I've spent my career in high-pressure situations, first as a poker professional and then as a high-stakes communicator.

For years, I played cards full-time—live, mid-stakes No Limit Hold'em. In poker terms, a grinder: disciplined, risk-aware, substance over flash. Up to 95% of players lose money in the long run, so thriving meant outthinking my opponents every session.

That's where I learned the things that matter most in my work now—how to act on incomplete information, how to read people’s wants, needs, and intentions, and why good process matters more than short-term results.

Today, I'm Vice President of Public Affairs at J Strategies, Inc. I work alongside an expert team of experienced comms professionals, helping organizations navigate complex policy environments, engage the stakeholders who matter, and craft narratives that shift perception.

Before that, I led communications at the Commonwealth Foundation and ran national campaigns at The Herald Group for clients in America's most heavily regulated industries.

Different rooms, same discipline: figure out what's really at stake, who's across the table, and what to say because of it. I write about it in an ongoing series, Lessons from the Felt.