About

I founded the conversation consultancy, Squishtalks, in the belief that conversation helps us to live better and work well.

Squishtalks has designed and delivered conversation programs for corporate and non-profit organizations, and for public and community purposes. Since 2010, I have engaged over 2,000 people in conversation workshops, discussion programs and open forum events, working with companies from the Fortune 500 to entrepreneurial start ups, with Millennials to Boomers, and with community non-profits and artists.

Corporate clients have included, among others, First National Bank, Kiewit, Mutual of Omaha, LinkedIn, Woodmen of the World, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska and Embassy Suites. Non-profit and community partners have included Justice for our Neighbors, Habitat for Humanity, Joslyn Art Museum, Omaha Creative Institute, Film Streams, The Kent Bellows Studio, Girl Scouts of Nebraska, the Young Professionals Council, the YP Summit and the Omaha Chamber.

My most recent community project is a couple of 830 mile long conversations, funded in part by Humanities Nebraska and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment and sponsored by the Omaha Creative Institute. For that project, I drove an RV 1,902 miles across Nebraska on side roads to small towns, encountering Nebraskan voices and exploring people and places, conversation and community.

I was formerly a partner at the Omaha-based branding consultancy, david day associates, where I consulted on brand strategy with local and national clients, helping them understand why they exist, what their purpose is, and how they should engage their stakeholders. Additionally, I am a partner with the creativity consultancy practice Gilbert+Chittenden.

Prior to moving to Nebraska, I had a fifteen year career practicing as a lawyer in the UK. I am a member of the UK’s Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development with Master’s level accreditation in Organizational Learning & Development.

My community involvement currently includes being a board member for Nebraska Appleseed and previously being a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters and serving on the Omaha Public Library Board of Trustees. I am an alum of Leadership Omaha’s Class 28. As an amateur poet, my work has been published in The Antigonish Review, the Blue Moon Literary & Art Review, Euphony Journal and the Tulane Review.