These are personal essays. Writing helps me make sense of my experiences and the choices we face in work and life.

If an essay connects with you, I’d love to know.

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The Trade I Didn’t See Coming
Kiersten Brodin Schmidt Kiersten Brodin Schmidt

The Trade I Didn’t See Coming

I started an MBA two months after giving birth to our second daughter. It was a terrible idea. But it held and it was what I needed.

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Kiersten Brodin Schmidt Kiersten Brodin Schmidt

Who Stepped on Great-Grandpa?

A true story about ants, a toddler’s theory of death, and the real problem with most advice. This essay explores how small misunderstandings, gut instincts, and confident guesses quietly shape big decisions and how to think more clearly instead.

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