Author: Laura Gassner Otting

  • Problems vs Puzzles

    Do you have problems? I like logistics. I like efficiency. I like maximizing opportunities. In short, I like solving puzzles. But sometimes I am drained by all the small annoying things, and I’m exhausted by the big, overwhelming things. The problems sometimes seem just too hard. This week, I was whining about some of those…

  • The Burden of Potential vs. The Curse of Knowledge

    How’s book launch going? It’s gone. Done and dusted.Kaput.It’s over.Goodnight. I just gave my very last keynote of the book launch. Three months of pedal-to-the-medal, go, go, go. And, y’all, I’m tired. Like, emotionally, mentally, physically — metaphysically — tired. It occurred to me to maybe go take a look at this post that I…

  • The Banana Bread of Exhaustion

    This is not your usual banana bread. It’s also not even a good banana bread. It’s the banana bread of exhaustion. Sure, it looks pretty from the outside. But on the inside it has an extra half cup of flour. And in addition to its usual teaspoon of baking powder, it also has a teaspoon…

  • Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night

    A little real talk. I was texting with a dear friend this morning and I asked her how she was doing. She replied, “I have more energy for the things I love to do, if that makes sense.” And, oh boy, does it ever. 2021 was super rough for me. I almost didn’t make it…

  • Is It Time to Change the People Around You?

    Should all the people in your life really be in your life?Which of them should be getting a vote about what actually works for you?And how much do you want to bet that the number should be smaller than it actually is? It’s that way for me, too. For years I let everyone in my life…

  • Stay Strong. Stay Awkward. Stay You.

    What would you tell your 8-year-old self? Hi, it’s me. Here’s what I would tell this girl: – You are stronger than you know and everyone else is weaker than they let on. Be nice to them, because you have no idea what they are going through. And be nice to yourself too, because it’s…

  • Find Your Family

    Who’s in your framily? I found out a few weeks ago that some guy I know in my small corner of the world was talking shit about me. Over the weekend I learned that someone else from my small corner of the world has held a years long grudge against me. Just yesterday someone sent…

  • Borrowing Courage to Find Your Own

    Have you ever need to find the courage to step so far outside of your comfort zone that you found a different version of yourself? That happened to me this past weekend. I got on stage in front of 5,000 people, my biggest audience of my career, and the crowd was wild. The DJ was…

  • Are You Getting Too Much Advice?

    Asking for advice… It seemed like a good idea at the time, right? But are you getting too much advice? You had a problem, an issue, a confusion, and you said, “You know what? I’ll get some advice. I bet Jane can help.” And so you asked Jane. But while you were playing phone tag…

  • POTUS, a Plane Crash, and Few Hundred Big Macs

    The year was 1994, and I was 23 years old and worth my weight in anxiety and 80s power suits inherited from my mother (the suits, not the anxiety). I was working in the White House after having Wizard of Oz’ed my way into the campaign, the transition team, and eventually a staffing role helping…