Central American Beauty
My daughter fell in love with the Nicaraguan people after nearly a year teaching at orphanages in the capital city and in the rural mountain areas of this Central American country. These orphanages were filled with children the government had taken from parents in this desperately poor nation—you can only imagine the abuse and neglect […]
Gratitude and Letting Go
Tonight, I was able to stop time. I had to take my son back to college. It was dark and warm, with an early September breeze hinting at fall. As we drove through the night with the top down, he asked if he could play some new songs over the car speakers. He was chatty […]
Social Media and The Business of Healthcare. A Double-Edged Sword.
Perhaps. Social media as a channel has been around for 40+ years. Consumer brands embraced social first, as a way to communicate with consumers and expand reach. When advertising on social media began, those same brands started pouring millions of dollars into filling newsfeeds with ads. The business of healthcare was and is a little […]
Uniquely American: 911 and the Heroes of United Flight 93
“Are you guys ready? Ok, let’s roll!” Todd Beamer from Flint, MI Tom Burnett from Bloomington, MN Mark Bingham from Los Gatos, CA Jeremy Glick from Saddle River, NJ They led the revolt on United 93, saving countless lives. Even facing their own deaths, they demanded to be in control of their own destiny. They […]
The Death of Journalism
Dearly Departed, We are gathered here today to say farewell to journalism—journalism degrees, journalism as a career, any respect for the news in general. Dead, dead, dead. I’m just a month shy of 54. When I was in college circa 1983 to 1987, Journalism was still a thing. In fact, I married a journalist (the […]
City of Zombies
I’ve had the opportunity to visit the West Coast twice in the past few months. Typically, travel is business related but these were both pleasure trips, a rare experience for the members of the convent. Although the visits were enjoyable while we ate and laughed our way through San Francisco and Seattle, it was tough […]
Something Sweet In Seattle
After a week in the Pacific Northwest visiting Vancouver and Seattle (the city British Columbians say is “just like here but 2 hours south”) I can say without bias that the brands I’ve experienced are some of best work I’ve been witness to in some time. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been working in healthcare too […]
Survival & Forgiveness, Life Lessons from Louis Zamperini
Louis Zamperini having reached his 97th year went to heaven on July 2, 2014, after living what can only be described as a miraculous, amazing, extraordinary life. For those who have not read the book about his life Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption (2010) by Laura Hillenbrand, I highly […]
It Really Is a Wonderful Life …
At this time of year in the Cecconi family, one of our favorite ways to celebrate Christmas and the end of another year is to watch Frank Capra’s 1946 film It’s a Wonderful Life. Along with A Christmas Carol, Holiday Inn and White Christmas, these movies exemplify the best of the holiday season no matter […]
Project YOU
A new client joined the ranks of PNG this month and as I typically do—when I see something really interesting that I know they’ll relate to—I send them a link. A post caught my eye this morning; a presentation on SlideShare by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha called Start-up of You. Any PPT that kicks-off […]
