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The State of Mentorship in the Workplace
Many of America’s most revered entrepreneurs have had well-known mentorship relationships. Bill Gates engaged with Warren Buffett and...

Brooke Lighton
Jan 23, 20255 min read


Mondays, Am I Right? How Coors Light Turned a Gaffe into an Opportunity – Maybe
As the Super Bowl approaches, advertisers are pulling out all the stops to get their products seen by shoppers. After all, the Big Game...

Kate Dieckmann
Jan 16, 20254 min read


What Happened to Manners?
Loss of manners shows up in our jobs, our driving habits, and in the many ways we take out aggression on others.

Brooke Lighton
Jan 6, 20256 min read


To Partner Or Not To Partner, That Is The Question
Business partnerships are a tricky thing. Some are born of necessity — you and your design partner get laid off and decide to start an...

Brooke Lighton
Nov 13, 20243 min read


What It Takes to be a Leader - Eight Essential Qualities
A recent article in the New York Post captured the tragedy of 35-year old Leo Lukenas, a junior banker with Bank of America (BofA).

Brooke Lighton
Oct 30, 20245 min read


Girl Bullies: What it Looks Like in Today’s World, and the Power of Therapy
I truly believe that every female on this planet, or, at least in America (I can’t really speak for women in other countries) has felt...

Kate Dieckmann
Oct 30, 20246 min read


The Stories That Live Within Your Brand Can Ignite Success
I’ve been in the ad game for several decades, and I’m always curious about what makes for a standout campaign. I believe storytelling is a k

Brooke Lighton
Oct 24, 20244 min read


Advertising Clichés: How Accurately Do They Reflect Our Culture?
I’ve done a lot of marketing in the healthcare sector over my career, and every time I see or hear “World-Class Healthcare, Right Where...

Brooke Lighton
Oct 18, 20244 min read


In Defense of Winter: Why Living in a Cold Climate Might Be Good for You
Recently, extremely cold weather permeated a wide swath of the nation, including where I live outside of Chicago. So cold, in fact, that...

Kate Dieckmann
Jan 21, 20244 min read


Bosszilla; The State of the Workplace
Digital illustration created by Midjourney AI We’ve all experienced the ‘bad boss.’ They can be early in your career or come along...

Brooke Lighton
Jul 5, 20238 min read


What Happened to Broadcast Advertising? The Disappointing Downfall of a Giant
Recently, my business partner and I had lunch with Kurt Zoller and Mark Modesto, our associates from the Tenacious Group — a marketing...

Kate Dieckmann
May 2, 20236 min read


Simon The Limon, a Human / AI Collaboration
My friend Michael is an experienced creative director with an impressive design background. He was asked to help on a personal project: to d

Brooke Lighton
Apr 17, 20234 min read


Taylor Swift Vs. Ticketmaster: The Predicted Lynchpin in the Ticketing Monopoly
First, let me acknowledge that I am completely dating myself with the opening of this blog, but my first concert was New Kids on the...

Kate Dieckmann
Jan 20, 20235 min read


In Defense of Good Writing
I am the mother of a 28-year old millennial. She is college educated and has a good job in the tech sector. However, I noticed that...

Brooke Lighton
Dec 2, 20226 min read


Seven Types of Rest – How Leaders Can Implement Exhaustion Tactics to Boost Employee Satisfaction
When my girls were little, I forced myself to live by the motto, “sleep when the babies sleep.” I became skilled in the art of the...

Kate Dieckmann
Nov 17, 20225 min read


Dog is God Spelled Backward.
I found Spanky in New York City when I was there to help judge the DMA Awards, an advertising competition for direct marketing...

Brooke Lighton
Nov 11, 20225 min read


The Skills Coach
“I had a very famous trainer tell me once, ‘You can usually train a wild animal, but never tame a wild animal, ever.’ They are always...

Brooke Lighton
Oct 19, 20224 min read


What inflation? My Millennial Keeps Outspending Me.
What inflation? My Millennial Keeps Outspending Me. My millennial daughter showed me a new dress she bought for a friend’s wedding. In...

Brooke Lighton
Oct 6, 20224 min read


Blueberry Sugar Pancakes. One Storyteller’s Déjà Vu Encounter with a 90’s Icon.
As the mother of three girls (10, 9, and 6), I find myself spending a lot of time at the nearby mall. It’s a pretty awesome mall. Open...

Kate Dieckmann
Sep 26, 20224 min read


Storytelling Versus SEO: The Winner Is…
The demand for SEO is at the center of most business content creation today. However, when you search Google on topics such as “Trends,''...

Brooke Lighton
Sep 22, 20227 min read


Queen Elizabeth II was a Badass. No Matter how Polarizing She was, She was Still a Badass.
Let’s be honest, not everything I’m about to write will make people happy, yet isn’t that the point of a good storyteller? Similarly,...

Kate Dieckmann
Sep 22, 20227 min read


The Bully
You can bring a horse to water, but first you have to kick him in the teeth. I was a six-year-old sitting atop a 3,000 lb. horse when he...

Brooke Lighton
Sep 16, 20224 min read
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