09/09/2026
Be curious. Protect your creativity. And keep your expanders nearby.
That was the message I shared yesterday with the freshmen and sophomores in an advertising design class at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute.
When you’re young and even when you’re not, it’s easy to believe your first instinct is the right one.
But what if it isn’t?
I challenged them to start asking themselves:
“What else could be true about this person, situation, or circumstance?”
That one question can create space for curiosity instead of judgment, possibility instead of assumption.
And when someone gives you their opinion, remember: you don’t have to accept it.
As Dr. Wayne Dyer said, “Be independent of the good opinions of others.”
And lastly, keep your expanders nearby.
Your expanders are the people who lift you up.
The ones who buy tickets to your show.
The ones who celebrate your wins.
The ones who believe in you before you fully believe in yourself.
And, perhaps most importantly, the ones who talk well about you behind your back.
Those are your people. Keep them close.
Yesterday reminded me why I’m so passionate about doing this work.
If I can help even one young person become a little more curious, protect their creativity, trust themselves, and surround themselves with people who make them bigger…
that’s the ripple effect I’m setting out to create.
And yesterday, I felt it.
