The child of two college professors, Skyler grew up in an environment of scholarship and academic rigor, so naturally, she dropped out of high school to be a ballerina. She has a master’s degree in theater and work experience in education and advertising. She’s won awards as a stage director, published six novels, and appeared on reality TV—and if you can spot a “career path” in that, you have a better eye for pattern than she does.
She spent a half-dozen years as a ghostwriter and book coach for a full-service publishing company, working with consultants, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders on narrative strategy and market positioning. As one of the company’s two title experts, she collaborated with authors to crystallize even highly technical books into juicy, memorable titles that piqued curiosity and drove sales.
Before that, as the head of advertising for a small acoustics firm, she was responsible for defining the company’s brand, building sales collateral, and helping prepare senior executives for high-stakes presentations, interviews, and industry conferences.
She has a hobbyists’ interest in behavioral economics and design thinking and developed a lifelong fascination with how the creative process works and breaks into a web-based choose‐your‐own‐adventure game for getting unstuck in collaboration with Write or Die wizard Jeff Printy. She’s a mom, a writer, a dancer (yes, still), and lives in Austin, Texas.
