Welcome to Stroopwaffled

Hello.

You may know me from such essays as I Left My Career in Prestige Media Because of the Shitty Men in Charge and They Are Still In Charge and Still Fucking Up, or How I Landed My Dream Job at ELLE Magazine in the ‘90s, or I Kissed River Phoenix.

Or perhaps you know me from many years of social media posts of my charming dog Brian (may he rest in peace) riding in his bakfiets, ears flapping in the wind, or puttering down the canals of Amsterdam in our little canal boat, The Shrimp Whisker.

Or perhaps you don’t know me at all, in which case, allow me to introduce myself. Once upon a time I worked in magazines. I’m the former managing editor of ELLE, Redbook, Teen Vogue and The Atlantic.

One might assume that people who once held glamorous positions at the top of the mastheads of the most prestigious publications in the world will either pivot and go on to do great, respectable things, or go nuts and move into their parents’ basements.

I’ve done both.

But there’s a third thing which is you can move to witchy Amsterdam and navigate the challenges of middle-aged ladyshiphood (I watch a lot of Downton Abbey) including but not limited to marriage, motherhood, and finding your worth once you’ve lost the part of your identity that was connected to your former career — all in the pursuit of living an artful, creative, fulfilling life while weaving in entertaining stories along the way.

Welcome to Stroopwaffled where I endeavor to do just that.