Hi ,

Last week, I graduated with my master’s degree in communication from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs. (You may have seen my cap-and-gown photos splashed all over LinkedIn!)

I began the program in January 2023, and pushed hard for the last year and a half. I did independent studies and assistantships, I helped professors update their textbooks, I even undertook a research-intensive literature review project looking into the effects of generative AI on strategic communication.

And I did all of this after my kids were in bed each night, because I still had a business to run.
This was definitely a season of life I’m going to look back on and wonder how I did it. How I survived it.

And it was so worth it.

I loved being back in school. I loved studying communication from a scholarly perspective. I loved the research and writing papers and rubbing elbows with academics.

Now that graduate school is in the rearview mirror, I find myself with the time and space to consider what I’ve accomplished, and think about how I’m going to integrate all that knowledge and experience into my business and my life.

The most important takeaway from graduate school was actually an affirmation of something I’ve always deeply known as a writer, speaker, and consultant:

Communication is the foundation of human connection.

And at this point in history — as communication becomes increasingly mediated and automated, and human connection is fraying at an astonishing rate — helping people communicate more clearly and meaningfully feels like incredibly important work.

Horizon Peak Consulting isn’t going anywhere. We’ve survived the toughest years I’ve seen in business because there are still companies that believe as we do — that marketing is a human-to-human communication activity, and copy and content should help build that relationship.
What’s changing is me.

I want to do more to share all this knowledge and experience to help people and organizations thrive.
I want to communicate.

And while I have a lot of big ideas, it’s important that I start with the format(s) that are most meaningful to you.

So I have a question for you.

What are the primary ways you’re gaining insight, education, and inspiration these days? Please hit REPLY and share your honest answer. Here are some ideas to jumpstart your thinking:

• Newsletters like this one
• Substack subscriptions
• Workshops (live or virtual)
• Online courses
• Conferences and events
• Social media
• Books
• Podcasts

Thank you SO MUCH for sharing.

Best,
Jessica Mehring
CEO and senior conversion content writer
Horizon Peak Consulting