It’s not just what you say, but how you say it. That’s what my mother always told me, usually when I was giving her attitude (which was often). I was a moody, sensitive, anxious kid, and one of the best things my mother ever taught me to do besides watch my tongue was to take a nap. I’m far better at doing the latter.

Like most people who grow up to be writers, I care about content. Always have. Even before “content” was a thing. I was an English major, an award-winning writer and poet in school, and went on to earn my M.F.A. in creative writing from Emerson College in Boston. My first professional writing job was as a copywriter at a wig company (the largest in North America). Don’t get me started on wefting and synthetic fiber.

Since 2011, I’ve run my own business, working as a creative consultant and, well, a kind of branding genie who helps experts, authors, entrepreneurs, and execs get their ideas out of the bottle and into the world.

Content isn’t just about words, and branding isn’t just about logos. If any of it is going to matter, it has to mean something to someone. I can’t decide what I like more: Coming up with the goods or presenting them—which is why I often find myself doing both.

Why do people hire me? Because I think of things they never thought of, and seize on their own genius ideas, which they passed over as just another ordinary thing. It’s not. But it takes someone from the outside to see that.

Most days you can find me here in my Manhattan studio that’s large enough to fit a queen bed, and small enough to feel I’m roughing it (I’m not). And I’m known to spend my downtime rewatching the Golden Girls, because I cannot get enough of it. Other times, you’ll find me performing standup around New York City, which I love doing.