Lessons from Life’s Work

August 31, 2026August 7, 2026

How Teaching English Overseas Strengthened My Communication Skills

I enjoy reflecting on how various jobs I’ve had over the years contributed skills and perspective to my current work. Teaching English overseas helped me develop the communication skills I use every day as a content writer, book editor, and writing coach.

Conversational English & Business English

As a senior in college studying abroad, I was privileged to offer weekly lessons in conversational English to a teenage girl in Poland. My goal was to help her build confidence in spoken English. I learned to listen carefully. Paid attention to what motivated her. Found creative ways to help her with conversation. And realized effective communication is about meeting people where they are.

A decade later, I was a visiting lecturer at a Russian university, teaching international relations. I was asked to offer a business English class for a group of students preparing for their careers. My goal was to help them communicate clearly and professionally with confidence. While helping them practice general business vocabulary, I also identified what each student needed the most help with. I helped them adapt their spoken English to different types of audiences. In the process, I learned to appreciate tone, clarity, and context.

Lessons I Still Use Today

My experience teaching English overseas contributed to the work I do today. I still use the lessons I learned in those classrooms.

I learned the importance of focusing on a specific audience, explaining ideas clearly, and choosing words that help people understand and engage. Those skills help me today as a content writer.

*The skills I learned teaching English overseas help me with my writing, editing, and coaching work today. Photo by Ling App at Unsplash*

I helped individuals express their ideas clearly while preserving their unique voice and understanding their audience. Those skills help me as a book editor.

I encouraged students as they grew in their communication skills, helping them speak English with confidence, and asking them questions to help clarify concepts. Those skills help me as a writing coach.

Looking back, I can see how I wasn’t just teaching English language. I was helping people connect through words. That’s still at the heart of the work I do today.

If you’re just starting out in your working life, be encouraged that every experience contributes to your professional growth. Don’t be surprised if the skills you develop in a job today show up again in a future work setting. The work you do today is always preparing you in some way for the career you’ll have tomorrow.

If you’re interested in reading about my experiences helping my Polish student in conversational English, I’ve written about it on my Exploring Generations blog: English Lessons in a Polish Suburb (opens in a new window).

April 27, 2026June 20, 2026

From Croissant Maker to Content Maker

Before I wrote blog posts or edited books, I stood in the kitchen of a French bakery in a flour-covered dress, flattening thick slabs of dough into thin layers for croissants.

November 17, 2025November 16, 2025

Before Google, There Was Me: Lessons from My College Newspaper Days

Long before search bars and smart phones, in the days before my friends started calling me “google,” I was the human search engine for our independent student newspaper.

October 27, 2025October 23, 2025

What Working at EPCOT Taught Me about Writing

A college summer job in a Disney gift shop prepared me for content writing, editing, and coaching in ways I didn’t expect—and here’s what I’d share with younger dreamers too.

In the summer after my first year of college, I took a job at Disney’s EPCOT Center near Orlando, Florida. I was a gift shop hostess—the shop where I worked was right next to Spaceship Earth, the EPCOT entryway landmark. With Disney’s focus on guest experience in their theme parks, we as employees were called cast members. Our role was to create a wonderful experience for our guests.

I loved interacting with our visitors from all over the world. I enjoyed getting to know the other cast members too. They were awesome to work with, and many of them came from other countries. I loved everything international, so it was the perfect working environment for me.

What I didn’t realize at the time was how one summer job would shape my future career.

September 22, 2025September 20, 2025

Courage to Raise My Hand

In the early 1980s, when I was a sophomore in high school, my friends and I enrolled in Junior Achievement (JA). We traveled to a big conference center one night a week to meet with our business mentors and participate in a JA business venture.

Each JA group was involved in a business project, where we created and sold a product, all the while learning about how to run a business. Our group was tasked with making and selling hanging flower baskets. We stained pieces of wood, assembled them into a basket shape, and sold them to people who wanted to support our endeavors.

Early on, we all voted for a president of our little ensemble. I had no intention of running for any office. But my friends encouraged me to try. So, I raised my hand and said I would like to be in the running for president.

August 25, 2025August 19, 2025

Teen Piano Accompanist, Creative Collaborator for Life: What Piano Taught Me about Listening and Support

My first freelance role began in my teen years, in junior and senior high school. I played flute and piccolo in the band, and I played piano for fun. Every year, we went to district contests, hoping to perform well enough to go on to the state competition. I performed flute and piano solos and participated in trios. But I soon discovered another role that I really enjoyed—piano accompanist.

Many instrument soloists needed a piano accompanist for their contest performance. When word got around that I was an experienced teen pianist and would already be at the contest venues, I suddenly had my first freelance clients. Through the years that followed, I played the piano accompaniments for woodwind, brass, string, and percussion soloists. Through that experience, I learned a lot that helps me today as an editor and ghostwriter.

July 28, 2025August 2, 2025

Walking Dogs, Mowing Lawns, and Learning to Be Reliable

Throughout my teen years, I was the go-to pet sitter on our street. When neighbors went out of town, I fed their pets, walked dogs, mowed the lawn, cleaned the house, watered plants, and took in the mail.

Being a teen pet sitter might sound like a small job. But as any pet parent knows, you have to trust your pet sitter, and you wouldn’t hand over your house key to just anyone. I feel honored they chose me. Little did I know, those early jobs were teaching me in ways that continue to guide my work today.