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…
When my friend Mahangu first recommended me to Topher to write an essay for HeroPress, I could not believe his words. Quite confused I asked Topher, he repeated the same ‘Share your story on HeroPress’. It was unbelievable yet a beautiful sentence that left me stunned with pride. HeroPress has been a place where I occasionally…
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…
To me, as well as many others, WordPress is more than a technical choice, it’s a lifestyle choice. I didn’t see it as such right away. Looking at the last 4 years of my life, I can fully appreciate its impact. Aspiring to a life full of adventures and whimsy; I never really fit the…
This story involves me as a blogger, the Prime Minister, me again as a web developer, an Islamic cult attempting a coup d’état, and me again as a solopreneur. Oh, and WordPress. And ISIS. WordPress: My First Encounter In the beginning of 2006, everyone in Turkey was talking about blogs. It was the hot new thing…
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…
I’m on a plane. They’ve just served lunch and I realise I’m stuck. There isn’t enough room to slip out for a bathroom break without tipping my meal and the trolley blocks the aisle. I cough and notice I’m tense, what’s going on? I enjoy flying, why should today be any different? Is it that…
Transparency makes the world go round I like being honest, so please allow me to provide a context for this story. First of all, I’m a pretty introvert kind of guy, and I often need to be thrown in the cold water to start learning how to swim. This was exactly what happened with my teammate,…
Working in WordPress full time did not come quickly, directly, or in the ways I expected, and it was worth every step of the way. I started out in marketing in the music industry and ended up as the project manager at a WordPress development agency nearly 10 years later. Changing careers is a lot…
