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I have a collection of $1,000+ pens, and I bet you do too. Pens are little reminders of where we’ve been; memories of a night out, a trip taken, who we were with at the time, and who we were as a person. Unfortunately, my January 2026 pen from Meta is already a souvenir.  So how do I attach a dollar amount to a branded plastic writing utensil? Easy. Pens represent all the steps it took to be in a specific place at a specific time: the plans made, money spent, sacrifices, certifications and degrees earned, experiences gained, people met, and every micro‑decision along the way. Sometimes even a U‑turn results in the perfect utilitarian gadget with a satisfying click.
Before Meta, I left the perfect job at Microsoft, a role I held for nearly three years. The creative freedom and autonomy I had there gave me the time, space, and audience I needed to put my arms around my entire skillset: writing creative copy, design, photography, videography, program management, and empowering others to do whatever they do best. When a new opportunity at Meta presented itself, I thought long and hard about what I was giving up. Why would I “throw everything away” only to put myself in an uncomfortable position? Because I’m allergic to redundancy. It was time to get out of my comfort zone, be awkward, and accept a challenge that took me somewhere new. Surprise: Meta began 2026 with significant layoffs in their metaverse‑focused Reality Labs (RL) division. With over $70 billion in losses since 2020, RL became a primary target for cost‑cutting. While I’m frustrated that I didn’t have the chance to prove myself long‑term, I’m walking away knowing my skills are widely applicable, regardless of where I land. I’m looking forward to collecting a new pen from a company or team that needs an injection of creative leadership with range. PS. Am I crazy, or does anyone else have a favorite pen memory? I’d love to hear yours. Bonus points if you attach a dollar amount.
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Learning more about menopause has been unnecessarily puzzling, largely because it is still treated with an unnecessary level of mystery and discomfort. At the same time, clinicians and researchers are expanding the scientific understanding of this phase of life through studies on symptom patterns, hormonal mechanisms, metabolic changes, neurological impacts, and long‑term health outcomes. As the research base grows, I hope menopause will be discussed more openly and accurately across generations rather than whispered about or dismissed. With that in mind, I started thinking about how this transition might be portrayed in a multigenerational screenplay. I wanted to explore how women of different ages interpret the same physiological process, how they talk about it, and how cultural silence shapes their experiences. Here’s what Copilot generated when I provided the prompt for a movie poster and outline. I don't necessarily agree with everything, but it's a great starting point.  Here’s a short‑screenplay concept built around your four generations, their different worlds, and the shared thread of womanhood, cycles, and connection through the moon. It’s structured so you can expand it into a full script later.
--- “Four Moons” — A Short Screenplay Characters
--- THEME Across generations, women experience bodily change—first blood, last blood, shifting identity—but the moon becomes their shared language. Each woman feels isolated in her own life until they realize they’re connected through something older than all of them. --- STORY BEATS 1. Opening Montage — Four Lives, One Moon
Each looks up at the moon at the same moment. A soft hum rises—something ancient, feminine, connective. --- Lila’s Confusion Lila hides her period from Maya, embarrassed and unsure. She googles things, gets overwhelmed, and ends up crying on her bed. She looks out the window at the moon again, whispering, “Help.” The moonlight brightens slightly. --- Maya’s Silence Maya is exhausted, irritable, and confused by her changing body. She doesn’t want to burden Lila or her partner. She feels “too young to be old, too old to be young.” She steps outside to cool off from a hot flash and sees the same moon. She mutters, “What is happening to me?” The wind shifts gently, like a response. --- Rose’s Rediscovery Rose is alone in her cabin, feeling irrelevant after retirement. She touches her belly, remembering pregnancy, remembering youth. She wonders who she is now. She lights sage, sits on her porch, and looks at the moon. “Show me what’s next.” The moon glows through the clouds. --- Ada’s Joy Ada is radiant, preparing for her wedding. She’s lived long enough to know that every life stage is a doorway. She speaks to the moon like an old friend. “Bring them to me. They need each other.” The moon brightens, almost pulsing. --- The Pull Over the next days, each woman feels an inexplicable urge to travel to Ada’s desert home for the wedding.
They all decide to go—separately, without knowing the others are coming. --- The Meeting At Ada’s desert home, the three younger generations arrive one by one. There’s surprise, laughter, awkwardness, and relief. Ada greets each with the same words: “The moon told me you were coming.” --- The Ceremony The wedding is simple—Ada and her partner under an arch of desert flowers. As the sun sets, the full moon rises. During the reception, Ada gathers the three younger women. She tells Lila: “Your body is beginning its story.” She tells Maya: “Yours is changing chapters.” She tells Rose: “Yours is entering its wisdom.” Then she says: “None of you are alone. We are one long breath.” --- The Moonlit Circle That night, the four women sit in a circle in the desert. No ceremony, no ritual—just presence. They share:
As they talk, the moonlight grows brighter, bathing them in silver. They laugh, cry, and lean on each other. --- Closing Image The four women stand together, holding hands, looking up at the moon. Their silhouettes form a single shape—four generations, one lineage. The moon pulses once more, as if acknowledging them. Fade out. When I have time to embrace an idea, I use Copilot to help flush it out. In this case, I thought about setting up a table and a desk in the middle of my town at a very busy park and inviting people to ask a question or tell me something. It’s not a new concept to simply exist in public, but I would be intentionally inviting conversation. I was driven to explore this idea because I have a lot to learn, but I’m also at a point where I feel confident offering advice or support. Maybe others just need to share something with a stranger.  Here's what Copilot provided after I added my prompt: Your Pop‑Up “Human Info Desk” is a concept that blends community service, creativity, and personal connection. The Core Concept is a living kiosk—part advice booth, part conversation lounge, part micro‑experience. You’re offering:
--- What to Call It? A name sets the tone. A few directions: Warm & Welcoming
Playful & Slightly Absurd
More Poetic
Pick a vibe and run with it. --- The Sign. Make it simple, bold, and a little funny. Something like:
Humor lowers the barrier for shy people. --- The Tangible Takeaway: A physical memento is brilliant. It makes the interaction feel like a tiny event. Here are a few options that balance cost, charm, and meaning: Polaroid + Poem Combo
Conversation Cards: Create a small stack of cards with prompts like:
Mini Certificates: Silly “official” certificates:
Pocket Zines: A tiny folded paper with:
--- Make It Interactive. People love low‑commitment engagement. A Community Question Board: A whiteboard or corkboard with a daily question:
A “Spin for a Topic” Wheel: A small spinner with categories:
A “Take One, Leave One” Bowl: People can leave:
--- The Personal Aspect: This is where you shine. A few ways to make it you:
--- Why This Works: It taps into:
I like Copilot's response because it gave me some options to think about. From there, I determined that:
Worse: What if people loved it? Would I need to do it again? Or could I get away with a single day of making magic? The important thing is that I identified what, how and why. I could do it at any time now. Or maybe not. Additionally, supporting the Global Customer Experience team at Microsoft taught me to include a personalized aspect to every interaction. In this scenario, that's the key component to creating a little mystery and fun and creating community. No, I didn't make this word up Ideaphoria is the ability to generate ideas quickly in an energetic stream of creativity and original ideas.  Ideaphoria + caffeine= love How does it work? My Ideaphoria is a tool I pull out of my clunky toolbox of a brain to solve a specific problem. When I let my Ideaphoria run wild, I identify the ideal outcome and state the challenges and blockers. I generate “what ifs” and “why nots” and begin shaping the result into something useful. I mentally run diagnostics on each idea, test it against what I know, and refine it until I have something that is about ninety percent complete. From there, I draft a proposal so my manager can pressure test it and point out anything I may have missed. At home, pressure testing can mean checking Pinterest or YouTube for others who have tried to solve the same problem. Ideating and riding a wave of Ideaphoria is energizing when I have the time and space to follow each line of thinking. Examples of times I let my Ideaphoria run wild: At work, I needed to create a communication that recapped our organization’s wins from the past six months. Every team needed to be represented, but no one had time to provide the details—and the final data wouldn’t be available until right before publication. My solution: Using the most current information available (last quarter’s reports plus a few fresh updates), I used Copilot to match team achievements and product milestones with specific songs. I wrote short explanations for each selection and intentionally left space for last‑minute updates as new reports came in. The result was a full “album” for each team and an organization‑wide playlist. I made the playlist available on Spotify and added a QR code to the “album cover” for our All‑Hands meeting. I also leveraged my design team for unique album cover art. After the quarter officially closed, each leadership team member presented their wins, and the corresponding songs were revealed live. Between “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Katy Perry’s “Roar,” and Gene Allison’s 1957 classic “You Can Make It If You Try,” the vibes on the call were immaculate. Coming soon: details about the time I delivered a fiscal year‑end recap immediately after a meeting with overlapping content and audiences. I used a high‑school yearbook theme to capture favorite highlights, quotes, launches, and team photos from across the organization, and showcased the final piece on our internal SharePoint site. Looking Ahead I’ll share some of my Ideaphoria rabbit holes on this page. Sometimes they turn into fully formed business concepts. Sometimes they are just interesting thought experiments. Do you have ideaphoria? If this sounds like you, I'd love to hear how your brain works. What concepts have you developed, and what problems have you solved? |
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