Yay. It’s January! Or it’s the last week of December.
Wow, who even knows what day of the week it is right now.
I didn’t send anything last week because it was Christmas, and I hope you had a lovely time with your Family and Friends.
I also want to say thank you. I got to see a few of you in person over the holidays, and so many of you told me you’re enjoying the newsletter. This feedback keeps me going when I feel like there’s no point in writing these stupid weekly newsletters how is it that time again already…. anyways, I’m really glad you’re liking them :)
Me, in an airport lounge, trying to finish my dang weekly newsletter in time
Which brings me to this week’s thought.
I think everyone should have a newsletter.
Recently I came across research from ExecThread that talked about the growing demand for storytellers in leadership and executive roles. Not AI. Not automation. Actual humans who can connect ideas, context, and experience into something meaningful. That really stuck with me, because it lines up exactly with what I’ve felt over the last year of writing this newsletter.
The % of LinkedIn job listings in the U.S. that include the term “storyteller” doubled in the year ending this past November, to include >50k job listings under marketing, and >20k job listings under media & communications that mentioned the term, acc. to LinkedIn.
And storytelling is even hitting Wall Street, with public co. executives referencing the words ‘storyteller’ or ‘storytelling’ on earnings calls and investor days 469x in 2025 (through Dec. 11th) vs. only 359x in all of 2024, and 147x in 2023, acc. to FactSet.
After writing consistently for a year, I’ve learned a lot about my own voice in terms of what feels natural, what feels forced, and I’ve been keeping track of how people react to different editions.
Everyone’s favourites? They’re not the most “polished” ones.
It’s always the ones where I share a little more of myself and tell a real story.
That muscle didn’t come naturally to me. In fact, it was uncomfortable. I’m still learning. I still feel like I have a long way to go. But that’s also why - yes - this personal newsletter is continuing into 2026.
Was there ever any doubt?
The Unexpected Side Effect I Didn’t See Coming
One thing that surprised me recently is who is reading this.
I learned that there are quite a few people reading this who might not have met me in person, rather, one of my immediate family or friends referred it to them.
At first I cringed a little - strangers! And then I realized something interesting.
Some of those people:
work in industries I’m currently in or targeting
are further along in their careers
have done things I literally have on my vision board
And now, they already know how I think.
They know my voice.
They know what I care about.
Without me having to awkwardly explain it.
This newsletter quietly did something I didn’t expect. It activated my network. Now, if I wanted to connect with one of them about them selling their company, developing a speaking portfolio or productizing a service, I would feel a lot more confident reaching out to schedule a networking call.
I think a lot of us believe we’re operating in a vacuum. That we need to go find “new” connections. But the truth is, the network you already have is incredibly valuable. People just need to know what you’re up to.
Why I’m Convinced This Matters
Over the holidays, I noticed a lot of people sent out Christmas or year-end newsletters. And almost everyone I talked to said the same thing:
“The feedback was amazing.”
“I didn’t realize how many people were reading.”
“It was so nice to hear from so-and-so and catch up”
Agreed! It is great! And we could all use a little more connection.
My Very Low-Pressure Challenge
If you’ve ever thought about starting a newsletter, this is your sign.
It doesn’t have to be weekly. In fact, for the love of all that is peaceful in your life, do not make it weekly, because it’s a hard schedule to keep.
Pick a schedule that is reasonable - monthly, or quarterly. Just be consistent.
For your first few, just send out a regular email and BCC everyone you want to send it to. Make it VERY CLEAR that they can opt out. Or, email everyone you’d like to send it to and ask if they want to opt in (even better.)
After that, use a free platform - I still use the free version of Beehiiv for this newsletter and my professional one, and I have 300 subscribers between the two.
Find a theme! I started with leaning on my Inventory, Process Improvement and Supply Chain background and it helps me stay focused on continuous improvement.
Have fun with it! Use AI as much as you want for the first few editions. Try out a voice to text AI and talk to your computer for 5 minutes and see what comes out.
Send it to me! I want to know more about everyone, all the time. I am so deeply curious about YOU, what lights you up, what you are doing, your take on things - if nothing else, send it to me and I promise I will read it.
Best wishes and here we go - 2026!
