Welcome! I’m Holly.
I’m a writer and longtime journalist who spends far too much time in my head. To counteract this, I milk my cows, yank vegetables out of the garden, and practice the tango as often as my endlessly patient, renaissance-man-of-a husband will comply. (Excellent man, he.)
This was not the life expected of me when I was growing up, nor the one I imagined while pounding the streets of Manhattan in heels (microphone and notebook in hand), but a marvelous one it is.
By day, I write the Cultivate weekly newsletter (here’s a sample, interviewing Joel Salatin) for the School of Traditional Skills, using my reporting and teaching skills to explain sometimes complex issues and to ask questions about food, health, and a nourishing home life.
I’m told that my writing has “moxie” and “makes [readers] chuckle while teaching”, and that some people even read Cultivate to their kids as part of their homeschool curriculum. (That’s so humbling. Thank you!)
Often in Cultivate, I analyze the headlines themselves, highlighting the framing. My goal is to revive the traditional skills of “hunting” (for truth) and “cultivating” (discernment) without telling people what to think. After all, that’s their business.
I also speak regularly at homesteading and homeschooling conferences, giving an insider’s look at the news business (I worked at AP and Fox and for private arms of The Economist Group and The Washington Post, among others) and suggesting ways to approach the headlines with a discerning mind. I regularly talk about:
- Keeping the Peace of the Home in an Age of 24/7 Noise
- Spotting the Spin – Finding Clarity by using my F.A.I.L. Analysis
- How to Teach Critical Thinking Skills to Kids and Teens – (There’s a T-shirt! Coming Soon!)
- Mitigating the Nefarious Influence of “The Glowing Blue Altar” by Walking in the Garden with God – (I’m an Orthodox Christian.)
- The Work of the Hands – Creating Small, Daily Moments of Beauty, the Way We Were Called to Do – (Creativity is woven into our DNA. Literally.)
- How to Deal with, and Talk to Children About, AI and Scary News – which are sometimes one and the same
If you’d like to hire me to speak, please do reach out here.
When possible, I work on my book, tentatively titled, C.S. Lewis was Right. Because he was.
I’m also developing a second newsletter. If you’d like to know more about it, or to say hello, the best way is to sign up for my very polite email list.
May Truth, Goodness and Beauty guide you. Or, in the words of my favorite podcaster, John Heers (Heavy Things Lightly):
“God is good. Men are weak.”