Education, to me, is a gateway to a stronger relationship with the world at large. And throughout my life, I have consciously chosen to both expand and deepen that relationship. On paper, you’ll see an education influenced by Catholic school, survey courses, and various degree programs, but there is a true love of learning that makes my résumé look like a shadow in comparison to everything else I’ve studied, from holistic herbalism and interior design to the culinary arts and secrets of the honeybee.

Of course, when someone inevitably asks me what I do, the easiest answer is to say “writer.” Having written and published plays, a novel, short stories, and entire collections of poetry, that is a fair word to use. I’ve also served as a ghostwriter for business leaders, politicians, and even the more empathetic among us who had enormous things to say but simply couldn’t find the words. Yet when we say that good writing is good thinking, we often forget the ocean of knowledge, feelings, and understanding required to effectively communicate with another person. 

Personally, I’ve always been a fan of Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, whose challenging work can effectively be summarized into two concepts: 

1. When we communicate with someone we are effectively trading “pictures of facts,” requiring two people to basically share a common definition of words in order for a transmission of ideas to actually take place. For example, the word “dog” — do we share the same image of dog in our mind’s eye? I see the blonde stray who showed up at our house, on the verge of death, who is now healthy and sleeping by my feet. What do you see? I doubt it was originally the exact same one. Now consider bigger, more abstract words like AI, innovation, or productivity. No wonder we struggle to communicate effectively! One person’s idea for salvation could be another’s picture of destruction! But that’s the struggle with language. 

2. Conversations are really games, where language is merely a tool to express what we’re feeling. For example, if your spouse says, “you never spend time with me anymore,” they’re not playing the “let’s list all the times we are together game” or “let’s list all the things we’re sacrificing game.” No, they’re playing the “I need reassurance and comfort game.” And if you don’t see or understand the game at play, it can be detrimental to your understanding of yourself and your relationship with others. 

Now, while we are condensing his ideas immensely here, it is a glimpse into how Wittgenstein — a man who struggled to communicate due to a terrible stutter — genuinely tried to help others. As he put it, “the task of philosophy is to show the way out of the fly bottle.” And, ironically, that’s what we do too, with technology. 

I’ve given this a great deal of thought over the course of my career, namely as a strategist who paints with words. But since co-founding Stealth Dog Labs with Christopher, I’ve come to recognize something Wittgenstein could have never known or pinpointed.

The source of unhappiness isn’t necessarily our struggle to effectively share “pictures of facts,” but the games our own subconscious actively plays on us, proven by the results of our reports. It’s our inability to see ourselves clearly, and especially how we best learn or think. And it’s this blindness that puts us at the mercy of our environments, confusing us even more.

Every individual on this Earth thinks differently. Each of us is a single gem within a massive kaleidoscope of environments, experiences, and conversations. And every decision we make, every word we use, and every attempt to express our inner understanding to someone else reveals who we are. And what we do at Stealth Dog Labs is help you see that reality with absolute clarity. Because you can never be a true leader without first knowing yourself, while also having an understanding of others. 

How do you best communicate? How do you overcome obstacles? How well can you collaborate with others, or inspire them to face uncertainty with confidence? The answers to these questions define your character — who you are and even who you can become. And those are the very questions I’ve grappled with, both as an individual and as a hired strategist. But now they can be answered at scale, for everyone in your organization. 

And after twenty years of slinging ink as a writer and thinker, I truly believe that real communication begins with clarity — about yourself, about others, and about the world you're trying to shape. We give you that clarity. And it is my job to safeguard that promise, so that you can finally write your own story without ever feeling misunderstood.

Schedule a call.