A Life of Projects

The other day, I had a realization: most people grow up defining their career paths through professional affiliations. “I’m going to be an accountant.” “I’m going to work for General Dynamics.” It’s an understandable mindset—anchoring identity to a job title or a company.

For me, though, it’s always been different. I never thought in terms of “jobs.” Instead, I saw my career as a series of projects. Projects to invent, fund, and ship. Projects that take on a life of their own, sometimes lasting, sometimes flaring brightly before fading. Projects have been the rhythm and texture of my career. Lucky for me, the world seems to have shifted toward this mindset too. Today, our culture increasingly celebrates work structured around creative endeavors rather than lifetime affiliations.

Building a Career Around Projects

I had a two-part approach to turning projects into a career. First, I sought out partners who would fund the work, enabling me to build while retaining equity and creative control. Publishers and collaborators helped me bootstrap my way forward.

Second, I grew my network, honed my technology skills, and built the confidence to tackle projects too big for a solo venture. Complex, on-time projects became my niche—an underserved space filled with opportunity.

Every project follows a familiar cycle: the challenge of being stuck, the thrill of envisioning an outcome, the vulnerability of sharing that vision, the sting of rejection, the joy of finding the right home, the hard work of building and editing, and the triumph of launching. I’ve repeated this cycle hundreds of times over the years, and every iteration brings new lessons and insights.

The Impresario Mindset

There’s a unique magic in starting your own project. It’s yours, infused with your vision, values, and creativity. It’s an opportunity to build something meaningful, something you’re proud of. Over time, the ease of launching projects has transformed dramatically, thanks to digital tools. Distribution is faster and cheaper, allowing us to focus directly on what audiences value.

That shift comes with challenges. Without traditional gatekeepers—publishers, labels, or distributors—there’s no external validation saying, “Yes, this will work.” Instead, we must develop our internal compass, trusting our instincts and creativity.

For me, the heart of the process lies in serving the project itself. It’s about becoming an advocate for what the project needs to thrive—more than any client, partner, or publisher.

A Timeline of Projects

Looking back, here’s a glimpse at the projects that have shaped my career. Each represents a moment in time, a lesson learned, and a milestone reached:

• 1981: Created my own wardrobe
• 1983: Tailored costumes for Maybel Tainter Theater, Menomonie
• 1991: Kick-off Statewide Reform for Candidates
• 2000: Speaking Career Begins, in Anchorage, Alaska
• 2001: B2C Website Solutions
• 2006: Global IT Asset Management Program
• 2007: Bugs Adventure Series® Character Education
• 2008: Product: Supply Management and Sourcing Department
• 2009: Floyd the Fire Truck®
• 2011: Nate the Dragon®
• 2012: SMART Kids TV® Channel and S.M.A.R.T. Business & Engineering
• 2012: Advice from Extraordinary Women Documentary
• 2013: Win By Leading® and Read a Book in an Hour! Mastering Your Inner Leadership
• 2013: DocGen and Project Portfolio Manager, Leadership and Gender Initiative
• 2014: Candice and Jimmy Find Their Rainbow® and Nate the Dragon the Play travels to schools (put on by University of Wisconsin students' theater department)
• 2014: Co-founded the Spring Soiree Foundation, a nonprofit organization advancing global education and mental health advocacy
• 2015: Comerica Merger & Acquisition Transformation
• 2017: Product Sprints in banking: Imagine (Sparrow) Corporate Initiative (FISOne)
• 2018: Cyber Security Transformation
• 2019: Ambit System (2x->3x) Upgrade, Connect Direct SQL Upgrade, Corp Tax VDI Enhancements, Fraud ACH Upgrade, Momentum Upgrade, Mortgage Cadence Environment Upgrade, Open Span Check Printing Solution, State of the Discipline Report, Vision IP Version Upgrade, Win10 Upgrade from Win 7 and Office 365 Upgrade
• 2020: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) & Data Protection (WWT)
• 2021: Secure Use of Cloud
• 2022: Commercial Collections Transformation, SoundBits Podcast
• 2023: ATM, Debit Card Processor Transformation
• 2023: Pause Power, Forward Sprint Network Mastermind, Time-box and The Shift
• 2024: Published over 15 books, recognized thought leader at the intersection of psychology and computer science, Forward Sprint Network and Pause Talks platforms formed, Authors Edge Workshops
• 2025 (Beginning): Dynamic Games 1,000-Person Business Conference, Revitalize for the Soul Book Collaboration, altMBA Dynamic University (MBA Program), Mentor Me Mastermind, Riverfront Hackathons, Revitalize Fest, and Mindset Accelerator Workshops

Drip by drip, each project builds on the one before, shaping not just my career but also who I am.

What’s Next?

The possibilities are endless. The tools at our fingertips today make it easier than ever to create meaningful work. It’s an opportunity for all of us to embrace a project-based life, to build something worth making.

Because in the end, it’s the projects that define us. Not the titles, not the affiliations, but the creative marks we leave behind.

Let’s get started.