Biesenblog
Insights on Communication, Storytelling and Presentation Skills
Lessons From 20 Years in Business: Following Your Heart is Not Enough
Twenty years ago I quit my job as a vice president at a top-10 PR firm. None of the things I’m doing now — author, professional speaker, workshop leader — were in my plan. Hell, I barely even had a plan. But it all worked out … better than I would have dreamed. As I […]
Here is the Secret to Happiness
I’m pleased to report that I have found the secret to happiness. (Well, happiness may be a stretch. Let’s call it contentment, or satisfaction.) But it’s the reason that I can honestly say I have never had a bad year. And why I have trouble relating to the many social media posts every December bidding […]
New Year, New Website, New Me
Ahhhh, nothing beats that new website smell! Take a look around. I hope you like what you see. It’s the product of eight months of blood, sweat and tears. Well, maybe not blood. At least none of mine. I can’t speak for the programmers and designers. But I think it effectively captures who I am right now […]
What I Did on Summer Vacation
Oops, we did it again! Biesenbaby 2 (aka, Lily) arrived on the scene at the end of July, which has put a serious dent in my productivity this summer, especially with helping run interference on Biesenbaby 1. Getting Teddy ready in the morning and taking him back and forth to daycare has turned my day into […]
Ending My Brief Career as a Sort of SAHD
This week, Teddy turns three months old. And with Karen’s return to work, it’s also his first full week of day care. For me that means I’ve got the house to myself again. It also spells the end of any dream I had to enter the lucrative and rewarding work of professional daddy blogging. It […]
Baby on Board: This Changes Everything
What did I do on my summer vacation? I had a baby! Well, my wife did, actually. It’s been a little over two weeks and I still can’t quite believe it. As a Facebook friend said: I am still amazed that they handed me the baby, just like that. No special degree or anything. I’m a […]
One Year, Four Careers: Blood, Sweat & Tears
Fifteen years ago this fall I struck out on my own, leaving a job as a vice president at Ogilvy PR to work independently. I started out doing what I’d been doing at the firm: corporate communications work for a variety of clients. Over the years, I added three other lines of work: acting (in […]
The Things He Carried: My Dad and the War in Vietnam
With the approach Thursday of the second anniversary of my father’s death, I’ve felt a sort of vague, tired lethargy that I recall from last year, too. Coincidentally or not, I just finished reading The Things They Carried, the beautiful and heartbreaking book of the Vietnam War, and that’s stirred up a lot of thoughts and emotions. […]
On Assignment: Goodbye to Summer
When I got married I became an honorary Alaskan, and for the past four summers we’d go up there in late July for the salmon run. This year we thought it prudent to skip the trip since we’re moving in August. And it’s a good thing we did, because I am now in the midst of […]
My Visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum
A couple of weeks ago I was in New York on business and I went to see the new 9/11 Memorial Museum. It was, of course, a deeply powerful and moving experience. They did an amazing job of capturing the stories of that day. Not everyone will be ready to relive that awful time in such […]