Acknowledgments

Kim and Carol,

This is the part at the beginning of the book where the author thanks the people who helped shape them into who they are. That’s you. 💌

Thank you for taking this cub 🐻 under your wing, believing in me, and showing me what it means to be fearless in this industry.

Carol, you’re my Gandalf 🪄 — always bringing wisdom, calm, and the right words when I needed them most. Kim, you’re a force of nature 🌪️ and always pushed me to trust myself and be brave.

You both helped me find my confidence, my voice, and my courage. I’ll carry those lessons with me for the rest of my career and life.

Thank you for everything 💖

And, thanks, Courtney Lanius, Erin Kube, Jodi Cohen, Margaret Bentz, Michele Daly, Tammy Skuraton, Beth Sasseen, Dannielle Boozer, Amy Juel, Nicole, Elise , Ayana Picariello.

Inspirations

Inspired by Natalie Kim and the community she built through We Are Next.

What she created was more than career advice—it was a space where people could feel seen, build confidence, and know they weren't alone. Her commitment to supporting others helped inspire this platform.

Thank you, Natalie. 🩵

Inspirations (Cont. )

Just some more inspirations, the kind of stuff that lives in my head and probably explains why this platform exists. I’ve always felt a little like Billy Costigan, just trying to figure things out while staying true to who I am. Music like Nirvana, the Pixies, Kendrick Lamar, Outkast, A Tribe Called Quest, Amyl and the Sniffers, the Melvins, and the old Kanye, characters like Django, Dean Winchester, Rick Grimes, Billy Butcher, Jon Moxley, Kenny Omega, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Future Trunks from Dragon Ball Z, plus Kobe Bryant’s last NBA game, video games like KOTOR 1, Red Dead 2, and The Last of Us Part 1, and worlds like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars — all of it makes me feel alive.

Barack Obama (not really into politics, but I do support people’s rights — especially abortion rights, trans rights, and LGBTQ+ rights), Phil Lynott, and Kurt Cobain are the only influential people I really look up to, because the ability to tell stories with real depth and knowledge is rare, and they do it like nobody else. Late-night Hot Pockets, old wrestling matches, heroes who screw up but keep going, and figuring life out like everyone else. It’s a weird mix, but it shaped how I think and how I wanted this space to feel: real and for people still finding their own path.