Bio Upgradeable

I slowed to a stop before turning right, driving along the riverside toward the highway. It was mid-afternoon and I was on my way to refill a prescription, though I'd wished I wasn't.

"Why is it that I'm always in the car lately??" I'd thought to myself. After all, I'd moved to the mountains so I wouldn't have to do that. Or, at least, not as much. And when I did, it'd be for shorter stints with emptier destinations. That was the idea, anyway.

As I drove, I listened to the new Elizabeth Gilbert interview on the Tim Ferriss podcast. I love them both—for different but tangential reasons. She's the author of best-selling books like Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic. He wrote The 4 Hour Workweek and was an angel investor for Facebook, Twitter, and Uber among others. An unlikely pair, I caught myself smiling at their conversational chemistry.

Liz’s sense of self was obvious, but hearing her unpack it reminded me why it stood out. I could almost see Tim leaning in, trying to figure out her secret. She described a winding journey across a slew of chapters throughout her life. Thinking back on my own pivots, I related heavily.

I'd spent the morning on something completely useless, but hard as hell to resist: rewriting my bio across the handful of places it appears on my digital real estate. It was time. It's one of those things you notice and then can't undo. Like realizing your fingernails are too long. Or that your sweatshirt shrunk ever-so-slightly in the wash.

Instead of just rewriting it, I added a floating bio to my blog after seeing how Austin Kleon and Seth Werkheiser use theirs.

Back in the car, on my way home from meeting my drug dealer (my pharmacist hates when I call her that), I thought more about my own transformations—the ones that mirrored Liz Gilbert's. And even Tim's.

For months, I’ve been dialing back the professional polish in how I show up online. I haven't mentioned my work all that much in my weekly essays or podcasts lately. I was trying to make space for my personality, voice, and interests to reemerge without pressure or expectation. It worked.

Now I’m slipping a few nods to my work back in, for those who might be interested. That’s also why revamping the user experience and navigation of my site became such a big focus.

Pulling into the driveway, I parked then stayed seated. I'd waited for the next commercial break in the interview before heading inside.

I opened my laptop and took another look at my upgraded bios.

Here's the updated blog page.

And here's my updated bio and publication description on Substack.

"Writer & strategist. Former outdoor guide. Helping stifled creatives untangle their voice, website, and software systems."

It feels like it fits. At least for now.

What do you think?

onward.

-dmac