and the lessons learned from life’s challenges, ultimately highlighting the value of embracing discomfort for personal growth.

Takeaways

  • Brian sees risks and challenges first before finding positives.
  • Acknowledging failure is crucial for a realistic perspective.
  • Authenticity is essential in communication and leadership.
  • Humor helps in delivering downsides without negativity.
  • Writing helps clarify thoughts and learn from experiences.
  • Embracing discomfort can lead to long-term growth.
  • Balancing perspectives can enhance collaboration and understanding.
  • Life’s challenges often provide valuable lessons.
  • Parenting influences how we perceive risks and challenges.
  • Finding a middle ground between optimism and realism is key.

Here’s a preview of Brian’s grounded and resilient approach:

Here are some ways you can listen and watch this incredible episode:

Please listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe.

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

What if the key to overcoming procrastination isn’tfinishing—it’s simply starting? In this episode of The Life of Try,Wynne Leon shares a practical 10-minute strategy for beginning before you feel ready, taking imperfect action, and building momentum when a goal feels overwhelming.Explore why starting can feel so difficult, how the Zeigarnik effect may keep unfinished tasks active in your mind, and why one small first step can help you move forward with greater clarity and confidence. You’ll leave with a simple challenge: set a timer, make one imperfect move, and give yourself a clear next step.If you’re ready to stop procrastinating, get unstuck, and take action on something that matters, this episode is your invitation to begin. Then continue building momentum with How to Build Habits That Stick featuring Dr. Mike Rucker.What will you start today?
  1. How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action
  2. The Art of Meaningful Conversations: Lessons from 200 podcast episodes
  3. The Power of Saying Yes
  4. Growth Takes Energy| How Rest Helps Habits Stick
  5. When You Know You're Not Going to Make It

Links for this episode:

⁠Brian’s blog: Writing from the Heart with Brian⁠

⁠Brian Hannon⁠ on LinkedIn

(featured photo from Pexels)

Source Code

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“Writing also makes you process memories in a different way. You have one idea and then remember another. It’s like each one is a cow in a field, and you have to round them all up.” – Michael J. Fox

The other day I mentioned to a friend that I was reading Bill Gates’ latest book Source Code. He responded with something along the lines of, “Oh, right, that book. He’s trying to reform his image.”

Living in Seattle, it’s hard not to have an opinion about Bill Gates. So many of my close friends work for or have worked for Microsoft or the Gates Foundation. I spent many years working at Microsoft as a consultant. We feel like we know him because we’ve crossed paths with him in so many ways. We’ve lived in the same neighborhoods Bill grew up in, hiked the same trails, and/or went to the same schools.

From my perspective, Bill changed how engineers like me were compensated. He’s 14 years older than me. By the time I graduated from the University of Washington with my electrical engineering degree, I benefitted from the ripple effect of the Microsoft practice of giving stock options to everyone in the company. No longer were just senior management and sales people compensated for growth, but the technical people were as well. It raised the bar for paying everyone in the region.

He also led a company whose culture allowed for, and possibly grew, egotistical bullies as long as they were smart. Other business ventures he’s been involved with have pushed their weight around in less flattering ways too.  

So the ripple effects from Bill Gates are felt strongly here. Some positive and others less so.

Source Code only covers his first 20 years. Is he trying to polish up his image? Possibly. My writer and reader heart likes his book for the digging deep to understand where his story started. It seems like an honest effort.

(featured photo from Pexels)

You can find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wynneleon/ and Instagram @wynneleon

I host the How to Share podcast, a podcast about how to share anything – to the appropriate audience, with the right permissions, at the most opportune time.

I also co-host the Sharing the Heart of the Matter podcast, an author, creator and storytelling podcast with the amazing Vicki Atkinson.

How to Share Professional Communications with Brian Hannon

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“Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after.” – Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Twenty-five years ago, long before there was MailChimp, one of my projects for Microsoft was to email out their program offers to their 60,000 partners on a quarterly basis. I remember it as one of the most nerve-racking tasks of my job at the time. Not because of the technology, which was no problem, but because if something was wrong with the message we sent out, it had such visibility.

It really is amazing to think about the potential impact that technology has given us. But it also puts a lot of stress on how we share to a wider audience. Whether it’s work-related, part of volunteering on a committee, or a personal appeal to friends to join a cause, we have the ability to reach a broad group. Like my email project, that puts a lot of pressure on how we do it.

That’s why I love this latest episode of the How To Share podcast with corporate communications professional, Brian Hannon.

Brian and I talk about the nuances of professional communication. We explore the importance of understanding the audience, the timing of messages, and the need for authenticity in sharing information. Brian shares insights from his 30 years in corporate communications and journalism, emphasizing the significance of clarity, repetition, and empathy in effective messaging. The conversation highlights the evolution of communication formats and the challenges of simplifying messages for better understanding.

Here are some key takeaways:

  • Understanding your audience is crucial for effective communication.
  • Timing can significantly impact how messages are received.
  • Repetition helps ensure that important messages are not lost.
  • Segmenting your audience allows for more targeted communication.
  • Authenticity builds trust in corporate messaging.
  • Clear and concise messaging is essential in today’s fast-paced environment.
  • Empathy plays a key role in understanding how messages are perceived.
  • Feedback loops enhance the effectiveness of communication.
  • The evolution of communication formats requires adaptation in messaging strategies.
  • Effective communication is about sharing ideas, not just delivering information.

And a short clip from the episode to whet your appetite:

I’d be honored if you’d listen, watch, provide feedback and subscribe. Here are some ways you can listen and watch to the full episode:

How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action – The Life of Try: Personal growth, one try at a time.

What if the key to overcoming procrastination isn’tfinishing—it’s simply starting? In this episode of The Life of Try,Wynne Leon shares a practical 10-minute strategy for beginning before you feel ready, taking imperfect action, and building momentum when a goal feels overwhelming.Explore why starting can feel so difficult, how the Zeigarnik effect may keep unfinished tasks active in your mind, and why one small first step can help you move forward with greater clarity and confidence. You’ll leave with a simple challenge: set a timer, make one imperfect move, and give yourself a clear next step.If you’re ready to stop procrastinating, get unstuck, and take action on something that matters, this episode is your invitation to begin. Then continue building momentum with How to Build Habits That Stick featuring Dr. Mike Rucker.What will you start today?
  1. How to Stop Procrastinating and Start: The 10-Minute Rule for Taking Action
  2. The Art of Meaningful Conversations: Lessons from 200 podcast episodes
  3. The Power of Saying Yes
  4. Growth Takes Energy| How Rest Helps Habits Stick
  5. When You Know You're Not Going to Make It

Links for this episode:

Brian’s blog: Writing from the heart with Brian

Brian Hannon on LinkedIn

Next up!

Stay tuned for next week’s episode when we get great guidance from Dr. Vicki Atkinson on how to receive when others share. A fantastic episode that comes with many great tips about how to deepen our ability to listen.

A Mini Blog Tour

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“Authenticity is a collection of choices that we have to make every day. It’s about the choice to show up and be real…to be honest…to let our true selves be seen.” – Brene Brown

A few years back I proposed/threatened/promised that I wanted to one day pack my kids and dog into an RV and go on a tour to meet blog buddies. The WordPress community really is so amazing for incredible stories, big hearts and willingness to interact.

While that tour is mostly a fantasy, I’ve been lucky enough to meet so many bloggers through Zoom when we’ve done podcasts. I’ve enjoyed these conversations with people that feel like they are already friends immensely.

On top of that, I’ve been fortunate to meet a number of WordPress friends in person over the years. Playwright Jack Canfora, artist Libby Saylor, Deb (Closer to the Edge blog), and Betsy Kerekes (Writing and Martial Arts blog). Unfortunately, I’ve not yet met my podcast partner and dear friend, Vicki Atkinson (Victoria Ponders blog) in person. But I was lucky enough to meet Vicki’s brilliant and delightful daughter when she came to Seattle.

When the incredible and effervescent Cindy Georgakas (Uniquely Fit blog) said she was coming to the Seattle last weekend, I jumped at the opportunity to spend a few minutes with her as well. My kids, Cooper the dog, and I piled into the car to do a mini blog adventure to meet up with her near where she and her family were staying.

Cindy confessed that her family didn’t think her blogging friends were real. Not only was it fun to prove that notion wrong but it’s also pretty amazing to discover that our blogging friends are pretty much who you’d expect them to be based on their writing.

Jack is witty, Libby is passionate, Deb is whip-smart and charming, Betsy is clever and strong, and Cindy is authentic and inspiring. Seeing that depth in person makes me even more grateful for the realness of this lovely community!

(featured photo taken by Cindy Georgakas)