Connecting with learners through imagination and creativity
Helping others figure out tech stuff is fun for me. This is why.
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You can also find my blog posts on LinkedIn, Medium, Bluesky, and maybe Facebook. How I do that...
Correcting others? It depends. But on what?
Yes, it depends on the other person and the situation, but that isn't all.
The corporate wellness disconnect
Got a free meditation app as a company benefit? Here's why it might not seem like a gesture of care.
Maybe nobody's misbehaving
What if problems don't always have a culprit?
Does overwork work?
We feel relentless pressure to work longer hours and sacrifice our wellbeing. Is that working?
In search of stories
I could use some help with reminiscing. Want to chat?
Stories as skill building
Exchanging "war stories" as developers can build relationships. Could it also build skill?
Who benefits?
When you are wondering why something is happening, here is a good question to ask.
When your plate is full
What do you do when your plate is full, and someone comes along with more?
Humans, vampires, and why you aren't Steve Yegge
Reclaiming your humanity is necessary as protection against AI vampires. Even Steve Yegge will tell you so.
Learning despite information overload
How do we manage staggering amounts of information and keep learning? And is AI melting our brains?
What do humans do if AI reviews the code?
Is it possible that AI can not just write code, but review it, too? If so, what do developers do?
Does self-doubt lead us to deny our humanity?
Is it because I'm struggling with self-doubt that I see it everywhere? I've rewritten the introduction to my book with a story, and I wound up with a self-doubt theme.
What's my book missing?
My book structure is missing an important point. But what?
How can we make asking easier?
Why is it so hard to ask questions, and how can we make asking questions safer and easier?
What is doubt telling you?
Doubt had useful messages for me in 2025. Here is what I learned.
Talk proposal process
I wanted to speak at another conference, but what should I submit for a proposal? Here is how I wrote it.
What my site really needed
I found updating my site daunting until I started to see what it really needed and what it didn't.
Developers do more than code
People who define the role of the developer as “someone who writes code” may be surprised to learn that developers do much more than write code. Those of us who have lived the role know otherwise. So ...
AI and I built a website yesterday
Early morning yesterday, I was wide awake at 4:30 a.m. for no clear reason. And I had one of those 4:30 a.m. thoughts: You know, I could move my personal website off of AWS, and save some money. In fa...
Making decisions as tech lead
When I first started as a tech lead, I often made my decisions based on what the tech lead before me had done. It wasn’t a terrible idea. Mike was knowledgeable and competent, a good person to emulate...
AI content, with a human face
A recent poll on LinkedIn from Alex Ewerlöf asked: “Would you read AI-generated posts and articles that are attached to a human name and picture?” The poll offered four choices: My first thought was: ...
More time to write
I’m looking forward to having more time to write in the next few months. I have been to three conferences in three months, including speaking at LeadDev StaffPlus. It was so fun! Watch the video of my...
Be clear about your goal, issue 26 of Beyond Writing Code
Be clear about your goal, and the other decisions become much easier. Here's how I learned that lesson and got clarity about my goal.
Three conferences in three months
That’s right, I went to three conferences in three months (2.5 months, really). Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit (ETLS) in Las Vegas in September, I spoke at LeadDev StaffPlus in NYC in October...
So How's The Book, issue 25 of Beyond Writing Code
Book progress update and reflections on proposal work completed over summer.
Book notes, issue 24 of Beyond Writing Code
Recommended reading across tech, leadership, productivity, psychology, and sociology.
Questions and stories, issue 23 of Beyond Writing Code
Creating reflection question cards for conference attendees at fall industry events.
Writer enjoying speaking
I’m a writer at heart, so enjoying speaking at conferences is a bit of a surprise for me. Speaking at LeadDev StaffPlus went even better than I was hoping, and it’s got me thinking about what works fo...
Being human, issue 22 of Beyond Writing Code
Why I'm writing my book, and the importance of being human, especially in this AI era.
Looking at systems, like a hospital; issue 21 of Beyond Writing Code
Gene Kim's hospital navigation story and applying systems thinking.
Change and AI; issue 20 of Beyond Writing Code
How developer roles are transforming, emphasizing "people and processes" over AI technology.
Why I love ETLS, issue 19 of Beyond Writing Code
Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit community and the value of in-person conferences.
Vibe coding made less terrifying
It's been a long time since I've felt I like I was hanging on every word of a book. I was so done reading about AI. Then I saw that IT Revolution was publishing a new book: Vibe Coding: Building Produ...
Vibe coding made less terrifying, issue 18 of Beyond Writing Code
AI coding practices and reader poll questions about developer experiences with AI assistance.
Ideas for my talk, issue #17 of Beyond Writing Code
Seven ideas for improving my LeadDev presentation, including walking rehearsal strategies.
DevOps and better ways of working, issue 16 of Beyond Writing Code
What is DevOps really about? Better ways of working together.
A failure worth doing; issue 15 of Beyond Writing Code
Us vs. them thinking and why some failures are worth experiencing.
Developer's checklists
Posted just now about writer’s checklists – so let’s post about the developer’s checklists here too! As a developer, I maintained a checklist of troubleshooting tips. I would have conversations like t...
Me from the Past; issue 14 of Beyond Writing Code
Being kind to yourself and using the dinner test for storytelling.
Writer's checklists
Some of the best writing tips I learned were from a summer class I took as a teenager. I’m still adding to my writer’s checklists, decades later. However, I have mostly kept these checklists in my hea...
You don't want more content; conference notes. Issue 13 of Beyond Writing Code
What we really pay for at conferences: organization and curation, not just content.
Job seekers beware of scams
Beware of the scams targeting job seekers. I’d say “it’s a new low” for scammers to target people who are looking for work, but no, unfortunately… the scammers seem to reside at those depths. Scammers...
Did I chat with an AI?
I try to avoid posting about AI, but today I found myself wondering: did I just chat with an AI? Trying to decide which of several products to purchase online, I used the company’s website chatbot, wh...
Technical or not, issue 12 of Beyond Writing Code
Are people "technical"? Labels matter, and kindness matters more.
A lot going on. And a poll. Issue 11 of Beyond Writing Code
Using analogies to explain work in progress and priorities.
Three books about storytelling
I’ve been listening to books on storytelling recently, including three I recommend highly. Book 1: How to Tell a Story First: How to Tell a Story is by the team from the Moth Radio Hour. Seek that s...
Not getting started guarantees failure
I feel like an engine that won’t “catch.” You know what guarantees that I will fail at something? Not starting it.
Deliberately wrong estimates, issue 10 of Beyond Writing Code
Why would a developer deliberately provide an estimate they knew to be wrong?
You know what doesn't help overcome resistance?
“So, I put a lot of pressure on myself. All the time.” My husband stared at me. “Yes,” he said emphatically, as if I’d just pointed out that ice is cold or nighttime is dark. Okaaay, I guess the press...
Agile... book writing?? Issue 9 of Beyond Writing Code
Iterative writing, fast feedback, adapting to change.
I attended networking events so you don't have to
People say that networking is important. Does this mean you should attend networking events? I say no. Not that these events are completely useless, but I think there are better ways of building your ...
How to help when you can't, issue 8 of Beyond Writing Code
Sometimes the best help is just being there and suffering with a friend.
Do you have the power?
I was told once that I “should feel empowered” to influence strategy, something I had been blocked from doing in multiple ways. This was not welcome news. I could feel empowered all I wanted, but unti...
When you ask for help, issue 7 of Beyond Writing Code
Understanding emotions as clues when asking for help, and the importance of emotional regulation.
House sparrows keep life from going by too fast
How do we keep each day from blending in with all the others? Why does it seem like time passes by so quickly? It was beautiful out this morning. I drove my husband to his eye exam, and while I was wa...
Hotdogs and scrum
In the midst of a recent LinkedIn discussion about whether scrum is a methodology or a framework, I considered a few questions: Geeks are often quite opinionated. I am sure some of my friends could ha...
Mysterious creatures, Leaf's first art note
Introduction to the mysterious watercolor creatures that appear throughout my work.
Finding myself in the online noise
I keep reading that there are two keys to connecting to your people online: consistency and content. Show up regularly, and keep creating content people want. Great, but show up where? Should I be bui...
Draft outline, issue 6 of Beyond Writing Code
A sneak preview of my book outline and structure.
Writing past fear, issue 5 of Beyond Writing Code
Overcoming fear of writing and making mistakes, just like breaking production.
Interview with an AI
Another post about AI? I just made one earlier this afternooooon… But then Forrest Brazeal posted this, which got me thinking: If we treat AI like a junior developer, do we interview AI the way we int...
Answering the question, issue 4 of Beyond Writing Code
Why asking "why" and listening with curiosity matters more than having all the answers.
Exactly how much more productive?
I’ve seen a few posts on social media with questions like: Why are we still trying to figure out exactly how much more productive developers are with GitHub Copilot when it is so cheap? Who cares? Jus...
Where to start
Many of my blog posts start as a response to something I see online. I start typing away in a comment box, and I soon realize either: Or both. Today, definitely both. Someone in the LeadDev community ...
AI for developers
How AI changes what developers do, with emphasis on people and processes over technology.
How can I help?
My first full time job after college was as an administrative assistant at a health insurance company. I did a lot of what you might expect: directing incoming phone calls, keeping our office supply c...
Was my book already written?
Discovering that Tanya Reilly had already written a similar book, and what that meant for my work.
Getting started writing
First newsletter about establishing a sole proprietorship and getting started as an author.
Language learning
My Romanian coworkers were impressed when I started learning Romanian. I’d say “bună” (hello), complete with the ă, and they’d be shocked by even this basic effort. What confused me, though: several o...
Choosing a mentor (updated)
I’m happiest in a job when I’m learning from someone who knows more than I do. Last year \[this post is originally from August, 2023\], I started a new role on a team of engineers who all know boatloa...
Don't do this: my career path
Folks who are new to software development sometimes ask me about my career path. The first time I fielded this question, I told my story in a straightforward way. Hearing myself talk, though, I realiz...
Feeling seen
In the summer of 2019, I was three months into a new job. My house had endured major construction that resulted in equally major water damage. We were about to go live in a hotel until just before Chr...
Have you been giving your employer money?
I suspect most people would not spontaneously and voluntarily give back part of their salary to their employer. I don’t mean donating to a cause, or chipping in for board games to play at lunch. I mea...
Lessons from Uncle Sidney
Uncle Sidney was notorious. I think even he’d agree to that. He might indeed be someone’s uncle, but he isn’t my uncle or the uncle of anyone I know. He was the main instructor for one of the programm...
My first conference: lessons learned
My first conference in person was incredible. More later about the content — here’s what I learned from the experience of attending. First… ever? It’s true. I’ve been in tech for 25+ years, and yet De...
Projects one at a time
The discussion about developer productivity (see: here) led me to following Paulo André, who recently posted: The secret to productivity hiding in plain sight: The fastest way to complete two projects...
The dangers of "who" and "why": post-incident reviews
Five valuable lessons, including one that really threw me for a loop when I read it.
Three reasons not to bring hostility
I enjoy challenges to my “conventional wisdom” about how developers and dev teams work. We can improve. “The way we’ve always done it” isn’t necessarily the best way. Luckily, I have found people on s...
Why people do what they do
I’m a huge fan of the Enterprise Technology Leadership Summit. Disney’s Jason Cox is a fine speaker and storyteller, and my favorite Disney character. His presentation on Creating Digital Magic gave m...
Bug hunting
I once had a colleague who (jokingly) left this comment on a code review, and not in reference to a specific line of code: “Missing semicolon.”
Don't tell me what API stands for
Let’s talk about what an API actually is. When I first learned about APIs, all I ever heard for a definition was what the letters stood for: Application Programming Interface. As if that told me anyth...
Blog post checklist
I have been importing blog posts from my previous blog at Medium, and I keep losing track of the steps. And often, when I want to document something for myself, it's my habit to document it for anyone...
Boredom is an interesting thing
Okay, you’ve put off that dreaded task long enough. Finally, you get to work, but the time just drags on. You’d like to get it over with, but it’s just so… boring. Yes, it’s true that we all have work...
Cloud Resume Challenge
DevOps Enterprise Summit 2022 closed with a great talk from Forrest Brazeal. As a cloud architect, musician, writer, and cartoonist, he’s got an impressive resume of his own, but he also has a project...
33 Things You Don’t Need on Your Desk
Friends, writing on Medium (and getting photos from Unsplash) taught me that I’ve been doing it all wrong. Back in 2021 \[…pause here while I yet again grapple with the fact that it’s not still 2020, ...
Naming things, in spades
Naming things is hard. One of the hardest things in computer science, as the saying goes. I once spent a full day trying to find the perfect name. Does that seem excessive? Well, consider these factor...
Why Everyone Else Knows More Than You Do, and What To Do About It
The developers you work with know stuff that you don’t, and you know stuff that they don’t. Obvious, right? So why does it seem like everyone else knows more, and you’ll never catch up? Why does it se...
Recognize your wall
I’m not saying it’s time to go stare at the wall. Well, maybe I am. Maybe you’ve been firefighting most of the day, one urgent situation after another popping up like ads on top of a recipe blog. Perh...
Something's gotta give
You’ve already got a full schedule when the boss asks you to take on a special project. Or maybe an urgent issue just jumped up above everything else you were planning to do this week. Or you’ve got m...
Thinking Errors – Notes
Notes from a post by Sheril Mathews about common thinking errors and how to spot them. First, the ones I suspect I fall into the most: Well, good to know oneself… Here are the others. Not saying I don...