The Goddess Speaks

By Alice Skipton   Molly Nagappala is Minerva Strategies’ summer intern. She is a freelance writer who moved to Seattle from Madison, Wisconsin with a background in government accountability. Minerva is happy to have her unique perspective and relishes the opportunity to exchange goddess wisdom.   What was your government work like?   I worked…

By Alice Skipton, partially filling Sara Veltkamp’s big goddess shoes in her absence   When I was 15, one of my beloved friends began to waste away. Whereas before we would pal around talking about the boys we liked and going on bike rides, suddenly she became obsessed with losing weight. She stopped eating anything…

Brad Kahn is the founder of Groundwork Strategies, a communications firm that advances solutions for challenges facing our climate, cities, and forests. We’re big fans of Brad because he’s a great communicator who is in deep on an incredibly important issue, and he’s whip-smart and refreshingly low key about it.  Until recently, he shared an…

By Sara Veltkamp, Minerva Goddess-on-sabbatical —   “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” —Anne Lamott   According to the U.S. Travel Association, American workers left 705 million vacation days on the table in 2017. 705 million days that could have been used to relax, connect with family…

Jordan Kercheval, Minerva Intern — Time flies when you’re having fun. I can attest that a truer statement has never been said, because I can’t believe my 12 weeks with Minerva Strategies is coming to an end. I’ve learned a lot over the past four months and so much goes beyond communication.    Of course, I…

By Joy Portella —   The Minerva Strategies team talks a lot about food.   We talk about our chosen food lifestyles, which makes for lively conversation when you’ve got a vegan, a quasi-vegan, and a Mediterranean diet devotee who’s married to a Keto devotee. We talk about how food impacts everything from the planet to…

By Joy Portella —   In the US, pouring a glass of water is easy. Taking a shower is no problem. You don’t think twice about going to the bathroom: do your business, flush the toilet, wash your hands, and get on with it. Most of us take quality water, sanitation, and hygiene for granted.  …

By Jordan Kercheval, Minerva Intern —   Annie Alley is a partner at Firmani + Associates (F+A), a Seattle-based communications and public relations firm. She’s a graduate of Washington State University, long-time friend of Minerva Strategies, and one of the most vibrant and smart communication professionals we know. She also works closely with our friends at Dignity Period, a nonprofit organization that provides…

By Joy Portella   Cyclone Idai is devastating. As of this writing, the death toll across Mozambique, Malawi, and Zimbabwe has reached 750 and the final count will surely be higher. As always with disasters, the work of recovery and rebuilding will stretch on for months and years – long after journalists have stopped transmitting images…

By Sara Veltkamp, Minerva Strategies –   A couple of years ago, I was waiting for a flight in the Addis Ababa airport, when I struck up a conversation with a white South African. About 15 minutes into a conversation that was not about race, he blurted out: “I’m not racist or anything. I have…