Where I was standing.
(Or falling.)
In 1987, I fell three stories from a billboard.
I broke enough of myself that the life I had planned stopped being available.
That was the first time I had to rebuild from the floor.
It was not the last.
What kept coming.
Before the fall, I was a musician.
In between gigs, I worked for Hallmark, in construction, and for other big organizations.
After the fall, I rebuilt in safety.
Fifteen years at one company. Safety, IT, communications.
I went from the farm to the corporate office.
Then a merger ended it.
The same week, my marriage of eighteen years ended too.
The career, the farm, the family. Gone.
Everything I owned fit in three bags.
So I did it again.
Another company. Another climb.
That one moved me from Seattle to Houston, Texas.
Then another layoff.
Thirty years in corporate. Two climbs. Two layoffs.
I lost my oldest son to suicide.
I spent seven years caring for my parents until they passed.
Then a stroke took my voice.
If you or someone you love is thinking about suicide, you are not alone. In the US, call or text 988, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. It's free, any hour.
Outside the US, find a helpline near you.
What seven years taught me.
Back to those seven years.
Mom and Dad needed me more every day.
I was the one who had to show up.
There were mornings I could not do it.
Not would not. Could not.
Their need did not change on those mornings.
Only who was there to meet it.
That is the thing I know now.
Help that depends on me only works on the days I can show up.
I needed systems.
Systems that show up when I can't.
What do I do about it now?
So I stopped trying to be the answer for everyone, one person at a time.
I build systems that carry the support.
Today I publish two newsletters.
Pirate Broadcast Daily Nextsteps. One nextstep, every weekday morning.
Nextstep Notes. A longer letter, every Thursday.
Both are built on the Nextstep Method.
It is a simple process. Four questions, always in the same order.
- AnchorWhere are you?
- WallWhat is in the way?
- SnapWhat changes when you see it clearly?
- NextstepWhat can you do next?
That is the whole method. It turns noise into clarity.
This page follows it too. Look back up. Anchor, Wall, Snap. You are reading the Nextstep now.
Every letter ends the same way. One small move you can make today.
Small, because that is what a hard day allows.
That is not a marketing constraint.
It is the only kind of advice that ever actually worked for me.
Curious how it works?
Learn the Nextstep Method
Where I am now.
Developing media since 2007, teaching social media, podcasting, and livestreaming.
600+ livestream interviews recorded.
Nearly 1,000 people trained to launch and run a podcast.
Still getting up. Still serving people.
Help more people. Help more people.
