Inspiration Agent. Catalyst. Coach.

in·spi·ra·tion (ĭn’spə-rā’shən) n.

a. stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity

b. an animating action or influence

c. incitement

cat·a·lyst (kāt’l-ĭst) n.

a. a substance, usually used in small amounts, that causes or accelerates a reaction

b. something that causes activity between two or more persons

c. a person or thing that precipitates an event or change

d. a person whose talk, enthusiasm, or energy causes others to be more engaged, enthusiastic, or energetic

Before our 2008 high school reunion, a former classmate asked, “What do you do exactly?”

In my twelve years as a Professor, my goal was to teach full out, like every single class session could change a life, like I was training a corps of freedom fighters standing for freedom of expression around the world. I taught Media Law, Media and Politics, Public Opinion, PR, Media Ethics (not an oxymoron) and Communication History in University Journalism departments for 12 years.

Now, multinational corporations, entrepreneurs and NGOs hire me to envision & strategize with them, teach, train and coach. For corporate clients I design and deliver training and executive and group coaching. Clients have included: Volvo Cars, SwissRe, TD Ameritrade, AP Moller Maersk, Nokia Siemens Networks, SafMarine, StorageTek and Avaya. (see TNM Coaching for more…)

No matter what the setting, when I’m at my best, I inspire. Nothing makes me happier than emails like this or notes like that.

I connect people a lot, too, through personal introductions and organizing events like the European Summit for Global Transformation. There’s a global movement for sustainability and social justice; changemakers meet at the Summit to share resources, join forces and get inspired. If you are passionate about social entrepreneurship or making a difference, I hope you’ll join us in Rotterdam in November.

Here’s my whole story. Some people like that:

I attended Hampshire College in Amherst, MA from 1988 to 1992, where I studied political economy, cultural policy and languages (French and Italian). My area of expertise was the inclusion of cultural industries (media) in international trade agreements (like GATT, NAFTA, EU). At Hampshire every student designs his or her own course of study. You can do anything you want as long as you can justify its academic rigor to a board of professors. This is exactly what I wanted to do at 20 years old… study international policy. Go figure.

After that, I worked in television (NBC affiliate KNSD, San Diego) and magazines (Transitions Abroad, San Diego magazine, and as a freelance business writer) in Southern California before moving to Boulder, Colorado. I am a Boulderite to my very core, though I grew up in Sarasota, Florida. Boulder feels like home.

At CU-Boulder, my Master’s degree was on nationalism and globalization (the simultaneous push and pull, coming apart and sticking together) in political discourse, especially around media and culture. I taught Intro. to Mass Communication, Media History and Master’s Public Opinion at CU for about a decade. It’s a wonderful place, a great school.

For years, I studied families, ritual and how we make meaning. My Ph.D. dissertation, Mickey and Minnie Aren’t Married?! Disney, Family Values and Corporate America, featured research with 53 families across the United States. I’m an expert on Disney’s markets; hardly anyone knows that, though. Corporate ethnography is one of my passions; I continue to use qualitative methods with client companies.

I got my start in corporate strategy, communication and training through US West’s Center for Digital Culture and the Gronstedt Group, where I worked closely with clients and small teams to co-create virtual training programs (simulations & audio programs).  Emerson, Volvo, Ford, TD Waterhouse (now TDAmeritrade), Avaya and StorageTek were clients.

In 2004, I moved from Boulder to Moscow, Idaho, where as a Professor of Public Opinion, Media Law & Ethics, Media and Culture in early 2005 it seemed like a good idea to leave the country.

My most recent publications include a chapter on Mideast Youth in a forthcoming (Continuum) academic book on Media, Religion and Social Change and a co-authored chapter about The Daily Show in Laughing Matters: Humor and American Politics in the Media Agepublished byRoutledge.