Description: Gathering stories within your community, organization, or family and helping you figure out how to best share them with others. This work often involves getting to know people via in-person and Skype visits; individual and group interviews; helping people feel safe sharing their feelings and experiences; having fun together co-creating stories; writing stories and sharing them via websites, books, brochures, flyers, handouts, postcards, magazines, newsletters, letters, book jackets, songs (the sky’s the limit); and pulling in others as needed: for example, photographers, illustrators, videographers, etc. depending on how you decide to share your story. Cost: $50 an hour or on a per project basis (if project is well scoped).

Description: Editing written copy (details specified in contract) in a highly specialized, highly regulated, or cutting-edge field. In addition to standard editing tasks, technical editing may include researching (or helping create) correct product names and acronyms; ensuring content meets legal requirements and uses correct trademarking; proper use of organization-, association-, industry-, nation-, localization-, and/or globalization-specific language; working with other editors and writers to ensure consistency across products and projects; working to understand target audiences and then working with highly specialized subject matter experts to ensure that target audiences will understand what they are saying; creating project- or product-specific style guides for writers and other editors to use; working with localization experts to ensure that content and intent will be understood (or tweaked to work) in other places; working with accessibility experts (or serving as the accessibility expert) to ensure that content can be accessed by a wide variety of people with different needs; and updating existing trademark and legal lists, fictitious names lists, and organization-specific style guides with new product and project names, terms, and usage guidelines. Cost: $50 an hour or per project basis (if project is well scoped).

Description: This service is for those who want to invest in themselves as writers. Coaching may be for you if you like one-on-one help and are 1) a new or struggling author, 2) someone who has mastered their work (any field) and wants to take it to the next level via writing and storytelling, 3) struggling with writing but need to do more of it in your work life, or 4) someone whose first language isn’t English and who aspires to write more in English. We work together to recognize and tap into your strengths, improve your writing, and meet your writing goals. Typically, we start with an initial session in which you talk about your history and goals as a writer, I tell you about my background as it relates to your goals, and then I go home and review sample of your writing and send you some feedback. After that, we can have as many sessions as needed depending on your goals (examples: meeting monthly, meeting weekly for several months, or meeting just one or two more times). Cost: $55 per 1-hour in-person or Skype session. Receive a 10% discount if you book 3 or more sessions up front.

Description: As an instructional design (ID) consultant, I work with you to create more valuable learning experiences for those you serve. What we create together can vary widely: some examples include classroom-based course content, slide decks, instructor notes, online courses, better assessments, skills domains, objectives, learning-centered events/pop-ups/meetups, and accompanying job aids and other memory aids. I typically work hand-in-hand with subject matter experts (SMEs) to do my work: either 1) co-imagining or creating materials with SMEs or 2) offering SMEs suggestions and ideas to improve accessibility, engagement, learning outcomes, and/or retention for what they have planned or created. I come equipped with years of experience as a learning solutions consultant and instructional- and curriculum-designer within Microsoft, a masters degree in Adult Education & Training, a practice-centered doctorate degree in Educational Leadership, and my own research focusing on informal learning within self-organizing groups, work groups, and communities. I’ve studied more than 40 self-organizing groups and communities centered primarily on the U.S. West coast. Cost: $95 an hour or per project (if project is well scoped).

I work with the world’s most adorable SMEs

Description: For neighbors and friends I also provide:

• Coworking space creation advice, hosting, and host support
• Workshop and classroom support
• New writer, blogger, author, and poet support
• Caregiver respite and support
• New parent and pet parent support
• Home canning advice, teaching, products, support
• Avid home gardener advice, plants, and support
• Backyard barter event advice, products, and support
• Neighborhood-spanning event planning advice and support, including large-scale hopscotch-path creation advice and support
• Get away weekends here at the beach on Whidbey
• Pet sitting
• Sad, sick, or stranded neighbor support

Benefit: For the joy and privilege of living and sharing in this amazing world. No cost.

Coworking

Dear Lori, thank you for the wonderful coworking day on Whidbey!  We had an incredible time!  Thank you for opening up your home and kitchen for us to play, create, enjoy, cook, and relax.  It was so lovely. – Nicole

Lori, thanks again for letting us stay with you for the weekend. We had such a great time, as usual. I’m so happy we were able to spend some one on one time together. I always deeply enjoy the time I get to spend with you. I find you both to be wonderful role models. – Jane and Ryan

Fuck, man. Thank you. You are the smart big sister I always wanted. – Tabitha

Neighboring