The kids are alright.
I went out for yakiniku (Japanese BBQ) with my 4 niblings and my mom. My 13 year old niece mentioned she broke up with her girlfriend when we were in the car. I assumed she meant she had a friend breakup, but at dinner she clarified my misunderstanding. "She wasn't my friend, she was my girlfriend." She told me they were dating for a year. She mostly likes girls, but also likes boys, only if they have good abs. Her favourite lip gloss is from Sephora and it tastes like chocolate. She hopes she makes friends at camp. She said all of these things with the same amount of whatever-ness in her voice.
She told me her sister also likes girls. My other niece nodded, said "yup", and then popped a piece of marinated and grilled shortrib in her mouth.
It’s not like they came out. They were both very matter of fact and it wasn't a big deal, either for them or the others at the table.
I remember when I came out: first to my aunt, then my Gran, and then finally my parents a year later. I was very stressed out and there were a lot of tears.
I grew up in the same conservative forestry town they are growing up in now. I was bullied for being queer in high school. My niece says the girl she was dating was more popular, so there was a halo effect. There were not very many out queer people, except for the lesbians who owned a pie shop and the people who attended the secret once a month gay and lesbian dance at the old liquor store. Now there's a 2SLGBTQ+ Pride parade!
How the world has changed, for the better.
Coaching for job seekers - thank you!
The ten $10 coaching sessions for job seekers booked up in just 4 days. Thank you for either booking one of these sessions for yourself or sharing with people who needed these sessions. All of the people who booked came away with something good. These sessions also filled my cup--it feels good to be of service.
This newsletter is the only place I shared about these sessions, so thank you for helping me book them out!
Resources
Stock image sites
4 years ago I put together a list of stock image sites that represent diversity:
All in Frame is new collection “led by disabled creatives to help marketers, advertisers, and creative teams tell more authentic stories about disability”. Congratulations to Andraea LaVant, her team and the folks at WTBR (Where The Buffalo Roam).
The photos are beautiful, show disabled people in a variety of contemporary situations and come with alt text.
The alt text for the image below is:
Two teenage friends read at a table in a library. One teen, a Chinese teen, who is a blind cane user, reads on a refreshable braille display. His white cane is collapsed and is placed the table next to him. The other teen, a white teenage girl seated in a manual wheelchair, is seated in a manual wheelchair and holds a hardcover book open. The teen girl has a dark blonde bob and is wearing a green and white striped knit shirt and jeans. The teen boy has slicked back black hair and is wearing a white plaid button down shirt.
There’s two of the terms and conditions I really like:
- Images are not used in a context that demeans, stereotypes, or misrepresents the disabled community.
- AI training use is strictly prohibited.
Thrive at work newsletter
Alexandra Samuel's newsletter (and upcoming book) is about neurosmart guidance for the digital workplace. She believes that there's not one way to think--all of our brains work differently, so we should honour that and work in ways that support that instead of using one-size-fits-all work advice.
I found her last newsletter about reminders really useful. She writes:
Every time you put a task on your to-do list, hit snooze on an email or set up a timed reminder, you are committing a small if useful act of harassment against your future self.
Ben LaRose's tshirts
Ben is an artist and faculty member at School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Once upon a time we worked together at an art and design university. His latest shirts made me LOL.
Mid career or just mid?
Ben says:
The ‘mid-career’ is special to me. Artists hover at the ‘emerging artist’ level for ever, career wise. And I recently declared that I was ‘mid-career’, because I said so. Haha! Mid is when you’ve made enough headway, when you’ve learned and really made the mistakes and the moves. You earn to be ‘mid career' when you’ve learned to say no to things that aren’t for you. That was the ‘aha’ moment. … but yeah, then again you just feel ‘MID’… LOL
So true, right?
Other ways to work with me
- 1:1 coaching — 3 or 6 month packages. Book a free chemistry call to see if we're a fit. Your workplace might have professional development funds you can use, or you might ask your manager to invest in you.
- Team offsites — I design and facilitate in-person experiences for teams. I'm actively looking to do more of this, especially in person. Reply with the basics (who, what, when) and let's talk.
- Speaking — keynotes, panels, fireside chats. I'm a strong interviewer if you need someone to draw out a great conversation. Here's my current keynote on leadership and values.
- Inclusion consulting — strategy, thought partnership, and culture work for organizations building high-performance inclusive workplaces. Reach out here.
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