Joanne Gordon is an author, journalist, wife and mother, and not necessarily in that particular order. As a child, she wrote what she calls “Judy Bloom-esque” narratives, about the trials and tribulations of a pre-teen. A natural interest in “the human part of business” led Joanne to a fact-checking position at Forbes magazine. Four years later, she took a leave of absence from Forbes, to write a book called Roadtrip Nation. Joanne has written her own book about professional women, but she prefers to help others develop their ideas, knowing that good ideas and good writing do not always come hand in hand.

“People want answers,” she says, “I don’t consider myself a career expert, but I report what I see.” For reporting what she has seen, Joanne has been praised for her journalistic point of view, in a world that is too often fictionalized or hyperbolized. For now, Joanne finds herself at a crossroads of sorts, analyzing the “connection of who you are and what you do.” As the mother of Theo, 2, she is wise to take some time and think about her life, not simply rushing from one paycheck to the next.

After graduating from Northwestern, Christine Peymani decided to make it in the world of publishing. She moved to New York and, through dedication, found herself doing exactly what she had always wanted to do; she did not, however, realize the dismal pay in the world she so desired to be a part of. When her husband was offered a job on the west coast, it was simply too good to turn down, and Christine left the world she had so longed to be a part of behind, following her husband and his career to California.

After working in the world of product licensing, Christine realized that her varied job history had come full circle; she was now ready to strike out as a writer, her true dream job. She has since published five books in the Bratz series for younger girls. She bravely accepts the responsibility inherent to children’s literature; in a world in which reading is less and less popular, Christine is actively working to produce books that intrigue the next generation of media consumers.

“Pursue the Passion”
by Bryan Van Scoyk

Inside of a personal cubicle, the incessant sounds of clicking keyboards and calculators fill up the small space. A young accountant looks upwards towards the wall a few feet away. The hands of the mounted clock taunt him with their slow, monotonous movement. Everything is slow here. Everything is monotonous. Brett Farmiloe, the young accountant, steps away from his desk and walks slowly to the coffee machine across the huge room. The twenty two year old passes many people. Some of them are older than him and some of them are about his age. As he sizes up his co-workers, he knows that he will not be relegated to the life that they now share. He thinks back to last year when, as a college senior, his opportunities were supposed to be limitless. He slowly pours his coffee and gazes out the window as he daydreams about what better things are out there for him.

Read the full interview »

As we walked up to Scooter’s on a calm Tuesday evening in the Chicago neighborhood off Paulina, we met with Mary Jane Grinstead, who casually rode up on her bike. Mary Jane is from a small town in Missouri. Over the moderate hustle and bustle of the crowd entering and exiting Scooter’s for their highly acclaimed frozen custard, Mary Jane explained to us why someone would leave a highly paid executive career in technology to write.

Read the full interview »