CM Content Studio
My Personal Favorites
Imagine we're sharing a cup of coffee...
Perhaps we're having a "get to know you" meeting at Starbucks. You've browsed my portfolio, seen a career's worth of content, and you're wondering where to begin. You ask me to open my laptop and show you the work I'm most proud of — and tell you why.
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So take a sip of coffee, get comfortable, and let's scroll together.
The Day I "Arrived" ...
After five years with Alere Health (acquired by Optum), I was so steeped in the wellness industry, I could easily conceptualize unique story ideas. I would write a blog or article without being asked and simply send it to an executive with expertise in the topic to see if they wanted to put their name on it. No one ever said no.
When CEO Mike Cotton enthusiastically said "yes!" to my blog on mobile health, I knew I had arrived. It was icing on the cake when he asked if I could write another blog on incentives, and left it to me to determine the angle. Alere Health remains one of my favorite jobs because I stayed long enough to become an expert writer for the company's suite of comprehensive behavior change services that helped people improve their health habits, lose weight and manage their chronic conditions better.
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Looking back, what I loved most about those 10+ years was having the opportunity to become so immersed in a business that I could contribute ideas and insights on my own. That's when writing becomes especially rewarding.
ALERE HEALTH | THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
Click the images to read the full blog.
I also crafted ebooks for each of the products. Despite pressure to include more product information than is typical for thought leadership, I managed to create an ebook about the member engagement product that tells a compelling story, supported by visuals that bring the narrative to life. It remains another one of my favorite writing samples.
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PAYSPAN | THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
When I started at Payspan, a SaaS company that offered e-payment services to health plans and providers (acquired by Zelis), they were about to roll out two new products and needed a content marketing program to drive leads. For my first project, my new visionary boss, Chief Product and Marketing Officer Ben Lazar, asked me to write a white paper on blockchain technology to be used as a door-opener with health plans.
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I was immediately daunted by the project as it was highly technical, and I was worried about my ability to grasp and write a meaningful and impacful piece about the topic.Â
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Drawing on my research and storytelling experience, as well as my love for diving deep into new topics, I was able to craft a compelling narrative supported by data and eye-catching graphics. It felt like a real accomplishment and became one of my best work samples.
Proof that it's possible to pull a rabbit out of a hat...
Click the images to read the materials.
When Payspan CEO Rob Pinataro, a brilliant executive with a background in rocket science and an MBA from Wharton, asked me to develop a thought leadership presentation for him, my goal was to produce a solid draft that he could work from. I didn't dream that he would actually like what I wrote.
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He sent me eight research articles from Gartner and asked me to use them to come up with a thought leadership angle about market trends that would naturally point to a need for our new product. The purpose was for him to introduce the solution at an industry conference.
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I was blown away when he really liked what I came up with and didn't change a thing, except to ask me to trim it due to a time limit. Of course, he did spend some time on the product part. 😆
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What made this project especially rewarding was realizing I could take eight complex research articles, find the connections between them, and turn them into a compelling story that resonated with a leader whose intellect I deeply respected.
I Didn't Dare Dream I Could Impress this CEO ...
BENNETT | CUSTOMER STORY
I never imagined myself working for a trucking company, but I've always loved a good story, no matter the subject, and Bennett turned out to be full of them. I found it fascinating to learn about the transportation industry and the extraordinary logistics involved in moving massive loads of industrial equipment, machinery and other oversized cargo across the country.
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My favorite project was a 22-page ebook and accompanying video about how Bennett transported all of the steel that forms the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. The new stadium was built to be the new home for the Atlanta Falcons football team. In addition to the steel, Bennett also transported the four pieces of the giant 73,000-pound Falcon statue that now towers over visitors at the entrance.
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To create the ebook, I interviewed project managers and executives to develop the story and pored through hundreds of photos to build the visual narrative. What resulted was a comprehensive overview that showcased the scope, skills and meticulous planning that went into successfully managing 2,500 loads of steel safely through Atlanta's dense, bottle-necked city streets without any incidents.
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The companion video brought the project to life through interviews, photographs, and footage of the massive steel deliveries — including the Falcon and the oversized box trusses that now hold up the massive roof.
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I'll never forget my first Falcons game at the new stadium, looking up at those massive steel trusses supporting the roof and knowing the story behind how they got there.
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That's what I love about being a storyteller. Give me a subject I know nothing about, and I'll find the story worth telling.
From Healthcare to Heavy Hauling...
Click image to read.
NET HEALTH | THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
It's rare that C-level executives come up with their own ideas for thought leadership, but Net Health CEO Josh Pickus was an exception. He had such a remarkable intellect and ability to grasp the complexities of other people's work that I sometimes thought he could step into anyone's role and do their job if he had to, including mine.
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For instance, it was his creative idea to stop defending electronic health record (EHR) software—one of Net Health's core products—against criticism of its shortcomings. Instead, he suggested taking an unconventional approach: openly acknowledging that he agreed with clinicians who complained that EHRs were creating more work and contributing to burnout because of all the time spent entering information.
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In "Confessions of an EHR CEO," we shared hard-hitting statistics that illuminated this discontent, then spent the rest of the article discussing how getting useful information OUT of EHRs could "balance the time users spend putting information INTO them."
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I must say that I never would have thought of that approach myself, but I thoroughly enjoyed working with him on the article, going back and forth until we got it just right for our beleaguered clinician audience. The experience taught me not to be afraid of risky ideas or bold statements. Sometimes there's real value in breaking the rules.
Taking a Trip Down "Daring" Lane...
It Really Does Take a Village...
I can't take full credit for this amazing infographic because it was a true team effort, including my incredible contractor Brenna Harrington and our talented Creative Director Jordan Bush who designed it. But I can take credit for directing it and playing a leading role determining the narrative and flow of all the data.
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Infographics are usually free, top-of-funnel content, but we decided to use this sophisticated, beautifully designed, data-driven piece for lead generation. And it paid off! I kept hearing that the landing page was continuing to bring leads into the pipeline long after we launched it.
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This was one of those fulfilling team projects where everybody got to contribute their best skills and gifts to create something with lasting business value.
When the Work Comes from the Heart...
One of my passions is developing narratives for videos—pulling out the best quotes and little nuggets from raw footage and shaping them into a story. As a student member for nearly 20 years, I felt lucky and honored to put my skills to work for the Ridhwan Foundation's 2025 year-end fundraising campaign.
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It was a truly special experience. Partnering with talented video editor Elizabeth Bourdon, we produced two heartfelt videos. The first featured students sharing their experiences at the founder's annual retreat. The second brought together the founders and their successors to speak about the importance of giving to the organization and supporting its future.
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The videos were enthusiastically received by the organization's leaders, and the campaign ended up exceeding its fundraising goal. I like to think the videos had something to do with its success.Â
THE RIDHWAN FOUNDATION | FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN
