Perhaps a traditionally, non-traditional path Context Product Management is still a nascent career path out of undergrad business school, although recently growing in popularity (based on the small sample size of undergrads reaching out on LinkedIn). …

Part 1 in a series on 1099-K forms — In celebration of tax season: a series of posts to demystify the 1099-K from both the issuer and the recipient perspectives. If you run a marketplace company in the US, you’ll likely run into these. I have known about 1099s for a long time, from the 1099-INTs I had to…

Small steps towards a circular economy — In 2021, I embarked on a no-apparel-shopping challenge for the entire year. At the end of Year 1 of the pandemic, I was stuck at home sitting in a pile of clothes but still doing heavy online shopping. My experience was a success — I survived and thrived within the…

And how it withers Now that we’ve grown up and no longer make or break friendships on the playground, the movement of people in and out of our lives is closer to a slow burn instead of an intense explosion. Shared past experiences aren’t enough to sustain over time. I…

and the other thoughts we don’t share easily — If you’re married and you reach a certain age, the question start to roll in — slowly at first, infrequently here and there, until it becomes so loud to ignore. So when are you having kids? The short answer being “not right now” and the longer answer being “we don’t…

and why we might all revisit our relationships with our closet — The story began in 2020 when COVID hit, and it was decided that I do non-essential work (a separate, existential question of privilege entirely). My dutifully planned capsule work wardrobe sat untouched, as workout staples and leggings started working overtime. I’m no stranger to minimalism (having traveled across 31 countries…

What does being kind to myself look like? — On my January 2019 cover of ELLE, Jennifer Anniston left me a note: Dear Michelle, Skip the resolutions. Just be kind, kind to others and to yourself. Love, Jen Flashback to late 2017 — I felt light, as light as the Japanese cheesecake I just baked. Work was just work…

I thought I knew what stress was. Turns out I don’t know it at all. — February 2017 I’m at Raul’s farm again. Finca Raul Reyes as they call it here in Viñales, Cuba. It’s our third time here this week, with nothing much else to do in this sleepy town except tour tobacco plantations by horseback or sit in the town square to fight for the only…

Preparation is everything — This past weekend I was gifted with a dutch oven (not the under-the-blankets kind)— a beautiful 5-quart cast iron beauty that now sits on my stovetop, beef stew within bubbling away. I tend to shy away from complex recipes that require more than 3 ingredients (usually it’s a standalone protein…