Power to the Curious
Everyone has something to teach me.
I’m curious about everything, but especially people — I’m always asking questions and trying to learn more.
Early in my career I was a TV news reporter in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. I was a storm chaser. I covered car crashes and the 4th of July. Every day was a different story.
As vice president of marketing and communications at CRV, I provide guidance on content, thought leadership, internal and external communications, branding, messaging, their websites, social media, community, events and sponsorships.
Compelling stories are everywhere.
That’s what I love about working with startups: There’s always a new story to tell.
(Making New Friends and Hanging Out with CRV’s Ani Daghoghi and Strapi’s Vice President of Marketing, Victor Coisne, at a Recent Event We Co-Hosted with Mercury, a Company CRV First Partnered with in 2019 When we led Its Series A.)
It could be something big and impactful, like a tiny company coming out of nowhere to define a new market, push a regulatory limit or introduce a life-changing product. Or it could be something small but meaningful, like a mom who took an online class to learn to code and now has a new career.
When I was at LinkedIn, we were early to bring together the comms and data science teams. We wanted to give people more tools to help them get jobs. A lot of people would start to write their profile but hit a wall because they didn’t know what to write. We had a hunch that certain terms were falling out of favor due to overuse, and combed through our data to see what patterns emerged. We published “LinkedIn Buzzwords” as a way to help people edit their bios to stand out from the crowd.
I find a lot of value in the negative space — what’s not cool, what’s not obvious.
After LinkedIn I ran my own communications business, focused on helping startups break through. When advising startups, I like to encourage them to think in new ways:
Founders tend to think the best way to get attention is by convincing journalists to write a feature about them and their company. What if instead of trying to get coverage of the CEO, you looked for ways to help your customers tell their stories? What do they care about? How can you reach your buyers with an authentic story when they aren’t expecting it?
You need to constantly ask yourself: What’s the most important story for us to tell right now?
Sometimes the most critical story you can work on is prepping in advance for the ugly, or the unimaginable. Having a “break glass” plan in place when the unexpected happens is the best way to handle a crisis.
When I was a kid I woke up every day at 4am to hit the ice.
And I went back again as soon as school was over.
I was a competitive figure skater.
I loved the feeling of flying and being able to escape into different characters — especially complex or misunderstood characters — and tell their stories in an athletic and creative way. Firebird. Dracula.
I thought I would be a skating coach.
Or maybe a fashion designer.
But then I found journalism.
I try to take a trip every year with my father.
After moving to Cali, my pops and I decided to spend time together exploring new places.
Over the years we’ve been to Cambodia, Egypt, New Zealand, Peru.
My husband comes, too. Cuba, Iceland, Poland, South Africa.
Traveling is a way for me to find new ways of looking at things.
The world becomes less black and white.
There are so many colors in between.
I’ve met some of my best friends on hiking trips. Chile, Nepal, Tanzania.
See left: Official members of the muddy boots club in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Kisoro, Uganda.
