Optum

Detail-oriented Senior Technical Writer with strong experience in writing, reviewing, editing, formatting, revising, and standardizing various types of technical documents possesses strong experience in a regulatory environment, thereby certifying adherence to various compliance standards.
 
Experience in healthcare a must. Microsoft Office Suite 365 (including Microsoft Visio), Adobe Technical Communication Suite (including Adobe FrameMaker, Acrobat Pro, and RoboHelp), Adobe InDesign, Help Authoring using Adobe RoboHelp, Change Control Boards, Agile Software Development, Style Guides, Jira and Confluence, GitHub and ZenHub, Trello and Monday, Slack and Microsoft Teams.

Imaging Technical Writer

JohnTheWordsmith LLC

Storyteller-In-Chief

Merative

Created new documentation suites for cognitive AI solutions: Liver, Prostate, and Breast. Collaborated with leadership and internal and external stakeholders (e.g., development, QA / RA, implementation, support, training) for Merge Imaging division.
• Accountable for Radiology Imaging System (RIS), Merge Unity PACS, and Watson Health Imaging Analytics documentation suites.
• Created and edited user guides, system administration manuals, installation and upgrade instructions, and release notes utilizing Adobe FrameMaker.
• 100% perfect record meeting financial and time budgets throughout entire tenure.

Sr. Technical Writer

Created and edited user guides, system administration guides, installation and upgrade instructions, and release notes utilizing Adobe FrameMaker. Collaborated with interdisciplinary team members within the Merge Imaging division to accomplish project goals and objectives.

Information Developer

Merge Healthcare, an IBM Company

Managed and oversaw the documentation suites for Merge Dashboards, Merge Documents Management (MDM), and Merge Financials.
• Utilized Adobe FrameMaker to generate and refine user guides, system administration guides, installation and upgrade instructions, and release notes.

Senior Technical Writer

October, 2015 - Merge acquired by IBM for its Watson Health division

Responsible for documenting the Merge Cardio, Merge Dashboards, Merge Documents Management (MDM), and Merge Financials product lines.

Technical Writer

Amicas

Provided comprehensive management and oversight of the documentation suites encompassing Merge Hemo, Merge Cardio, Merge Dashboards, Merge Documents Management (MDM), and Merge Financials.
• Employed Adobe FrameMaker to create and enhance user guides, system administration guides, installation and upgrade instructions, and release notes.

Emageon

TEKsystems

Worked on contract at WEA Trust in Madison, WI from Halloween, 2005 - 2008.
Worked on contract at Metavante in Milwaukee, WI.

Contractor at WEA Trust in Madison, Wisconsin. Created documentation and online help topics for QNXT claims system. Developed online help topics and Business Process Re-engineering swim lane flowcharts.

Technical Writer / Help Author / BPR

Camtronics Medical Systems

Created CardioWorks EMR document suite in Adobe FrameMaker and Help topics using WebWorks. Collaborated with Product Development, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs, Implementation and Technical Support, and Marketing departments to guarantee accuracy and comprehensiveness of IFUs. Verified that IFUs underwent review, approval, and release in accordance with quality system. Collaborated with Tech Comm team members to share knowledge and best practices.

Storyteller, wordsmith, pleasant chap

I'm a writer and storyteller for business and pleasure. I help clients learn reverse-engineer their career stories and craft their narratives for maximum impact.* 

A veteran of cohorts from Lara Acosta (Personal Branding), Taylin John Simmonds (Twitter Copywriting), I'm currently in Dakota Robertson's ghost writing cohort, and will join Michael Margolis' Narrative Influence cohort in the summer.

My background is as an experienced Senior Technical Writer working in the hospital & health care industry with a specialization in medical devices for over 20 years as a writer and editor. 

My speciality is working as a liaison between technical / Subject Matter Experts and end-users. (And my ADHD superpower of hyper-focus gives me an extra gear!)

* > I'm not currently offering a storytelling service for Inbound leads (but I'm busy creating one with an Alpha client who tracked me down and got me started thinking about what such a program / service like that might look like).

tl-dr: Stay tuned...

How I gained my first 5000 followers on LinkedIn in less than a year...

This week, I passed a major milestone and celebrated by posting my first video on LinkedIn!

A year ago, I was just getting started, overwhelmed by the platform and its shifting algorithms.

Here’s how I got to 5k followers and warm organic leads:

↳ Leveraging storytelling
↳ Building authentic connections
↳ Monetizing creatively

The first 5k is the toughest. Been there, done that.

If you're:
• Navigating a layoff
• Considering a career pivot
• Struggling to gain traction

I was in your shoes. Let’s chat! 

Book a call via my Featured section for tips, a profile breakdown, and my LinkedIn Personal Branding playbook.

5k down, 5k more to go! 👊

𝘗𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘢𝘺𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 (5𝘬) 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯' 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳*!

John Cook

Hi, I'm John the Wordsmith. This is my story...

1. 𝗧𝘄𝗼 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗴𝗼 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆
   as a Sr. Technical Writer with the Watson Health division that had just been spun off from IBM as its own division.
   
2. 𝗟𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗜 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘂𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗼𝗳𝗳𝘀
   I didn’t like it. I decided then and there that I was going to take the opportunity to blaze my own trail as a writer. I found a better job for more money with a really great company
   
3. 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 
   - written on LinkedIn every day for 265 straight days
   - signed a side contract with my dream client
   - made my first internet dollar

I have big plans for next year.

What’s your story?
===========
𝘔𝘺 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘭𝘶𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐'𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨.

#266

Let's say you're new to LinkedIn...

Here's what I've discovered when I was new to the platform.

Storytelling is your secret weapon.

1. 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻
Real stories resonate more than polished pitches.

2. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀
Regular posts keep you on people's radar.

3. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗲𝘆
Respond to comments and build relationships.

4. 𝗩𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝗺𝗲
Quality content beats frequent but empty posts.

5. 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆
People love to see growth and progress.

The best way to promote yourself might not:

• Be about having the most connections
• Involve fancy graphics or videos
• Require a marketing degree

Next time you post, think beyond the likes.

Share the story that shows who you are,
not just what you do.

Because the right story
can turn connections into clients.

And help your business go from
unknown to unforgettable.

𝘐 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘚𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘺 
𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘔𝘢𝘤 𝘰𝘧𝘧 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵. 
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺'𝘢𝘭𝘭. 
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬.
𝘚𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘩.

5 things I learned from Alfred Hitchcock about business storytelling...

Yesterday, email marketer Ben Settle dug deep and pulled out a quote from the brilliant British director Alfred Hitchcock:

"[Hitchcock] said to me, 'Did you read what we’ve got?' 
I said, 'Yes.' 
He said, 'What did you think about it?' 
I replied, 'It’s not very logical.' 
He grimaced and said, 'Oh, dear boy, don’t be dull. I’m not interested in logic. I’m interested in effect. If the audience ever thinks about logic, it’s on their way home after the show, and by that time, you see, they’ve paid for their tickets.'"

Here are 5 storytelling takeaways for LinkedIn:

• Create memorable experiences
 
• Understand your audience
 
• Prioritize impact over logic
 
• Timing of critical thinking
 
• Focus on ROI
 
Emotion and storytelling are key to capturing attention and achieving your LinkedIn goals in a crowded digital space. 

tl-dr: First you grab your audience and engage their emotion, then use logic and facts to bring home the sale.
==========
𝘐'𝘮 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

#260

What Alfred Hitchcock Taught Me About Storytelling

"How 𝙄 pick up trashy women."

Yesterday email marketer John Wood wrote about the power of a good headline using this Subject: 
"𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯."

Now, that's a joke using a provocative example, but it arrested my attention, which is kind of the point.

After that, I couldn't help but hear Lara Acosta's voice in my head with her advice about how to make 'How to' statements stronger by adding 'I' to it.

(The only thing better would have been to add a number,
 like 'How I picked up 5 trashy women.') 😁

I showed this to my wife Linda who just shook her head and smiled.

> What's your favorite feisty headline?

𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘱 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦–𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘢𝘨𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵–𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘺 21. 𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘧𝘰𝘳 (𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴) 𝘯𝘰𝘸.

Something I've been wanting to say about ADHD...

Sorry, but ADHD is NOT laziness:

- It's not about willpower
- It's not about trying harder
- It's not about being careless
- It's not about being unmotivated
- It's not about being irresponsible

These myths are just COMMON misconceptions.

People with ADHD don't just need to be told to "try harder" or to "focus more."

Perpetuating these myths do more harm than good.

People with ADHD need:

↳ Challenges that provide a sense of competition
↳ Strategies that captivate their interest
↳ Deadlines that create urgency
↳ Tasks that allow for creativity

It's time to shift the narrative. 

It's time to replace judgment with understanding

It's time to replace criticism with support. 

Let's shift the narrative from misunderstanding to empowerment. 

Together, we can change perceptions and create a more inclusive space for everyone to thrive!

> What's one way you've shifted the narrative?

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘈𝘋𝘏𝘋 𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘭𝘵. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘚𝘏𝘐𝘕𝘐𝘕𝘎.

How I started a successful side hustle...

Thinking of starting a side hustle? You're not alone. 

Many are finding more than just extra cash—it’s a boost in self-esteem, new skills, and more.

Here’s why it’s the perfect time:
• Tech connecting buyers and sellers
• Declining company loyalty
• Economic uncertainty
  
What to Consider:

1. 𝗣𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: Choose something you love, or it’ll drain you.
2. 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲: Make sure you can manage it alongside your job.
3. 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝘁 𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲: Leverage what you know.
4. 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Pick something you can grow.
5. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆: Ensure it doesn’t conflict with your main job.
   
Ready to start your side hustle?
===========
𝘕𝘰𝘸, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨...
"𝘚𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴: 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺?"
('𝘔𝘦.' 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 '𝘮𝘦.')

#263

I learned a trick from Matt Stone and Trey Parker that changed my writing forever...

We see poor stories all the time

This thing happens

And then this thing happens.

This can make a story feel flat, predictable, or lacking in dramatic tension. 

Take this example: 
"The king died and then the queen died."

This is simply a sequence of events without any explanation for why the queen perished . 

But look what happens when you add a little causality. 

Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of "South Park," emphasize the use of "but," "therefore," and "because" in their storytelling process to create more engaging and cohesive narratives. 

Revised example: "The king died, and because of that, the queen succumbed to her grief."

That paints a richer, more tragic picture.

Here's why this approach works:

• 𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁

• 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘀

• 𝗟𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻
  
• 𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Using "but," "therefore," and "because" can help you build stories with clear causes, logical connections, and interesting twists, making them more engaging for your audience.
==============
𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘧 𝘘𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘝𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘌𝘯𝘨𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥.

#282

Supercharge Your Storytelling

5 tips for surviving a lonely Friday night on LinkedIn...

While everyone else is out, you're here, hustling. 

But hey, you're not alone...

Here are five tips to get through it:

1. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗲𝘁
   Embrace the fact that the noise is gone. Your audience might be smaller, but they’re probably the ones who care most. Quality over quantity, right?
   
2. 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲
   Use this downtime to post something truly epic. You’ve got the time—why not make it a post that’ll echo into next week?
   
3. 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼
   With fewer people online, your comments and messages are more likely to stand out. Go on, drop a witty reply or two.
   
4. 𝗡𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝘄𝗹𝘀
   The folks still online are your kind of people—dedicated, focused, maybe a bit too obsessed with LinkedIn. Connect with them; you’re in good company.
   
5. 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳!
   After you hit ‘post,’ grab a snack or a drink. 
   You’ve earned it. 
   Surviving a Friday night on LinkedIn isn’t for the faint of heart!
   
Remember, while everyone else is winding down, you’re just warming up. 

Cheers to your dedication! 🎉

In this past year, I've learned one lesson...

Clear writing is powerful writing.

7 steps to embrace simplicity...

Why this matters:

↳ Easy understanding
↳ Better engagement
↳ Stronger impact
↳ Greater reach

Don’t overcomplicate your message.

Embrace the power of simplicity.
==========
𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦? 

#269

This time last year I didn't know a single thing about writing on LinkedIn.

And then Lara Acosta invited me to her first cohort last September.

At the beginning of that cohort, she showed the world how to write. 

Here's that post verbatim:

𝗪𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱𝗜𝗻 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 (𝟭-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀):

𝗔 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀𝗻'𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱.

1. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿𝘀
2. 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 
3. 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆-𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰
4. 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝗻

𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁. 

Lara's been sharing her knowledge ever since.

And now she's preparing something bigger and better.

Stay tuned for more as it gets closer, y'all.
===================
𝘌𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘢 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘥 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘭𝘺 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯

#272

So let's talk about my current AI toolstack...

I use a variety of tools to work smarter, not harder.

I still write my own posts, but AI gets me 80% of the way.

And then I edit from there in my own voice.

Here are my current top 5 AI tools:

5 - Fireflies.ai
4 - Fathom.ai
3 - EasyGen
2 - ChatGPT
1 - ChatHub

Now, #1 is a little bit of stretch because it's just a wrapper that allows me to look at six other chatbots in one place, but I use it every day. It just rocks.

What's your list?
==========
𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘣𝘰𝘵. 𝘐 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦. 

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵.

#277

Carousel - John Cook - My 5 Top AI Tools

Last week I learned how to transform chaos into clarity with a single unexpected twist...

Courtesy of Alex Mathers (you should be reading his Mastery Den newsletter).

Alex shared how this framework is yielding great posts.

• Problem
• Expected solution
• Unexpected but valid solution

He said to think of a problem your ideal clients have. 

And then think of an expected solution.

Then think about an unexpected (but valid) solution.

Example: 
Tired of dieting? 
To lose weight, eat more, not less.

Unexpected turns heads and is memorable.

This is how to make your words high-concept. 

It's how to propel yourself into the top 5% of writers.

Can you think of other examples?
=============
𝘓𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯.

#283

Stephen King once said, "The scariest moment is always just before you start."

This quote nails it: Imposter Syndrome – the fear of being caught as a fake.

But what if I told you, you're not alone?

Imposter Syndrome is more common than you think. 
Recognizing these 5 forms is the first step to overcoming it:

• The Expert
• The Soloist
• The Superhuman
• The Perfectionist
• The Natural Genius

How to overcome these forms?

✅ Allow space for growth and learning
✅ Build a supportive network
✅ Embrace your strengths
✅ Welcome imperfection
✅ Set achievable goals

It's time to shake off the bindings of Imposter Syndrome and unleash your true potential. 

After all, the only thing standing between you and your success could just be a change in perspective.

> What's your story of overcoming Imposter Syndrome?
============
Ellie Hoekman 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦. 𝘐 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

#280

I read a quote from Alex Hormozi yesterday and it got me thinking about Imposter Syndrome and ADHD...

Alex wrote: 
𝘎𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭
𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭
𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘶𝘭

𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮.

𝘐𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦.

In the comments, I wrote: 
"The deepest cut is always Imposter Syndrome, which, ironically, is a phantom spectre that leaves a powerful psychic scars.

(As I'm writing this, I'm wondering if there's a link to my ADHD...)"

So I did a little digging.

And, yes, there is a strong link between Imposter Syndrome and ADHD!

Here's a breakdown:

• 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀
  ADHD can make it difficult to 
  ↳ manage tasks
  ↳ meet deadlines 
  ↳ achieve goals
  
  This can lead to 
  - feelings of incompetence 
  - and the belief that one is not deserving of success
  
• 𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸
  reinforces feelings of being a fraud
  
• 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴
  ↳ hiding struggles to blend in with others
  ↳ leads to showing a version that hides challenges
  ↳ trying to appear normal creates misalignment
  ↳ others misjudge, causing misunderstandings
  
• 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺
  Perfectionism in ADHD makes you feel like an imposter
  
I battle my doubts with awareness and knowledge.

If you're struggling with Imposter Syndrome and ADHD, you're not alone.

And you're closer to where you want to be than you think.

> Book a call and we'll talk.
=================
𝘐 𝘸𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘴𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘏𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘋𝘔𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶.

#274

This is how I boost focus and productivity as a writer with ADHD using Brain.fm.

There's something about Brain.fm that helps me to focus while writing.

It's like magic.

Here's how:

• Select the right mode
  When you first log in, select the "Focus" mode.
  
• Understand how Brain.fm works
  Creates sound patterns to influence brain activity
  
• Customize your experience
  Upon signing up, you will take a short quiz
  
• Use headphones
  Use high-quality noise-canceling headphones
  
• Create a routine
  Establish a consistent routine when using Brain.fm
  
By following these steps and tips, writers with ADHD can enhance their focus and productivity using Brain.fm.

> How do you become more productive with ADHD? 
=============
𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘉𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯.𝘧𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬, 𝘐 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘴𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴.
𝘈𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰.

#262

They say 'don't meet your heroes.' 

But I've never regretted meeting a friend!

I wrote this on a post by Beatrice Vladut on Friday and thought "This is a cool quote. I need to do something to remember it." And here we are!

> What's the most surprising place you've ever run into an online friend?
============
𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘐𝘙𝘓, 𝘐 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦. 𝘐 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘶𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘯 1996 𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦. 𝘐𝘯 2014 𝘓𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘓𝘶𝘣𝘣𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘛𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘦𝘴, 𝘕𝘦𝘸 𝘔𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘤𝘰 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘮'𝘴 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘭. 𝘒𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘱 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘬𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘸𝘦𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦. 

#267

My hand to God, I didn't plan to buy any more courses...

(I promised Miroslava Tsaneva 👻, LL.M. a story...

so this is how I went from saying 'no' to saying 'yes' 

and joining the Premium Ghostwriter Academy (PGA).)

This time last year I took a bunch of cohorts and courses

(And all of them were great, not a clunker in the bunch.)

I finally finished all of those, and knew it was time...

• time to stop chasing courses
• time to do the work
• time to apply what I'd already learned

But I wasn't exceeding expectations,

I felt like I was failing my client,

and I was working harder, not smarter.

I've been reading what Nicolas Cole said about PGA...

I read some stuff. I watched some more stuff.

And then I found myself on a call with Tristan Workman 

who said something that got my attention:

𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 - 
↳ 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲
↳ 𝗮 𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

That's when I changed my mind and signed up for PGA.

And you can, too! (Affiliate link in the Comments.)
================
𝘊𝘩𝘦𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬: 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘮𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘭𝘦, 𝘦𝘯𝘥. 𝘖𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯, 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘮𝘦.
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘗𝘎𝘈.

#264

Today I read an article on 'Pretirement' and thought, 'That sounds nice...'

For Future-John.

Present-John still needs to write. 

Preretirement looks like a game-changer.

But what is preretirement?

It's a soft landing.
It keeps you active.
It's your new life map.
It balances work and play.

Use preretirement to:
• Pursue dreams. Write that book, start that business.
• Craft your ideal lifestyle. Blend work and leisure.
• Embrace change. New adventures await.
• Stay connected. Keep your skills in play.

✓ Flexibility: Work on your terms. How much and when?
✓ Freedom: Time for passions. What will you explore?
✓ Balance: Less stress, more joy. How will you thrive?
✓ Future: Stay engaged, stay sharp. What's next?

Ready to redefine your life?

Make preretirement your next big step.

Plan, act, and live with purpose.

I'm not yet ready to take the leap...

But I'm thinking about it.
===========
𝘑𝘢𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐'𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘪𝘧 𝘮𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 '𝘐'𝘥 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘴.'

#279

I hear the same advice on LinkedIn every day...

How much does it help?

Not at all.

The obsession with trends and algorithms is overwhelming:

• Hashtags don't ensure visibility
• Chasing followers can feel empty
• Posting daily doesn't guarantee success
• Content types vary, but authenticity stands out
• Engagement for the sake of engagement lacks meaning
  
Here’s what truly matters for storytellers on LinkedIn:

1. Be authentic
   Share your real experiences.
   
2. Forget the algorithm
   Focus on genuine connection.
   
3. Resonate with your audience
   Relate to their struggles and triumphs.

↳ Metrics are secondary.
↳ Share your stories.
↳ Connect deeply.

Authenticity always trumps trends.

Stay authentic, my friends.
============
𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘥𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘐'𝘮 𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘦.

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