About Me

My passions are helping individuals and groups reach and achieve their potential; participating and facilitating deep, meaningful dialogue; and distilling big, complicated, abstract ideas into concise and digestible language. I am a creative thinker and inspire individuals and groups to approach themselves and problems in new ways.

I am a Certified Structured Facilitator, Certified Virtual Facilitator™, Certified Integral Coach, and am certified in Foundations in Public Participation by the International Association for Public Participation. I am also a communications professional specializing in writing, editing, campaign ideation and execution, and community engagement.

I have coached executive directors, entrepreneurs, teachers, coaches, psychiatrists, business and government leaders among others.

My portfolio includes work helping nonprofits, educational institutions, volunteer boards, and governments articulate and achieve their goals. I have worked in communications and public engagement for more than 13 years and have 30+ years of experience as a journalist, interviewer, and writer. I have a background in environmental education and outdoor leadership.

I am the founder, host, and producer of the podcast First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing. I have interviewed more than 380 world-class authors and discussed issues of craft, empathy, and the human condition with them on my weekly show.

Personally, I love biking, hiking, paddle boarding, and ski touring. I cherish time spent with the people I love. Adventure makes me feel alive; joy is worth following; insatiable curiosity drives me.; and kindness is at my core. Books and chocolate are always within reach. Laughter and humor keep me sane.

I live in Pitkin County, Colorado

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Meet Mitzi

My passions are helping individuals and groups reach and achieve their potential; participating and facilitating deep, meaningful dialogue; engaging communities and stakeholders in solutions-oriented communications; and distilling big, complicated, abstract ideas into concise and digestible language. I am a creative thinker and inspire individuals and groups to approach themselves and problems in new ways.

I have coached executive directors, entrepreneurs, teachers, coaches, psychiatrists, business and government leaders among others.

My portfolio includes work helping nonprofits, educational institutions, volunteer boards, and governments articulate and achieve their goals. I have worked in communications and public engagement for more than 15 years and have 30+ years of experience as a journalist, interviewer, and writer. I have a background in environmental education and outdoor leadership.

I am the founder, host, and producer of the podcast First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing. I have interviewed more than 400 world-class authors and discussed issues of craft, empathy, and the human condition with them on my weekly show.

I have an MS in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, an MFA in Creative Writing from Warren Wilson College, and a BA in English and Religion from Indiana University.

I live in Pitkin County, Colorado.

My Philosophy

My life and my work are grounded in the values of wonder, creativity, compassion, and honesty. I approach my work with an intentional balance between strategy and spontaneity, focus and light-heartedness.

I believe that the most salient moments of our personal and professional lives are integrated into a reserve of knowledge and work in tandem as an expression of alchemy. Because of this understanding and philosophy, I am a rich collaborator with a deep reservoir of skills and insights to offer my clients. It might not have been evident to me when I began my career teaching environmental education in rural Texas that understanding the concept of interdependence in nature would reverberate as a tenant in systems thinking for coaching, communication, and facilitation, but the synthesis is clear three decades later. There are hundreds of small and large examples like this one that have created the foundation for the expertise I bring to all my projects.

The time I have spent as an international leader and guide in the outdoors, teaching inner city youth, living in Native villages in rural Alaska, reporting from Capitol Hill, producing news and documentaries, writing and editing, founding a literary podcast, and developing communications strategies dovetails with my personal endeavors solo travelling the world, creative writing, pursuing artistic outlets, spending time in wilderness, and advancing personal growth. The sum of these parts adds up to my continuous evolution as a person and the accumulation of wisdom and knowledge that I rely on daily in service to your personal and business needs.

How I Work

All my work is a co-creation rooted in our relationship, which is characterized by honest and frequent dialogue. Our relationship is the basis for moving from possibility to action. I believe ideation must begin in an environment without constraints. As we articulate our goals and desires, we then apply the integral structures to achieve success. This is true whether we are cultivating personal or organizational growth,

solidifying communication goals, or articulating and enacting a long-term vision.

Photo by Dan Bayer for Aspen Institute

My Values

Wonder

I believe that a sense of awe and insatiable curiosity are fuel for success. I commit to looking at each new person and project with fresh eyes. I do this by creating novel approaches for each engagement that I participate in and inviting the unknown into our relationship.