Meet Susan
My life changed in
divinity school—and not
the way I expected
When I was a Harvard Divinity School student in my mid-30s, I had amazing professors who had so much to say about the world we live in. But when they put their ideas into writing, those ideas suddenly became jargon-filled, dense, and pretty much impossible to follow. I was convinced that only a tiny number of fellow academics would ever read them. This frustrated me.
I once told my very proper British professor whose insights on feminism and religion made such an impact on my life that my goal was to get her published in People magazine. She looked aghast.
But ever since, I’ve made it my mission to help really smart people get their ideas across to audiences who need to hear their singular perspectives.
I started out my professional life as a reporter, covering Capitol Hill for a specialized newsletter, cops and courts for a daily newspaper, and the war in Guatemala as a foreign correspondent for Time magazine and San Francisco Chronicle.
After my time in Guatemala, I enrolled in divinity school with the idea of becoming a religion reporter. But in part because of my newly found calling to bring my professors’ brilliant ideas to more people, I shelved that idea. Instead, I began working with foundations and nonprofit organizations.
I became one of the first writers hired by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in the 1990s to prepare objective reports on their grantmaking.
Since then, I’ve worked with most of the country’s largest foundations, often helping them get out of their own way, and tell an honest, clear, and no BS story about how their work has unfolded.
Throughout this time, I’ve worked as an editor and coach with foundation and nonprofit staff to help them express their ideas clearly and in their voice.
I live in Vermont in a cool small town where I can walk to local cafes and restaurants, the library, and the post office, and often do. In the winter, I’m an avid downhill skier and often cut out on Fridays to ski first tracks. My three-legged Beagle Scout is a therapy dog and I’m on the board of Therapy Dogs of Vermont. My two-year-old Yellow Lab Ketzi is most decidedly not a therapy dog—her exuberance is a bit too much to be the calming presence one would look for. But she does keep me entertained.
Pick the plan that works for you.
I offer a variety of packages for coaching and can also customize them for you.
You will get a personalized approach that meets your needs and circumstances,
not a cookie cutter, by the numbers one.
Sprinting to
Make a Deadline
Short, urgent projects
that need to be done in
about a month.
Building
Your Muscle
Ongoing writing needs using more complex projects to try out new approaches
Learning for
the Long Haul
Working with multiple staff, grantees, or consultants who regularly produce writing.
If you decide you want to offload the writing to someone else for now, check out my writing services at www.clearthinkingcommunications.com
I thoroughly enjoyed being coached by Susan!
Although I am usually a reasonably good writer, sometimes I just get stuck in the weeds. When that happens, I feel like I have lost the plot and can’t remember what it was I wanted to communicate. If you have ever had that feeling, read on.
Last week, I was writing a program description for a course a colleague and I are offering in the fall. I was sitting at my computer working on the umpteenth draft when it occurred to me that maybe Susan could help. Although I have never used a writing coach before, I decided to reach out. Am I ever glad that I did!
The result was a product I feel very happy with. In fact, after seeing the final draft, my colleague emailed me to say ‘Wow, this is such a poignant and beautiful piece of writing. Really well done.’ I also had a lot of fun working with Susan.
If you think you might benefit from some coaching, I highly recommend that you give Susan a try.
P.S. I have had a number of small writing projects to tackle this week, including this testimonial. Guess what? No angst!”