When I last posted, I was learning the rhythm of a slower pace. My father was in his final chapter, and I had stepped away to be present for what mattered most.
He passed in January, soon after I posted my last post.
The months since have been a season of reflection—processing loss, rediscovering rhythms, and slowly finding my way back to the work that matters. Somewhere in that quiet space, something unexpected happened: I found myself thinking differently about the work I do, the leadership challenges I’ve navigated, and what it means to show up with clarity and purpose.
What That Season Taught Me About High-Stakes Decisions
There’s something about caregiving and loss that strips away all pretense. During those months, I learned to ask better questions. I learned to push back on assumptions. I learned to zero in on body language, discern unspoken subtext, and regularly placed myself in my father’s shoes, thinking about how I can best support him and how to advocate for him effectively. I learned that sometimes the most important thing you can do is simply be present with the uncomfortable truth.
These are the same skills we struggle with in boardrooms and team meetings. The ability to see what’s actually happening rather than what we wish was happening. The courage to speak up when everyone else is nodding along. The discipline to slow down when speed feels urgent.
The Questions I’m Carrying Forward
During that time, I kept returning to the same questions I explore with my business communication students at Diablo Valley College—questions about when and how to communicate clearly in high-stakes situations:
How do we balance urgency with wisdom?
When does staying quiet become complicity?
What’s the difference between patience and avoidance?
How do we lead through uncertainty without pretending we have all the answers?
These aren’t just academic questions. They’re the decisions we face every day in our work—whether to speak up in meetings, how to deliver difficult news, and when to push back on assumptions.
I’ve been away from this space for nine months. That’s enough time for perspective, enough distance to see what truly matters, enough healing to bring renewed energy to these conversations. My work teaching business communication has kept me grounded in the real challenges professionals face every day—and I’m ready to bring those insights here.
What’s Coming
You subscribed to Product Unblocked because you wanted practical leadership wisdom, not platitudes. That hasn’t changed.
In the weeks ahead, I’ll be exploring:
When silence becomes a decision - How to recognize the moments where not speaking up is actually making a choice
The questions that unlock stuck conversations - Communication patterns that move teams past gridlock
Making better decisions with imperfect information - How to think clearly when you can’t know everything
The role of AI as a communication tool in business, not a crutch - how and when to effectively use AI in professional settings
Reading the room without mind-reading - How to gauge stakeholder reactions without falling into assumption traps
And yes, we’ll continue the work that resonated with so many of you—case studies from the trenches, frameworks you can use tomorrow, honest conversations about the leadership challenges that keep you up at night.
A Request
If you’ve been reading quietly, now’s the moment to lean in. Share these posts with colleagues who need them. Reply with the leadership challenges you’re navigating. Let’s build something more than a newsletter—let’s build a community of leaders who refuse to settle for superficial solutions.
The last few months taught me that time is precious and clarity is a gift. I won’t waste either.
Thank you for holding space while I stepped away. Thank you for being here when I return.
Let’s do meaningful work together.