Minerva Musings

By Sara Veltkamp—   For the past few years, I’ve been sharing my thoughts on New Year’s resolutions for communicators with the incredibly intelligent and well-read followers of the Goddess Speaks. From abandoning fear to five anti-resolutions, I reflect on the year that’s coming to a close and envision the year that’s just beginning.  …

By Sara Veltkamp, Minerva Strategies—   Words matter. The way we describe the challenges we’re addressing, the solutions we’re implementing, and the goals we’re trying to reach—it can all change how people perceive our work.   Words are also tricky, especially in cross-cultural situations. To be useful, they need to have meaning but we can’t…

By Molly Nagappala, Minerva’s summer intern — Summers always go by fast, but this one seems to have been especially fleeting. My few months with Minerva Strategies have taught me much more than I could have expected. Because our clients work in many different parts of the “social good” space, I’ve learned about new ways…

By Joy Portella, Minerva Strategies — I gasped when I saw the first images of Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral in flames. The April fire was a tragedy, especially for Parisians and the many people around the world who’d visited that amazing church. Images of the cathedral’s destruction dominated global news.   Then came the money.…

At Minerva, summer relaxation often includes a good book or six. And since summer finally decided to show up in Seattle, we agreed it was time to release our summer reading list. Here are a few of Minerva’s suggestions, wrapped together with the things we learned while reading them.     Feminists aren’t born, they’re…

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…

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   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…