The Pieces that Broke the Internet
THE BILLFOLD | Over 2 million views
A Story of a Fuck Off Fund
You’re telling your own story: You graduated college and you’re a grown-ass woman now. Tina Fey is your hero; Beyoncé, your preacher.
HUFFPOST | Over 2 Million views
I Got A DM About The Man I Was Dating. It Changed My Life In Ways I Never Imagined.
The best thing about him was he wasn’t going to hurt me. After that last slice to the heart, I needed to know there wouldn’t be an exit wound.
“Boyfriend” was more than I could muster. Technically, he served as that geriatric euphemism, “companion”: n. a person with whom one spends time, or who shares the experiences of another, especially when unpleasant or unwelcome. A plague-mate.
Travel + Lifestyle
The New York Times
So You’re Going on a Trip You Can’t Afford
Teodora Pirciu didn’t order the wine she wanted at dinner, even though she was on vacation to enjoy herself. Instead, she had water. As she chewed her food, thoughts of her bank account gnawed at her mind. Ms. Pirciu knew she would insist on paying the check for her son and her new boyfriend. She just didn’t know if her credit card would be declined.
The New York Times
A Bride’s Prosthesis Made Not to Blend In, but to Shine
Born without the hand that traditionally wears a wedding ring, Sara Hughes never dreamed of a diamond. Where would she wear a ring when she got married, was a question she would frequently get asked. To her, even attempting the convention felt stressful, so she gave herself permission to opt out.
The New York Times
Living on the Edge, Literally: Homes Perched on Cliffs
Not every house built on a cliff has stayed on a cliff. So how do homeowners and architects take on this challenge — one that is rewarded with glorious, unobstructed ocean vistas, but also full of potential problems — and still sleep well?
The New York Times
In Seattle, Creating Community by Collecting Art and Artists
Shaun Kardinal, 36, doesn’t know where he’d fit another piece of art in his one-bedroom apartment, which is bursting already with more than 100 works.
“Art tends to find the nooks and crannies for things to happen,” he said. Mr. Kardinal’s collection was born of the artistic community he has tapped into since his early days working at a frame shop.
The New York Times
On the Hunt in Tokyo for ‘Authentic’ Denim
TOKYO — The best souvenirs tell a story. The jeans in Japan provide a walking history lesson.
Levi’s landed in Japan about 75 years ago, and since then, Japanese manufacturers have combined their centuries-long tradition of indigo dyeing with their love of the Levi’s 501 style to…
REI
What is Glamping?
For some people, camping is about what you’re willing to endure—the more uncomfortable the outing, the fiercer the flex. It can also be an opportunity to reconnect with nature without modern luxuries. But not everyone wants to “rough it” when overnighting outside—and that’s OK too. For those who prefer cozy sleep setups, elaborate camp feasts and other festive fun in nature, glamping might be your calling.
Money Stories
The New York Times
Guarding Royal Families for $1,000 a Day: Inside Executive Protection Jobs
Monica Duperon Rodriguez welled up with feelings of awe when she stepped off a charter flight onto the Serengeti in Africa for a job assignment.
“The thought that came to my mind was: ‘This poor girl from this police department is standing in the Serengeti,’” she said. “I would have never in my entire life imagined myself being there.”
The New York Times
For Women With Money Issues, an A.D.H.D. Diagnosis Can Be Revelatory
Seven years ago, I wrote an essay about what life would feel like if I didn’t struggle with saving money. In it, I envisioned the power of having enough in emergency funds to tide me over in case I needed to leave an abusive job or relationship.
The New York Times
When Getting Money Hurts
When a 31-year-old stepped up to the microphone at a recent New York City conference on women and money, she asked a surprising question: “What do you do when getting money hurts?”
She had been sexually assaulted in the military when she was 22, she said, and was finally receiving disability payments because of the psychological effects of the attack.
VOX
Why you might feel the urge to overspend right now
As the US opens back up, the impulse to spend money to alleviate tough emotions could take hold.
Humor + Satire
THE BELLADONNA COMEDY
We Spent $1M Studying What It Would Take to Get Workers Back to the Office. It’s the Ability to Defecate Alone.
Finally, our nation-wide, multi-year study has revealed the answer to the $1.3 trillion question: What will entice the workforce back to corporate spaces?
Points in case
You’ll Love Our Newest Resort, You Lazy Fuck
Nestled in the lush mountains of a stunning landscape, our all-inclusive getaway awaits with a luxurious experience designed just for you, the laziest piece of shit on the planet.
McSweeney’s Internet Tendency
My Personal Brand Is I Don’t Want to Die
Hi, great to connect. I’m a passionate creative who crafts captivating stories for high-quality clients, because my preference is to live.
The Stranger
What You Learn When You Fly to Puerto Vallarta on the Same Plane as Russell Wilson
When the woman ahead of us to board an Alaska Airlines flight to Puerto Vallarta says to her friend, “Did you see who’s on our plane?” I am forced to eavesdrop.
ECKLEBURG
Love Me
The internet had promised me the “cutest, fluffiest day ever.” So when we saw the sign for the cat cafe while out shopping in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood, I squealed. On it, cartoon cats pranced around photos of the real cats waiting upstairs to love us. I turned to my boyfriend with eyes wide and hopeful, and he smiled and nodded, said with his ever-indulging attitude, “We can go.”
POINTS IN CASE
Make Extra Cash by Renting Out Your Mouth!
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Personal Essay
ELLE
Do your friends know you’re broke?
One summer day in 1991, a mother of three walked into McDonald’s on her lunch break. She knew she could get a hamburger there for just 39 cents. The six credit cards in her wallet were useless, each one a lifeless plastic symbol of a maxed-out limit. She searched the depths of her purse for stray coins, and then she searched the cracks of her car, but she had done this so many times before that there was nothing left. She did not have 39 cents.
This mother was my mother.
Hobart
Risk Mitigation at the Dawn of My Conceivable Extinction
At a cafe overlooking the plaza where the Spanish mounted the head of the last Incan emperor on a pike, I order a mojito. It’s a stupid drink to get in Peru, but the whole world’s gone stupid. At least, watching people telescope out selfie sticks in front of the Cuzco location of Kentucky Fried Chicken, that is how I feel.
THE JOURNAL
Baby Gate
Before my dad lost his job, we had toys: a pool, a waverunner, and a boat. But no savings, apparently, because then the collection agencies called, the repo men repo’d, and deals fell through and fell through until there was almost no food in our remodeled cabinets, and we had to move into a place filled with shag carpeting and mildew-thick air. So, a childhood later, when my dad was finally holding down, liking even, a job as a construction site supervisor, and we finally, finally could breathe, it seemed especially unreasonable that the crane accident hap- pened, and that it killed him.
Yoga Journal
How I Became a Front-Row Yogi
“I’ve got a rockin’ yoga body. Unfortunately, it’s hidden under my donut body.”
I try this joke on Ryan as he checks me into class.
“Mmm, that’s enough of that,” he says. He looks around as if the owner could hear us. “We shouldn’t even be talking like that in here.”
THE STRANGER
What It’s Like to Live in a Space the Size of a Closet
The landlord opens the door to a tiny room. It radiates the possibility that I have been wrong about everything.
Cosmopolitan
The Birthday Tradition You Should Start Immediately
You know what it’s like to wake up at 75 years old and realize you wasted your life?
I hope not, and I hope you never do. I hope I never do, either.
But it happens. This hospice nurse, Bronnie Ware, asked people in the last stages of life what their biggest regrets were, and the most common thing people said was they failed to live a life true to themselves and their dreams.
Let’s Work Together
This portfolio reflects what I care about most—writing that embraces the complexity of being fully human. I don’t stick to one genre or one tone because life doesn’t either. From personal essays to reported features, I aim to tell the truth in whatever form it takes.
If you’re looking for a writer or speaker who brings range, depth, and real emotional impact, let’s talk. Whether writing my own or helping others write theirs, honest, powerful stories are what I do best.