For the past few years, I’ve been quietly building something through Civiq Design: consulting with mission-driven organizations on digital transformation and service design. Before this, I was working in-house, leading service design teams within government. The shift to independent consulting has been empowering, allowing me to work on impactful projects across different jurisdictions and apply my expertise where it can make the most difference.
But here’s the thing: I’ve been doing this work mostly under the radar. While I’ve been heads-down delivering projects, I’ve been procrastinating on something else entirely. Writing about it.
The Anxiety of Self-Promotion
I get bogged down in the anxiety of writing about myself and my work. There’s also the choice paralysis of all the different platforms available to share your thoughts. LinkedIn? Medium? Substack? Each comes with its own culture, algorithms, and expectations.
During my first few years as an independent consultant, I felt fortunate enough to have opportunities flowing in that there seemed to be no urgent need to write publicly. I could just focus on doing good work. But I’ve come to realize that sharing stories about this work (the challenges, the approaches, the outcomes) could be valuable both for me and for others navigating similar problems in the public sector.
Building This Space
So instead of agonizing over which platform to choose, I decided to just build my own space. Right here on the Civiq website.
As someone who studied philosophy, I’ve always been drawn to the idea that technology is a tool with the potential to both benefit and harm. That perspective is actually what led me to spend an entire decade working in digital government. I wanted to work on projects that used technology as a tool to improve people’s lives.
I view AI through the same lens. It’s a powerful tool that can either serve as a crutch that lets our skills atrophy, or as a collaborator that helps our capabilities compound. The challenge is navigating how to use it thoughtfully.
I actually used AI (specifically Claude Code) to build this very website. As someone with very rudimentary HTML and CSS skills, it was incredible to get a Jekyll blog infrastructure up and running on GitHub Pages. The technology enabled me to focus on what I wanted to say rather than wrestling with technical implementation.
Why Here, Why Now
I chose to blog on my company website rather than a third-party platform for a few reasons. First, I don’t want to be locked into a vendor. Second, I’m not looking to build a massive audience. I want to create an authentic space to share stories about my work without the pressure of optimizing for engagement metrics.
Most importantly, I want to bring my authentic self to my work. By telling stories about my projects and perspectives on my company website, I can do that more naturally than if I tried to separate “personal” from “professional” voices.
This blog is really a means for me to talk about my work from my own perspective. The messy, human parts that don’t fit neatly into polished case studies. It’s a place to share stories, reflections, and work-adjacent thoughts in a casual, informal way that feels sustainable.
What’s Next
I’m hoping this space will help me get back into the rhythm of writing and sharing my work in a low-pressure way. You’ll probably see posts about service design challenges, reflections on working with government, thoughts on technology and public service, and stories from the field.
My reach is quite minimal right now, and I’m not actively promoting this. So if you’ve managed to get your eyes on this page, thank you for reading. I’m glad you’re here.
Civiq Design is a service design consultancy partnering with mission-driven organizations to simplify processes, enhance experiences, and improve operational efficiency. Get in touch if you’d like to explore how we might work together.