Laura Gassner Otting 
This past weekend we dropped our eldest child at college. Everyone warned me that it was going to be hard. And it was. I feel incredibly lucky to have kids that I both love and like. Truly, if you asked me who I’d like to have dinner with live or dead, my answer would be: … Read more
Have you been watching the Olympics? I have. I’m actually quite the Olympics nerd, summer Olympics in particular. Why? The bodies! The nearly naked bodies. But, I promise, I’m not a gross pervert. I just love seeing the muscles, the form, the fitness, all of it which you can’t see under layers of Winter Olympic … Read more
You Don’t Have to Give the Trophies Back Sometime around early fall 2020, I stopped sleeping. It might have been the stress of trying to rebuild a travel-dependent, event-reliant, stage-centric speaking career in the midst of a pandemic that had decimated travel, shuttered events, and obliterated the stage. Perhaps it was the ever-growing pancake stack … Read more
Who are your champions? And why do they matter? Your champions are the difference between a goal being an idea, floating around in pretty curly script in your head, and an accomplishment that you look back upon proudly and build upon compoundedly. (I know that’s not a word. But it should be: compound accomplishments are … Read more
Have you set big enough goals? I’ve had a pretty good rule of thumb my entire life: if you haven’t set goals big enough to scare the pants off of you just a wee bit, your goals are probably not big enough. In fact, if you aren’t just a pinch concerned about how you are going … Read more
I want you to stop keeping score. There are two types of people in the world: those who keep score, and those who don’t. I’m not a scorekeeper. Never have been. That doesn’t mean I’m not hella competitive. Trust me, if you’re on a rowing machine, treadmill, or spin bike next to me, I’m racing you… … Read more
Have you ever been faced with an important decision, one so big, so hard, so overwhelming that you felt positively paralyzed by it? What did you do? How did you make the decision? Was it the right decision, or the wrong decision? And, how do you really know, anyway? Life doesn’t come with a control … Read more
Do you feel loved? It’s a big question, I know. But I’ve been feeling this question deeply as of late. Here’s why: 1. My eldest son is reviewing his college options, having gotten into (and been rejected from) a diversity of schools. Where should he go? Which should he choose? Which school will allow him … Read more
What can you learn from a drag queen? As it turns out: a lot. Those of you who follow me on the socials know that I am a huge fan of RuPaul’s Drag Race. I don’t hide my freak flag about this; I prefer to fly it high. And, no, don’t come for me with … Read more
I was texting today with a friend of mine who is going for something big. It’s one of those crazy “bucket list, super elite, few people have walked in these shoes” type goals. And he’s waiting for the kingmaker in charge to give him a chance to show his mettle, to prove that he is … Read more