As a kid, my parents gave me no choice—I was going to go to college after I graduated from high school. I had no clarity on what to do with my life, so I followed the blueprint laid out by my parents. I followed the path chosen for me all through school, and when I...
One of the first things I learned as a new FBI agent was that risk would always be part of my job. Not every day, and not in every investigation, but there would always be some element of risk if I wanted to move toward success. This applies to all areas of life...
The ability to accurately interpret body language is a tricky business. A shrug could mean a person doesn’t know what’s going on, or it could mean they don’t care. When someone crosses their arms, it could mean that they are shutting you out of the conversation or...
It took courage to tell my parents that I was transferring from the University of Wyoming to an out-of-state college in Arizona. It took courage to pull a loaded weapon from my holster and say these four little words: “FBI. You’re under arrest.” It took courage to...
When I landed on my new FBI squad, I was given the sobriquet of Princess. I treated the nickname with a healthy combination of suspicion and curiosity. I knew my male colleagues would watch my reaction as they asked themselves this question: can she take a joke?...
What started as a brutal few months has spilled over into a couple of hard years. We kept our nose to the grindstone because we thought grit and determination would keep us on track. We haven’t experienced this much lack of control since our diaper days. We now know...
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