The Highlight Reel
I’ve written a lot of things in the past decade of pursuing this field professionally. Lots of backspaces, lots of tapping fingers, lots of story or angle ideas that popped up on a run. But the best part? Lots of people. Lots of listening over phone calls and coffees. Lots of me pouring over transcripts. Lots of editors taking a chance on me and sending me off to extraordinary places and tell stories that matter. Lots of people who, even just in passing, left their mark on me. They almost always do, even if they don’t know it.
I always try to create work on proud of, but for me, these rise above the rest (listed from most recent to the oldies).*
Magnolia Journal:
Balancing Act. The meatiest design piece I’ve written to date. It required me to dig deep, listen to trusted expertise, and wrangle this thing to the ground with the help of my teammates—and we’re proud of it.
Nurtured for Generations. One person’s story that honors all of our grandmother’s and how her food nurtured us.
For years, MJ had a section we like to call “thematic,” personal stories of people who embody that issue’s specific theme. I’ve had the honor of doing a lot of “as told to” tales over the years, but a few favorites are Tim (my dad!), Donnie, and my pal Norm.
People Who Inspire: Gabe Grunewald. My first story for MJ. One of the hardest stories for me to write, and one I’ll never forget. Gabe is someone I will never forget.
Baylor University: Do the Hard Thing. Okay so, running isn’t a person, obviously. But it is a main character in my story. No piece of my writing describes my complicated relationship with running (and why I keep doing it) more genuinely than this one.
Runner’s World: After a Nearly Fatal Brain Injury, One Athlete’s Redemption with an Ironman. Perhaps the only interview I’ve held where everyone in the conversation (including me) shed a tear. A powerful tale of love and never giving up.
Paste Magazine: World Running Guide: Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. I was a scared 22-year-old who took a solo trip of a lifetime to New Zealand to cover a race. Still one of the most surreal things I’ve ever done.
Travel Journalism study abroad with UGA in Zagreb, Croatia: Zagreb Through a Runner’s Eyes. Me in a hot pink tank, running through capital, staying in stride with the locals, writing down what I discovered along the way. This trip changed my life and this story set off the dominoes to kickstart my career.
You can find more of my work here.
*Side note: I’ve ghostwritten and edited many other stories, but these above have my byline, and I’m proud to have my name alongside them.
