Who Are We?

I once wrote a shoe company script for John Madden that included the line: “At the end of the day, my dogs are really barking.” One time Peyton Manning made fun of me for wearing “denim on denim.” I once made $150 for writing “Free stickers inside!” for a Fruit of the Loom underwear package. A client once fired me for pointing out to his administrative assistant that you don’t need the extra “e” in “judgment.” I was the high scorer on the Butler Soccer club (two goals) as a freshman in 1977 and Butler Frisbee golf champion in 1978. Once a year, I get to sing on stage.

I have been called many things: passionate, demanding, smart, crazy, decisive, bossy, ambitious, stubborn, curious. One thing I’ve never been known for is being content. I’m at my best when I have a goal and a plan to get there. Take the time I wanted to have “Michelle Obama arms.” I hired a personal trainer, bought weights and a medicine ball, studied macros, planned a weeks’ worth of meals and workouts every Sunday, and asked friends to hold me accountable. Man, my arms looked good.

With all this Type A energy, you might be surprised that I preach an 80/20 rule at work. Plan for 80% and be open to opportunities the rest of the time. As Ferris Bueller says, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

When my daughter was two, I started taking care of her during the day so my wife could go back to work. I carried a notebook on our outings, thinking I’d work on writing ideas, but I didn’t do much writing. Instead, the notebook filled with pictures of Big Bird my daughter was always asking me to draw. Despite months of practice, I never quite got the hang of his beak, which must be very carefully shaped and proportioned. You have to get that part right, or he just doesn’t seem like himself.

I have a general rule to not spend money on T-shirts with logos or promotions on them. If you’re going to be a walking billboard for a company, the shirt should be free.

That being said, there are a few exceptions:

1. The T-shirt is the best way to promote a cause you believe in—a measly bumper sticker won’t cut it. Then, sure, go donate your hard-earned cash and wear that shirt proudly.

2. You yourself created the epically sublime art proudly adorning the preshrunk, organic, cotton-blend tee. Shirt-folio™ for the win, my friend.

3. The T-shirt is in another language and you have absolutely no idea what it says but you’re willing to roll the dice on it. Caveat emptor, fashionista.

3: Number of adults that call me Mom. They are my true north.

13: Years I’ve worked at Well Done.

26: Number of years I’ve been married to my high school sweetheart.

52: Number of smart, talented, and donut-loving colleagues it’s been my pleasure to work with here.

280: Number of clients I’ve worked with (directly or indirectly) since coming here.

196,000: Number of miles I’ve commuted from Lebanon, Indiana. I’ll never move, no matter the gas prices.

“People used to ask me why I always wear black. My response to them was that the people are what add color to my life; no need to clutter it up with my clothes, too.” – Diane Keaton

You’re probably thinking, “What is this girl doing quoting Diane Keaton—she’s a little off her rocker.” Agreed. However, black is my favorite color. You’ll see me wearing some form of black almost every day. It’s a classic, a color that goes with any outfit and situation.

Growing up, my mom used to dress me in big, pink dresses, the kind held up with tulle beneath the skirt, my hair in bouncy curls from sleeping in sponge curlers all night. She created the ultimate girly girl, and dressing me in bright colors only amplified my loud, bubbly personality.

But if I had a dollar for every time a friend sent me the meme that reads “It’s such a beautiful day outside, I think I’ll wear black,” I’d be rich. Wearing black didn’t begin as a conscious choice, but somewhere along the line I’d had enough: Enough with the pink tutus, and enough with uncomfortable nights spent sleeping in hair curlers. So I’ll stick to Diane Keaton’s mantra, and let my relationships add the zest to my life.

Moms know best. When I was growing up in Marion, Indiana, and asked mine about choosing a career, she told me to pick something I’d be happy doing for 50 years. That seemed like an eternity back then—well before iPhones, kombucha, and microbreweries.

I love a good story so becoming a journalist seemed logical. I covered everything from government and crime to culture and sports for several daily newspapers before that business shifted and so did I—into another gear. Literally. I went to work in racing, specifically the communications department at the IndyCar Series, helping other journalists tell stories about race car drivers and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Now I’m shifting again, into a writing and producing role here at Well Done. While I’m sure these changes weren’t part of what mom imagined when she answered my question long ago, she was right. Stories come in endless forms and I’m happy to tell as many as possible before my 50 (ish) years are up.

I called the Milan-Malpensa Airport at least six times in two days before I was reunited in the Room of Misfit Luggage with my precious in-case-my-big-suitcase-gets-lost bag. I might be a little Type A (I’m underselling it), but I like to think of myself as determined and driven. I love to be organized–even my lists have sublists. Office supplies make me happy. I have more notebooks and pens than one person should own. That said, I do remind myself to take time to relax every once in a while with photography, face masks, and episodes of Real Housewives, Full House, and Chef’s Table.

I love music, but I am not musically talented. When I try to sing, I sound like a dying animal. I won’t even do karaoke. I am THAT bad.

I can, however, memorize song lyrics faster than most of you can count to 10.

As a kid, I hated reading; the words went into my head and right back out, and I couldn’t remember a single one. My dad tried making me read aloud, but that didn’t help. Then my mom said, “Alex, you can memorize song lyrics faster than anyone I know. Why don’t you try to sing the words in your book?”

Sure enough, that was the key to my becoming a successful 4th-grade student. So if you write me an email, make sure it’s got a kicking backbeat.

My early career aspirations, in chronological order: cheerleader, veterinarian, English teacher, graphic designer, journalist, web developer, travel writer, and social worker. I’m now doing none of those things. But I’m pleasantly surprised every day by how much I enjoy (and am actually pretty good at) research and data and spreadsheets. I get to use most of the foundational skills of the aforementioned jobs in my current role (except maybe animal care), so I may have struck vocational gold. I’ve sung on the stages of Carnegie Hall and the Sydney Opera House, I’m moderately obsessed with light fixtures, and, according to a Pantone test I took once, I have perfect color acuity.

Born and raised a Hoosier, I just graduated from Indiana University and am doing my best at this “real world” thing. I’m from Evansville, right on the Kentucky border. My entire family lives there, and we’re all super close, so the move to Indy was a big step. I love the South, but for some reason every new chapter moves me further north.

I’m a huge sports fan—IU basketball, the Colts, the Pacers, the Cardinals. I played softball for 12 years, the one wearing a face mask on the pitcher’s mound. The tan lines from that were great.

I can’t sit in the same spot for a long time, but when I get into a Netflix binge, you can find me watching Friends, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or The Office. I live by dry humor and sarcasm, but I’m also a sucker for romance.

I’m also an 80s fanatic. Everything from music to movies to the way people dressed. My 13th birthday party was 80s-themed, and I’ve been to a Def Leppard concert. You could say I was born in the wrong decade. Although being that confusing age where no one can really classify you as a Millennial or a Gen Zer is kind of neat.

In 1997 the Chicago Bulls went 72-10 and won an NBA Championship. The only team to win that many games, including a championship, ever. Most consider that Bulls team the best in the history of basketball. Growing up in central Illinois, they were my team.

What my 12-year-old self didn’t know was the full extent of how that team achieved historic success. The team comprised a motley crew of vets and rookies, shooting specialists, foreign players, Hall of Fame superstars, and a pink-haired rebounding guru named Dennis Rodman. All orchestrated by a zen-like coach.

What I learned is that team dynamics and tolerance matter, whether it’s dribbling a basketball or launching a large campaign.

My personal brand can be summed up in three words: babies, board games, and community. (I guess that’s four?) I am super grateful to be mom to Elena and Elliot. To my partner’s dismay, I play lots of obnoxiously long strategy board games. And I love serving the Indy community: I sit on the boards for TogetherDigital Indianapolis, Centric Indiana, and my homeowner association. I also spend my summer months obsessing over Indy City Futbol, as a front-office official and sometime player. Lately, this has resulted in too much Diet Coke and coffee consumption, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’ve never been much of an athlete. Growing up, I tried and failed at just about every sport. Soccer? Clearly my head (and body) is not in the game. Swimming? Sure, I gave it a shot…until a kid short-stopped me during lap practice one day causing me to take a whole lot of water up my nose. Little League? Golf? I tried those too, but apparently most sports require something called hand-eye coordination, which isn’t a quality I possess. As I grew older, I found other things I excelled at—like people. I like people. I get people. And I thoroughly enjoy working in a role that centers around people.

I wrote my first cookbook at the age of seven with the help of my grandmother. To be fair, I also wrote a compilation of loosely rhymed poetry, a hand-illustrated bunny Bildungsroman, and several short stories. That cookbook was a tour de force. It included five recipes with introductory thoughts and drawings and featured a frangipane tartlet.

Back then I didn’t know the proper path to becoming a cookbook mogul was through culinary school, restaurants, or a TV network. Instead, I pursued a career in writing, marketing, and nonprofit development. But I’ve been subjecting my husband, family, friends, and occasionally my dog to recipe testing for my second cookbook ever since. The sophomore hit really is as tough as they claim.

When I was younger, my parents converted our garage attic into an art studio for my mom. I logged many hours up there with her, drawing and listening to John Mellencamp CDs. Eventually, I recognized so much of what I found exciting in the world could be traced back to thoughtful design—and that led to my degree from the Herron School of Art + Design at IUPUI. Now, the good fight against mediocre design is simply a way of life.

If I’m not designing, you might find me tinkering around with furniture making, enjoying a drink with friends, watching The Office, or dodging the occasional Nerf dart fired at me by my roommate.