Grow North Thursday Newsletter

Every Thursday morning, you'll get 1 actionable tip to boost your business, enhance your purpose, and help you live your best life.

Author

Catapult North

I help small and medium businesses, as well as individuals, build audience and revenue through 1:1 coaching, flexible marketing advisory, and Fractional CMO services

Fractional CMO, Marketing Advisor & Growth Coach

Saunable

After experiencing the life-changing benefits of sauna, my husband Ed and I built a high-end, custom mobile sauna. Our mission: help more people feel better through quality, accessible sauna.

Today, we offer custom-built mobile saunas for purchase and host guided sauna experiences in nature. Learn more at Saunable.com.

Founder

Emergent Software

Brought on by the leadership team as a fractional CMO to define marketing strategy aligned with business goals, build a scalable content engine, align resources for execution, elevate brand positioning, and drive awareness and lead generation.

Chief Marketing Officer

Good Plane Living

My husband Ed and I built a Vans RV-10 airplane in our garage over the course of 3.5 years. We vlog/blog about our airplane building (now flying) adventures and life as an aviation family.

Airplane builder & Content Creator

Midion (formerly LeanProject)

I helped Midion navigate the decision and execute the transition from LeanProject into a brand that truly captures its broader value beyond lean construction. I partnered with leadership to develop a comprehensive marketing strategy, including a full rebrand, a website overhaul, and various digital initiatives - while bringing in the right resources to ensure long-term success.

Fractional Chief Marketing Officer

CIOs Against Cancer

After helping build CIOs Against Cancer from the ground up, I stepped into a strategic advisory role to support the next stage of growth.

-Helped shape the plan for scaling our mission and operations beyond the founding team.
-Advised on long-term fundraising efforts, including geographic expansion.
-Supported leadership transitions to ensure continuity and momentum.

I'm proud to have played a part in this organization’s journey. My volunteer commitment to CIOs Against Cancer, cancer research, and ending cancer... for everyone, continues on.

Strategic Advisor

Co-created and launched the organization, spearheading the idea from inception to impact.

Key contributions:

-Community Building: Launched founding events and built the base for long-term engagement.
-Organizational Design: Developed structure and processes for a scalable, consistent community.
-Board Growth: Supported board expansion to ensure long-term stability.
-Fundraising Leadership: Led efforts that raised $1M+ in 4 years

Built the foundation for a mission-driven organization with lasting momentum.

Founding Executive Director

Renodis - Connectivity Technology Experts

I supported the business strategy through marketing advisory and strategic marketing vision to generate awareness, build credibility, and drive qualified leads. I also led the development of Renodis community, CIOs Against Cancer, a group of c-suite technology leaders working toward a future without cancer.

Fractional CMO

Society for Information Management - Minnesota Chapter

SIM (Society for Information Management) brings together IT leaders to share, network and give back to their communities through the collaboration.

Board of Directors - Chair of Programs and Events

Cashé Software

Cashé Software is Minnesota’s leading provider of agency management software for home and community-based services agencies.

In my Strategic Advisory role, I worked with the Marketing Team to create the strategic marketing roadmap as well as provide counsel ongoing.

Fractional CMO, Strategic Advisor

Purpose-Driven Growth Coach | Author, Grow North Thursday | Marketing Advisor | 3x Entrepreneur | Airplane & Sauna Builder

👋 Follow me for weekly thoughts on business growth, personal purpose, and life design. 

🔥 Try my free newsletter Grow North Thursday. Get 1 actionable growth system each week to align profit, purpose, and a meaningful life. 

Award-winning marketing leader with 20 years experience growing B2B technology brands, SaaS startups, and $300M+ legacy businesses.

My purpose is to help others grow in their personal and professional purpose, advancing joy and meaning in individuals and communities, and courageous choices that lead to a fulfilling life.

Personal interests: Experimental aviation, sauna building, lifting heavy weights, meditation, lifestyle design, and attacking cancer. Proud boy mom and partner in projects and dreams with my husband, my life build teammate, Ed.

My Core Values:
-Service & Integrity
-Growth & Curiosity
-Connection & Understanding
-Wellbeing & Health
-Courage & Creative Freedom

LET'S CONNECT.

I love working with smart and interesting people from all walks of life.

If you have an idea for a collaboration, want to jam out on a podcast, or hire me, then let's chat.

Colleen Kranz💡

Your weirdness is your competitive advantage.


We’re living in a time when being truly human is rare. Scroll through any social media platform and everything starts to sound the same. It has the same structure, same tone, and the same recycled ideas dressed in new language.

When I first started sharing ideas on Linkedin I tried to fit the mold. I wrote like I thought I was supposed to. Professional, polished, and very predictable.

It was fine, but it wasn't me.

When I finally started writing the way I actually think and talk, sharing my real stories from building airplanes, saunas, communities, and businesses, something big shifted in me.

A few people who resonated with my message stopped scrolling and started connecting.

I realized this:

The different parts of us, our quirks, stories, tone, and perspective, are the very things that make our work and our message stand out.

You don’t need to sound like everyone else to build trust and visibility.

You just need to sound like you.


📸 image cred: Two Harbors, MN. Some of the last red maple leaves still hanging on.

Purpose-Led Growth Architect | Author, Grow North Thursday | Advisor to Entrepreneurs Who Want Profit, Purpose & Wellbeing | 3x Entrepreneur & Builder of Communities, Airplanes & Saunas

The biggest productivity system I’ve ever built doesn’t live in Notion or a Google Sheet.

It's me.

For years, I thought working harder was the answer. More hours. More coffee. More output.

But burnout and a panic attack during Covid taught me something simple: 

You can’t grow a business on an empty tank.

These days, my health is part of my business strategy.

• Walks in the middle of the day
• Workouts on the calendar
• My daily work shutdown routine
  
The better I feel, the better I lead. The worse I feel, the slower everything moves.

Take care of the system that fuels everything else. You. 

📌 What’s one habit that’s made the biggest difference for you?

By default I am unreasonably hard on myself. But this tool has helped me reprogram:

When something goes off the rails, my inner critic gets loud:

“This isn’t good enough. Just stop.”
“I keep doing things wrong.”

That spiral is the exact opposite of where I want my focus to be.

So I’ve been working, slowly and intentionally, on changing that mindset.

One tool that’s helped me more than I ever expected ➜ my receipts file.

It’s nothing fancy. Just a Notion folder where I collect kind notes people have shared with me about my impact.

The email from Andy Dulka. 
The message from Jennifer Larson. 
The encouraging words from Sheena Burt. 
That text from Heather Manley.
Reminders from Jeff Mader. 
From Bhavika Tilwani, Joe Raasch, Ross Gilbertson, Laura Krafka, Keri Lappi, and Kate Ferrian.

When the critic is loud, I pull up my receipts. I read them again. And again.

Letting others lift me up, even when they don’t know they are.

Because we’re rarely as hard on others as we are on ourselves. 

And sometimes the best way to shift that inner voice… is to borrow someone else’s for a while.

📌 Do you keep your own version of a “receipts file”?

📸 image cred: Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, CA. Adventures from our month-long motorhome sabbatical.

I wrote this on a post-it after a recent call with Laura Krafka.

It’s been on my desk ever since.

Most of us listen to respond.
Not to understand.

Laura uses these three words to help people get to what’s really underneath the story they’re telling:

“Tell me more.”

Those words have been sitting with me all week. And I’ve been blown away by how much they can uncover at work, with friends, my kids, even my husband.

I always walk away from our conversations with many nuggets, Laura.

Thanks for this one.

I started thinking about my energy like it’s an expensive luxury item.

Not everyone can afford it. Not everyone gets it automatically.

People tell me, "Wow, you have endless energy."

In fact, I don't. But I build more energy by investing it wisely.

I started thinking... If my energy were a luxury watch, or a family heirloom passed down for generations...

how would I treat it?

I’d protect it.
Keep it out of reach from careless hands.
Get it serviced regularly so it runs smoothly.
And only take it out for moments that matter.

Lately, I’ve been asking myself:

💭 Who and what actually deserve access to my energy?
💭 Where am I wasting it on things that don’t return value, joy, or purpose?
💭 How can I maintain, even grow it - not just manage it - for the long game?

Energy is our most precious currency.
Spend it like it’s rare.
Invest it where it compounds.
And guard it like an heirloom...

because it’s the one thing you can’t replace. ✌


📌 What’s one small boundary or ritual that helps you protect or grow your energy?

📸 image cred: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit, South Dakota

I got to witness Dewald B. go next level at CrossFit HSC. It was like time stopped.  

This photo was taken 30 seconds after he finished a “death by” workout where you literally go until you cannot take another step.

Here was the workout:

• 6 shuttle runs (300 ft total) + 6 burpees = 1 round
• Each round must be completed in 1 min 30 sec
• For every new round, you earn 30 seconds of rest and add +2 burpees
• You continue until you can no longer complete the round

Dewald smashed 9 rounds.

It was absolutely incredible to watch.

He kept going long after most people tapped out, and he did it with full focus and intention.

Every step was optimized, fluid, and steady. He committed to the round and gave 100% until the very last second.

When you watch someone who’s refined their technique, mastered their mindset, and gives everything they’ve got, holy cow is it inspiring!

It’s also a reminder of what’s possible when effort meets consistency.

Dewald, thanks for being my inspiring gym buddy and thought partner both in and out of the gym.

p.s. Did you know Dewald brings this same level of discipline and determination to his client work too? If you’re looking for a super sharp business coach + technologist + EOS implementer, or just want to connect with a genuinely solid human, give him a shout!

Welp. This was the gut check I didn’t know I needed.        


I’ve been refining a self-leadership curriculum for entrepreneurs while experimenting with AI prompts that serve as honesty checks, using myself and a few brave friends as test subjects.

I call this one The AI Mirror Test.

• It’s disarmingly introspective
• It invites both affirmation and growth-focused feedback
• It simulates a compassionate, neutral third-party reflection

Most entrepreneurs like myself move so fast solving, leading, and building that we rarely stop to notice how we’re showing up.

Here’s the prompt I’ve been experimenting with:

“Act as a thoughtful observer who’s been quietly studying my communication style, ideas, and values through our conversations. If you were to hold up a mirror to who I am as a leader, creator, or human, what would you reflect back that I might not be seeing clearly? Include both the strengths I underestimate and the blind spots I might be ignoring.”

What came back for me was honest and unexpected in the best way. It was the kind of insight you’d get from a mentor or a long-time friend.

If you’re up for a little personal growth this week, give it a try. You might just learn something new about yourself.

If you’re comfortable, share what your “AI mirror” reflected back. 

I’ll go first 👇

Happy birthday to Ed Kranz.


He calls my BS.
He’s my biggest supporter.
Entrepreneur. Builder. Inventor. Fixer. Maker.
Technologist. Pilot. Videographer. Drone pilot. 3D print designer.

My soulmate, build buddy, travel partner, and better half... the complete opposite of me in all the best ways.

Over the years, he’s built airplanes, saunas, and businesses, among so many other things.

He’s also built something even better: the belief that exploring new things can change how you see yourself.

So here’s to the coolest guy I know, who makes everything an adventure. Who teaches by example.

And who somehow makes “let’s build it ourselves” sound like the most reasonable idea in the world.

Happy Birthday. 💙

And thank you for letting me share about you all the time here on LinkedIn. 😉


p.s. You should check out our sauna handiwork. 🔥 Saunable's 3rd season of sauna experiences in nature just kicked off at Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan, MN - right on Schulze Lake Beach. Grab a ticket or book your most memorable private event ever. Drop 𝘀𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗮 below and I’ll DM you more info. 👇

Things are just more fun in groups. 𐦂𖨆𐀪𖠋𐀪𐀪


OK, maybe this photo is a slight exaggeration, but it’s not that far off. When you get the right people together, you know the shift that happens... shared energy, real support, a bit of accountability, and just a lot more momentum.

So, I’m taking my weekly newsletter, Grow North Thursday, up a notch.

Starting today, there’s a private LinkedIn group for readers to actually talk about the weekly topic, swap experiments, and crowdsource some solutions in a safe, candid space.

This week’s discussion:

We’re kicking things off with a conversation about boundaries - where they’re leaking, what’s actually working, and what still feels hard as a purpose-driven leader.

If you’ve been looking for a group of thoughtful, ambitious folks to share the journey with (no fluff, no spam, no performative nonsense), come check it out.

Click the link in the comments to join us. ↓

I finally upgraded my AirPods. ✌️


My old pair had been through everything. Workouts, flights, deep focus days. They were even Ed’s before they were mine. (I know, ew.)

I used them until they were literally falling apart.

But this time, I ordered my own. And I added my branding.

Free. And just a tiny little mark. But now they feel mine.

It got me thinking about business. Because that’s what every client or customer really wants - for what you deliver to feel like theirs.

Not that it's the most expensive. Or the most complex or even the best. But that it's theirs and just what they need.

Here’s how to do that today 👇

1️⃣ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸

Listen closely to how they describe their goals - and use their language in your proposals, recaps, and marketing. It tells them you actually heard them.

2️⃣ 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. 

A handwritten card. A short video, a first-week win, or a check-in that celebrates their progress. Not automated. But real and human.

3️⃣ 𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝘄𝗻. 

Programs, plans, or processes feel stronger when the client’s name or story is part of it. (“The Summit Plan” feels way more meaningful than “Strategy Package B.”)

Small touches create ownership. 
Ownership builds connection.
And connection drives loyalty, ease, and better results - for both sides.

Make your work feel "theirs." That’s the real power of personalization.

Burnout doesn’t happen because you’re weak. It happens because your boundaries are.

If you’re like most purpose-driven leaders and business owners I work with, you’re juggling more than most. 

You care deeply about your work, your team, and the impact you’re trying to make.

But all of that caring can become a double-edged sword without clear boundaries.

Here’s how it often shows up:

⚡ Tired but wired
⚡ Constantly reactive
⚡ Like your days are full, but your strategy time is empty
⚡ Or if you stopped, everything would fall apart

These feelings are often a boundary problem in disguise.

I learned this the hard way in 2020 after burning out myself.

It starts small - a late-night email, a quick “yes” to something that “won’t take long.” Before you know it, your focus is scattered, your calendar is bloated, and your vision is buried under busywork.

Boundaries aren’t just about time. They’re the invisible structure that protects your decision-making, strategy, and long-term impact.

And yet…

📊 72% of leaders say they prioritize urgent tasks over important ones
📊 68% check messages outside of work hours
📊 1 in 2 have felt signs of burnout in the last year

This is not sustainable.
But it is fixable.

Let’s get you back in control. In tomorrow’s newsletter, I’m sharing a 4-step Boundary Audit. We'll: 

1. Find your boundary leak zones
2. Define what better looks like
3. Communicate + reinforce your boundaries
4. Create your system for reviewing and adjusting

Because when leaders like you are clear, focused, and your energy is protected, your vision helps move the whole ecosystem forward.

Sign up here:
https://lnkd.in/gkpjFiyN


📌 What's your best boundary advice?

A few weeks ago, I sat on a panel at the University of Minnesota, talking with business sales students about networking.

What surprised me most wasn’t their questions about LinkedIn or how to get introductions, it was the anxiety about the conversation itself.

“What do I say?” 
“How do I start?” 
“What if it’s awkward?”

And honestly, the anxiety isn't just with students. I see this everywhere, from boardrooms to the parents' backyard BBQ I went to last weekend.

We all grew up hearing “communication is important,” but most of us never learned how to actually do it in a way that feels natural for us, builds trust, and opens doors.

The good news: conversation is a skill you can practice and improve, just like anything else that matters in business and life.

Tomorrow in Grow North Thursday, we're breaking down 3 powerful habits I’ve seen work - both in my own life and with clients - for having better conversations anywhere.

If you want me to send you the full walkthrough, drop “convo” in the comments and I’ll send you the link. 👇

The night the mailbox broke.


Andy, my dad’s neighbor, was driving home after high school jazz band practice on a dark and snowy night.

He had just gotten his driver’s license the week before.

He rounded the last corner before his house and hit a patch of ice. The van slid across the road and slammed into something.

When he got out, he saw he’d taken out my dad’s mailbox. The post was snapped in half and there was a tiny dent in the front of the van.

He could have gone home and hoped no one noticed. But he didn’t.

He called his parents, then walked up to my dad’s front door through the snowdrifts.

My dad answered and Andy told him what happened.

My dad said, “Thanks for letting me know. We’ll get it standing again for now, and you can help me put in a new one when spring comes.”

That spring, Andy came over with a shovel and a new mailbox.

The two of them talked while they worked. They didn’t really know each other before that night. Now they stop to chat, help each other out, and wave when they drive by.

All because a kid chose to own his mistake.

It’s funny how connection starts sometimes. It’s not always perfect. Sometimes it begins in small, human moments that reveal who we really are.

In business and in life, those are the moments that build trust and community.

Ever had a promising deal just… disappear?


The calls went well, the proposal was sent… and then silence. It’s a terrible feeling. Like they vanished into a black hole.

That’s where one of my clients was stuck.

me: “Walk me through how a customer decides to buy from you.”
them: “We have a discovery call, send a proposal, and they accept.”
me: “Always?”
them: “Well… sometimes it drags on for months. Honestly, I guess I don’t really know.”

That was the problem. They weren’t missing opportunities, they were missing the map.

And maybe you’ve felt the same. You’re putting in effort, but if someone asked you to draw the steps your customers take before buying, could you do it with confidence?

Customers don’t just stumble into buying. They take steps, often predictable ones, that you can see, document, and improve.

But if you don’t know the path, you can’t guide them.

That day, I started sketching a rough map of their customer journey. Within weeks, they realized the problem wasn’t the proposal, it was everything leading up to it.

Prospects were stalling in the research phase, looping in extra stakeholders, and dragging out timelines.

So we made three small shifts:

✅ Added a simple FAQ sheet to head off repeat objections
✅ Built a one-page summary for busy execs
✅ Added a 3-day follow-up email after proposals

Within a month, multiple deals were moving again. And the team finally had clarity on where to focus next.

I’m breaking this down in detail in tomorrow’s Grow North Thursday newsletter, including:

• The 5 stages customers go through before buying
• How to identify the moments that matter
• A simple framework to map your own customer journey

If you want me to send you the full walkthrough, drop “map” in the comments and I’ll send you the link.

We love the idea of the end result.


The healthy body. The thriving business. The financial freedom.

But every result comes with a lifestyle attached.

If you don’t actually want the day-to-day that creates it, then maybe it’s time to let go of the desire.

Because wanting the reward without the process is the fastest way to stay stuck and frustrated.

Sometimes the braver move isn’t to push harder…
 
…it’s to be honest with yourself about what you’re actually willing or wanting to live.

What’s one goal you’ve let go of because the lifestyle behind it wasn’t really yours?

I'll go first ↓


p.s. this new sander makes fall sauna freshening up a dream!

Ever chased a goal thinking it was for you, only to realize later it was for someone else?

Maybe it was a career move, a business milestone, or a big decision that felt right at the time…

But deep down, it was fueled more by what you thought others expected than what you truly wanted.

That’s the sneaky power of what sociologists call the looking-glass self. The idea that much of how we see ourselves is shaped by how we think others see us.

If you're like me, you probably had to stop and think about that for a second. What a mind screw!

Years ago, I started a blog. I was a new mom, and blogging was having a moment.
Everyone around me seemed to be starting one, so I thought... I’m creative, I can write, this makes sense.

So I launched a mom blog.

But it never felt like me. I found myself writing what I thought I was supposed to write, and it was painful.

Deep down, I didn’t want to build a community around motherhood content. I wanted to write about growth. Business. Purpose. Building things that matter.

Something that didn’t fit into a box.

Looking back, I wasn’t following my gut. I was following what I thought would be approved of.

It looked like self-expression. But it was really self-editing.

Why this matters 👇

When we’re unaware of our looking-glass self, we can unintentionally:

• Build a business that looks good on paper but doesn’t feel good to run
• Create content that gets attention but doesn’t reflect our truth
• Make decisions that slowly pull us away from our purpose, not toward it

Tomorrow in my Grow North Thursday newsletter, I’m breaking down how to spot your own looking-glass self...

and how to reclaim your voice in a world that constantly wants to define it for you.

Want to join us? Subscribe with the link in the comments ↓

Clear words are the byproduct of clear decisions


A few years ago, I was sitting in a boardroom with a leadership team.

We were working on messaging for two solutions that looked dangerously similar. Within minutes, the conversation started circling:

“This one should be positioned as premium.”
“No, this one is faster.”
“Can’t we just say both?”

The words weren’t the problem. The clarity was.

Then, I said something no one really wanted to hear:

❝If we’re not aligned here, the words will never work.❞

Everyone looked at me. The CEO nodded.

Here’s what I’ve learned since: 

The way you talk about your business will always reveal the strategy (or lack of it) underneath.

Which is why so many founders, leaders, and teams get stuck in endless wordsmithing - when the real issue isn’t the copy at all, it’s the decisions that haven’t been made.

Tomorrow in Grow North Thursday newsletter, I’m breaking this down in detail:

• The real cost of unclear words and what they reveal about your strategy
• The 4 cracks that always show up when alignment is missing.
• A simple 3-step reset you can use the next time you feel stuck explaining your offer, business, or services

By the end, you’ll know exactly how to stop spinning in circles and start fixing the foundation so your words actually work.

📌 Have you ever realized a "wordsmithing" problem was really a decision problem? I’d love to hear how you spotted it. 👇

Ryan McKesson

Enterprise Sales Executive

Presidio

Senior Account Manager

Solution Design Group

Founded in 1989, Solution Design Group (SDG) in one of the top local IT consulting firms in the Twin Cities area. Our value proposition is simple: OUR PEOPLE and our commitment to building LONG-TERM relationships. SDG has a gold-standard for employing the best and the brightest technical talent available. This allows us to grow our business by being innovative partners to our clients.

 Our culture and business plan is structured around fostering long term relationships with our clients, our great team, and a commitment to responding to the perpetual trends and changes in the information technology industry. It is on this genuine model that SDG has been recognized by The Business Journal as a "Best Places to Work" and "Fast 50" multiple times.

 SDG provides IT Consulting Services and Staff Augmentation in Project Delivery, Microsoft Solutions and Open Source/JAVA application development in the Twin Cities market.


 Specialties: Java, Groovy, .Net, SQL Server Developers (SSIS, SSAS, SSRS) and DBA's, SharePoint, IT Consulting, Staff Augmentation, Project Managers and Business Analysts, Project Management, Business Analysis, Database development, Application Development, and Product Implementation.

Account Executive

ADP is consistently named one of the "Most Admired Companies" by FORTUNE® Magazine, and recognized by Forbes® as one of “The World’s Most Innovative Companies,” ADP has over a half-million clients around the globe and 60+ years of experience as a world-wide leader of business outsourcing solutions. 

My role within ADP is to connect with business owners and executives to help them focus on their core competencies and reach their business goals. I do this with strategic business consulting, including payroll, time and attendance, and back office operations development. Advising businesses in areas such as: risk mitigation, monitoring for profit leaks, and controlling their total cost of labor.


My specialties include:
- Affordable Care Act Strategies
- International Expansion
- Strategic Human Capital Deployment
- Time & Labor Management Solutions
- Tax & Compliance
- Business Process Outsourcing (BPO)

Major Accounts District Manager

AT&T Mobility

•	Responsible for profitable revenue and net add growth on a portfolio of accounts. Establish a trusted partner relationship with Executive level (CEO, CIO, Functional President or leadership equivalent).
•	Penetrate new national accounts and leverage new products to increase revenue within current accounts.
•	Develop and execute an account strategy, and sales relationships at multiple levels. Lead and manage the sales process for all product/applications.

•	Participated in extensive six months Business Markets Group sales program.
•	Acquired and sharpened comprehensive solution selling skills based upon three integrated approaches and methodologies.
•	Assisted in cold calling, prospecting, and business development activities with a field based Corporate Account Executive.
•	Compiled and internalized through understanding and knowledge of AT&amp;T Mobility systems and procedures.

Corporate Account Executive

Championing business growth at Presidio, my journey in technology sales has been marked by fostering client relationships and consultative selling. 

My passion is connecting with clients and understanding their unique challenges, enabling tailored solutions ranging from Microsoft technologies to mobile enterprise applications. Beyond just transactions, it's about creating lasting value and empowering clients in Minneapolis and beyond with strategic consulting and innovative IT solutions.

If my OOO could be a photo, this would be it…


We are headed to Florida to soak up the sun as we take advantage of the MEA break. 

And it just dawned on me how much of a blessing it is to actually put on my out of office. 

For years I neglected doing so as a badge of honor. I took plenty of vacations, but would always stay connected and almost hide it from anyone outside of my office. 

But I now I see how valuable it is to have teammates who can back me up, and customers who know me enough to know how important this time is with my family. 

Will I be checking email this week? Of course. 

Will I respond right away? Probably. 

But I also plan to leave my phone unattended for several hours at a time over the next few days. 😎

Cheers,

IT Ambassador, People Connector, Lifelong Learner and Purveyor of all things Positive.

No alternative text description for this image

Our kids might not think we are “cool”…


But they’ll never have to worry about us being “too cool” for the activities they love. 

Happy Halloween!

When it comes to service and hospitality, I believe most people fall into one of two categories…


Those who can’t stand poor service, and those who love an exceptional experience.   

I have always found myself in the latter category. 

So when Kristie McKesson and I chose Travail to celebrate a recent career milestone, our expectations were pretty high. 

To say they exceeded them would be an understatement. 

I’ve been wanting to experience this restaurant for over a decade. And that is exactly what this was. An Experience. 

There is something magical about watching a team of people do something they obviously love. 

The attention to detail, the creativity, and the commitment to each and every guest was inspiring. 

And it this morning it has me wondering how I can bring the same level of dedication to my career. 

Because it’s rarely just about what we do. It’s about how we make people feel while we do it. 

What is the best dining experience you’ve ever had? And did it motivate you as well?

Your LinkedIn profile is not your resume...


But it is the first place I’ll look after being introduced to you.

When I land on someone’s profile, I’m really just looking for three things:

1️⃣ Your photo
 A professional headshot is great, but mostly I just want to recognize you when we meet in person. Real > perfect.

2️⃣ Your job status
 What’s your current role, and are you still in that position?
 This is where I actually like the “Open to Work” banner. People have strong opinions about it, but I’d rather not guess if you’re in transition or have to awkwardly ask.

3️⃣ Your activity
 What are you posting, commenting on, or engaging with?
 I’m not judging how often you show up—just curious what kind of content grabs your attention.

And for context: I’m not a recruiter.

So when I look at your profile, I’m not evaluating whether you can do your job.
I’m just trying to understand who you are, what you care about, and how you show up.

Because the truth of the matter is, most people who look at your profile aren’t recruiters either.

What do you look at first when you check out someone's LI profile?

Positivity is a choice, and so is who you follow... 


There's a lot of noise out there. Negativity, outrage, and cynicism seem easier to find than ever right now. 

But the reality is, there are also incredible people using this platform to share hope, gratitude, and optimism.  You just have to look for them. 

And that's exactly what I have been doing over the past few years. Curating a list of people who consistently lift me up with their stories, vulnerability, and perspective. 

People who make me pause, reflect, and smile 😃 

So today, I am sharing this list to show appreciation for those who brighten up my feed on a regular basis.

Laura King
jason player
Jeni Cleveland, MBA
Tom Priebe
Heather Boschke
Chris Cathers
Colleen Kranz💡
Nick Hernandez
Anne Pryor, M.A.
Jane Ryan

And I know there are many more. So, if you have people in your feed who bring the same energy, please tag them below. And let's kick start this week with some positivity!

Never underestimate the power of sending someone a "This made me think of you" message... 


A few days ago, a friend of mine sent me a note here on LI with a link to an article. Her message said, " This made me think of you. It reminded me of your writing, and I thought you might enjoy it too."

And I don't remember the last time I felt that seen or heard. 

Because here is what I've learned. Anything worth doing also comes with an inherent insecurity about whether or not it is worth doing.

So when someone sends you a note to tell you that you matter. It matters. 

Here is my challenge to all of you. 

When (not if) you find yourself thinking of someone this week who has had an impact on you, regardless of how long it has been since you told them, take 3 minutes to write them a message and send it.  

You will feel an instant boost just from sharing your appreciation. But the best part of all is that you never know when a well-timed note of validation can be the spark that person has been waiting for.

Winter is coming…



I used to hate fall in Minnesota.

No matter how beautiful the leaves got, all I could think about was what came next. The snow, the cold, the months of scraping windshields and layering up just to take the trash out.

I let my dread of winter steal the joy of the best season we have.

These days, I’m trying to live a little differently.

To appreciate the season I’m in instead of fearing the one that’s coming.

Because when you stop worrying about what’s next,
you start noticing how good right now actually is.

And that’s a beautiful thing.

The problem is not that we all face times of overwhelming stress and anxiety... 


It's that when we do, we often trick ourselves into believing we are the only ones going through it. 

Today is World Mental Health Day. And while I don't have any grandiose advice, I feel compelled to share what has helped me the most in the past several years. 

Talking about it. 

Not in front of large groups of people or on social media, but with friends, family, and when necessary, with a professional.

Being vulnerable with others has given me a gift that I never realized I needed. 

Proof that I am wonderfully normal. 

That my fears, anxieties, and insecurities are not unique to me. They are part of the human experience. 

Life is hard. And beautiful. And messy. and amazing. 

But I truly believe that in order to experience all of those emotions fully, we need to do so with others. 

Harvard conducted a famous study that determined the number one predictor of long term happiness is the strength of your personal relationships. That is all well and good, but i'm also convinced that what determines your ability to be happy today, is whether or not you have someone to call when you need to. 

Thank you for letting me share. And for anyone who sees this and wants to talk, I am here for you.

My greatest fear isn’t failure, it’s standing still...


I’ve always considered myself a lifelong learner. 
The idea of reaching a point where I’m no longer growing, or stretching, or worse, no longer curious… it quite frankly terrifies me.

Because growth isn’t supposed to be smooth. It dips. It wobbles. It tests you.

 And every setback I’ve ever experienced, personally or professionally, has ultimately turned out to be a setup for something better later on.

So when I see the dips, I no longer fear them. Because they’re usually a sign that I’m in motion. And motion is always a good sign of growth. 

How about you? Do you ever catch yourself mistaking comfort for progress?

What is the most essential trait for successful IT leaders to possess in this ever-changing landscape? 𝘊𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺


Yesterday, I attended my first HMG Strategy conference as part of my membership with Society for Information Management (SIM)- Minnesota Chapter. 

It was a brilliant day of learning, growing, and connecting with some of the brightest technology leaders in town. 

My biggest takeaway from it all: The importance of being a lifelong learner.

And it has long been my belief that the best way to learn is from our peers. That is why events like this one are so special. They are not designed to collect business cards. They are created to foster connections. 

Congratulations to all of the Global Leader Award winners, and thank you again, HMG Strategy, for including the SIM membership in the event. It really is a tremendous time to be in technology!

A great conversation should never feel like a tug-of-war...


Your topic vs. my topic.
My experience vs. your experience.
“Cool story… but wait until you hear mine!”

Sociologist Charles Derber once described two types of conversational responses:

The Shift Response — when we redirect the focus back to ourselves.

The Support Response — when we stay with the other person and invite them to go deeper.

It’s the shift response that creates that tug-of-war feeling — where both sides keep pulling for control of the dialogue.

We often do this to be relatable (I’m guilty of it too). But every time we shift instead of support, we miss a chance to actually learn something new about the person in front of us.

One simple way to catch it in real time:
 👉 A shift response usually sounds like a statement.
 👉 A support response usually sounds like a question.

In the end, being interested in others is still the best way to be interesting to others.

The holiday party season is quickly approaching, and I may have just stumbled upon the perfect host gift...


From a young age, I was taught never to show up to a party empty-handed.

Not because it was an obligation, but because an invitation is a privilege. And appreciation rarely goes unappreciated.

That lesson sparked my lifelong love for gift-giving. But for many years, I struggled to find a host gift that was both meaningful and scalable. More often than not, I just defaulted to the classic bottle of wine.

But that all changed when Will Guidara gifted every attendee at this year’s The Welcome Conference a set of playing cards that double as conversation starters.

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know how much I love conversation cards.  For family dinners, date nights, and even neighborhood gatherings.

So when I saw this deck of cards, I immediately thought it would be a brilliant gift. It’s a simple, familiar item reimagined as a tool for connection.

And who doesn’t need another deck of cards around the house? When each face card includes a thoughtful question, it becomes a gift that invites connection and lingers long after the party ends.

Do you have a go-to gift during the holidays? I'd love to hear more ideas in the comments. And I'll include the link to these there as well.

Is it possible to lose a game, but still walk away feeling victorious? I believe so…


And the Toronto Blue Jays may have proven exactly that this week. 

On Monday night, the Blue Jays lost one of the most grueling games in World Series history — an 18-inning marathon that ended with a walk-off home run by Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman.

It would’ve been easy for the Jays to crumble after that kind of loss.

Eighteen innings of effort. A heartbreak finish. On the road.

But instead of folding, they rallied.

They came back to win the next two games at Dodger Stadium, proving something far more important than a single victory could ever show.

When asked about that 18-inning loss, players shrugged it off as “just another game.”

But I think it was something bigger.

That was the night the Blue Jays realized they belonged.

They proved to themselves and to the world that they could go toe-to-toe with the defending champions, that they had earned their place on that stage.

And that’s the part that resonates beyond baseball.

Because sometimes, even when the scoreboard isn’t in your favor, you still walk away with a deeper kind of victory. The confidence, the belief, and the lessons that carry you further than any single win ever could.

When it comes to AI, interest is no longer the issue; execution is... 


I finally made it to my first Applied AI conference yesterday, and one thing was clear: enthusiasm for AI is at an all-time high. 

Congratulations to Justin Grammens, Shannon Seaver NBCT, Molly Doyle, and the entire team who hosted the sell-out crowd yesterday. 

People are eager to drive real value from AI. And this conference was a great place to learn. Every session I attended was valuable, insightful, and actionable. 

But one theme seemed to resonate throughout the entire day. 

The challenge isn't curiosity, or even desire. Its execution.  

Turning ideas into measurable impact requires strategy, data readiness, and cultural alignment. Not just tools and talent. 

The energy in the room yesterday was undeniable. But now comes the hard part, turning that excitement into execution.

“The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time” - Bertrand Russell 



The clarity that comes from stepping away may be hard to quantify, but it’s easy to measure. And that unit of measurement is energy. 

The amount of energy you bring back to your work after taking a break. 

So, while I am feeling particularly energized after an extended break, i’m also reminded of the importance of incorporating smaller acts of “recovery” into my week. 

And giving yourself permission to waste time, is what seems to make that time wasted so valuable.

One of the most underrated traits in leadership may also be one of the hardest to maintain in the age of AI transformation... 

Negative Capability. 

It's a term coined by the poet John Keats, and one that was recently brought to my attention in Brene Brown's new book, "Strong Ground."

Keats used the term to describe the ability to remain "in uncertainties, mysteries, and doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason" 

In other words, being comfortable with uncertainty. 

And it may perfectly describe why GenAi is making many people leery of its implications. 

You see, technology has always been used to eliminate uncertainty.  

From telling time to predicting the weather to knowing exactly when your pizza will be delivered to your home.  

And while GenAI is unequivocally the most powerful technology we have ever experienced, it has also created far more uncertainty than any other tool we have encountered before. 

However, the leaders who can embrace this uncertainty will also be the ones who move forward with cautious optimism, seeking ways to leverage these tools for the benefit of their organizations and their customers.

The most intelligent answers often come from the simplest questions…


“Why do we do it that way?”
“What if we didn’t?”
“Can you explain that again?”

After 10 months at Presidio, I’ve realized that my lack of knowledge in certain areas has created one of my greatest assets. Curiosity. 

Because curiosity opens doors. It invites collaboration. It helps you understand not just what something does, but why it matters.

I joined Presidio to be an even greater resource for my customers. But I wasn’t sure what that meant until I got the courage to ask the simple questions. 

What I’ve found since has given me a deeper appreciation for just how challenging IT leadership is today.

Leaders are constantly asked to:

Innovate — but only if costs stay down.

Transform — but please don’t disrupt the status quo.

Modernize — but don’t compromise security.

And while I am confident we can help in all of these areas, i’m also certain that it doesn’t matter until we understand the why behind them. 

Curiosity led me here.
And it continues to shape how I show up every day, not with all the answers, but with better questions.

"The opposite of a good idea can also be a good idea" - Rory Sutherland


It's been a while since I shared a book recommendation, but Alchemy by Rory Sutherland might be the most impactful book I've read in over a decade. 

I saw Rory speak at the Welcome conference last month and was blown away. He is an advertising executive, and while his message is geared toward his marketing expertise, at its core, this is a book about human psychology. 

My favorite part, though, is that it has restored my faith that AI is still a long way from accurately predicting human behavior, especially when we realize that we can't even predict it ourselves.

Is the AI hype train finally pulling into the station?


I don’t know. But I do feel like it’s shifting directions. 

Because while technology changes quickly, people change slowly. 

And this isn’t about adoption. It’s about intention. 

People and organizations are moving away from asking, “What can this tool do FOR me?” to “What can this technology do WITH me?” 

And the latter is the far better question. Because it focuses on enhancement, not replacement. 

What will you accomplish WITH AI in the future?

AI is reshaping how we approach traditional infrastructure... 


We’re past the point of asking if AI will impact IT. The real question now is how and where AI will make a difference. 

And it's not just on the application side anymore. Organizations are now using AI to redefine the infrastructure beneath their digital assets.  

Compute, storage, networking. Every layer is being forced to evolve for scale, latency, and security in ways we haven’t seen before.

It's one of the surprise developments that I've noticed with my customers lately. Moving the conversation from "What do you hope to gain from AI? to “Is your foundation even ready for it?”

And it's why Presidio is in such a great position to help our customers bridge the gap between foundational IT and digital transformation. 

Because the organizations that win in this next chapter won’t be the ones chasing AI features.

They’ll be the ones modernizing their foundational infrastructure so they can move at the speed of AI. 

Is your organization preparing its infrastructure to keep pace with AI?

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