I grew up in a small country town in Poland, where life was pretty simple. People would know all the neighbors, they would pay each other visits every week to talk about what’s been going on in the community and to have a beer or two. It all seemed great until the moment when I…
I did not spend my childhood wanting to grow up to be a WordPress consultant. Given that I was born in 1967, long before the World Wide Web even existed, I would have had to be clairvoyant to aspire to any kind of web development. I was intrigued by computers when I first encountered the…
I did not pick the computer life. It picked me. I can remember the summer between kindergarten and first grade; I had a computer summer class that introduced me to my passion. The first day when my mother picked me up I exclaimed “mommy I want a computer for Christmas!” I was five and had…
The journey of a Developer that has the pleasure and gratitude of having WordPress as a resource. Who am I and am I good? We define ourselves in order to navigate life. Like we brand our business or our clients’ websites, we brand ourselves. Remember to define yourself, because others are always going to define…
When I was asked to describe myself and my interests for a bio at work I floundered. I felt the same way when sitting down to write this. Where do I even begin? For my bio, I decided instead of narrowing it down I’d go with “jill-of-all-trades.” I really like to do everything and if…
I was a college teacher for most of my life. When my fourth baby arrived, I gave up a travel-heavy university job and took a “mommy job” as a bookstore manager. I chose books, held teacher workshops, and read stories to children for 15 years. As the internet became important, we put up a website…
I almost didn’t go to my first WordCamp I started working with WordPress in 2010. A client requested I use WordPress and a Revolution theme they’d purchased to build their new site. When I was done, I submitted it to the theme showcase, and Brian Gardner reached out to tell me how much he’d liked…
I’d never been to The Capital Grille. I’d been to nice steak houses before, but this felt like a big deal. At least it should have. I was too busy freaking out because my wife wasn’t responding to one of my texts. That’s when I knew I hit rock bottom. That mental illness had taken…
Growing up, I bought into society’s notion of what made for a successful and rewarding life. For me, the blueprint for finding fulfillment looked something like this: Step 1. Get good grades in school. Step 2. Attend a nice college. Step 3. Land a secure job with an attractive salary and benefits. Step 4. Find…
Topher asked me to write an article for HeroPress as we sat together in an alcove in the Philly Convention Center. I was in a vulnerable space. My lightning talk at WordCamp US had concluded, and I was settling into the experience of being at another WordCamp. I thought about the life experiences that brought…
