C.C. Chapman
100 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 6 years ago - ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsNew England Writer, Photographer, Teacher and Consultant
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Episodes
The Quiet Moments
September 04, 2018 12:11 image/jpegEvery day I wake up to a warm embrace and a wet nose from my youngest pup Jaz. She sits quietly next to my side of the bed first to see if I’ll wake up and when I don’t she jumps up to say good morning. This happens at four am every day. This has been going on for at least a year now and I’ve grown used to it. Sometimes I even wake up moments before she does and I’ll grab and hug her when she says hello. It has shifted my night time routine to going to bed earlier than I ever use to so tha...
The End Of A Great Summer of Work
August 17, 2018 12:19 image/jpegThis summer was busier and more rewarding than I ever imagined it would be. The hours spent teaching, mentoring and managing the Wheaton Innovates (WiN) Team of students challenged my mind and filled my heart. If you’ve been following along with my weekly posts, thanks for reading. If not, to catch you up I was given the reigns of the partnership between Wheaton College and MassChallenge. The ask was to choose a group of student and turn them into a successful consulting team that would wo...
The Wiggly Line Between Professor and Manager
August 07, 2018 11:44My long business career has included managing a variety of people. My shorter teaching career has included teaching a variety of students. This summer, as I manage seven students in a classroom and an office, has been a challenging and rewarding experience for me. When you are a professor, the goal is to manage the knowledge that the students learn and try to help them earn the best grade possible. The focus is on them directly. As a manager, the goal is to deliver the best result for th...
You Only Learn If Your Team Is Up To The Task When The Work Begins
August 01, 2018 13:21 image/jpegOne of the most exciting aspects of being a manager is watching your employees grow and prosper. The hard part is that when you hire someone, you only guess how they are going to perform. You wouldn’t hire them in the first place if you didn’t believe they’d be able to deliver. But, it isn’t until they start working that you find out if they live up to your expectations or not. As talented and dedicated all the Wheaton College students on the WiN Team are, this past week began to show me ...
Books, Gear, Art and Souvenirs
July 23, 2018 13:22 image/jpegYesterday, the rain didn’t want to stop and when it did a gray humidity stuck around to remind you that it wasn’t a day to be outside enjoying the world. Most of my day was spent reading and finishing Creative Quest. A must-read for anyone who knows in their bones that they are creative. We had the rug in our living room cleaned so that isolated us to our sunroom and my office. Pausing, I looked around my office. The dog beds were in here, so Jaz was fast asleep on hers. I laughed as I co...
Two Happy Clients to End The Week
July 18, 2018 19:02 image/jpegWatching a new team come together, gel and start delivering results feels excellent. Throughout my career, I’ve been lucky to be a manager or mentor for younger staff multiple times, and I’ve always found it rewarding. In previous posts, I’ve shared how unique our Wheaton Innovates (WiN) Team is. These seven students are majoring in a variety of topics from economics to creative writing. Before this summer, most of them might not have considered a career in any type of consulting and yet ...
London is Always a Good Choice
July 15, 2018 15:13 image/pngSponsored travel journal post for Virgin Atlantic to celebrate their new #BeChoosy economy seating options. They paid for our London experience, and in return, I share my thoughts and photographs from our time there. =-=-=-=-=-=-= London is a city full of art, culture and good times. After several visits, I can confidently say that it is always a good choice when looking for a great travel destination. My daughter shares my never-ending wanderlust, and I’m glad it worked out that she cou...
First Week Working with the MassChallenge Finalists – A Recap of the Wheaton Innovates (WiN) Team Experience
July 03, 2018 10:01 image/jpegYou can never know someone’s work ethic before you dive into the trenches with them. This past week, my team of Wheaton College Students went from the safety of our campus to the reality of the Boston start-up scene at MassChallenge. As I sat in the creeping traffic, I wondered how they would all do. Some people need their own space. Others crave stability in their schedules. Not everyone can handle last-minute meetings, shuffling schedules and demanding clients. I had faith in my team, b...
The Work Begins
June 27, 2018 10:11 image/jpegThere comes a time with every team when you have to stop coaching, teaching or drilling and kick them out of the safety of the nest and see if they can fly. As I write this, that is where we are with the Wheaton Innovates (WiN) Team. I’m sitting outside of the Innovation and Design Building in Boston waiting for them to arrive. To see how well they planned out their morning commute. I’ll always believe that “early is on time and on time is late” so we will see if they took that to heart wh...
Am I Doing Enough?
June 22, 2018 11:12 image/jpegThe answer to the question will always be no because there are endless new mountains to climb and paths to walk. Creative Quest is inspiring my mind, Luke Cage: Season 2 opening my eyes and Post Traumatic thumping my ears. Yesterday, my team of Wheaton students finished up their classroom time and next week we roll down to MassChallenge with a drive and purpose. They’ve come together and I hope I’ve prepared them appropriately. Is the proof always in the pudding? The days begin to get sh...
I Love It When A Team Comes Together
June 20, 2018 10:44 image/jpegNo matter what course I’m teaching, I always try to mix in life and career advice into my lessons. You won’t see me highlight these on the whiteboard with a call out, but I tend to mix them in where appropriate. Caring for my students beyond their test scores is in my DNA, and thus I hope each of them works hard and achieves their goals in life. That is how I’m approaching this summer with the WiN Team at Wheaton College. We might only have this summer together, but I’m working hard to b...
Diving Into The Deep End of Entrepreneurship: Week 2 With the Win Team
June 11, 2018 12:11 image/jpegStarting a new venture with students two weeks into what is supposed to be their summer break is tough. The last place they want to be is back in a classroom, and while I need to teach them a variety of skills, I also want to make sure they are having fun, gelling as a team and learning all at the same time. Managing the MassChallenge partnership for Wheaton College is a challenging one. I purposely chose students from a variety of majors. Each of them brings different pieces of experience ...
Going For The Win With Wheaton College and MassChallenge
June 03, 2018 13:40 image/pngLife is too short, not to try the things that scare you the most. So, when I was asked what I thought about the idea of taking a handful of Wheaton College students and turning them into a strategic consulting team that would work with the 2018 Boston cohort of MassChallenge startups over the course of this summer I jumped at the opportunity. Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts consists of 1700 liberal arts and science students creating innovative solutions to big challenges and ac...
Forgiving
May 29, 2018 11:15 image/jpegWe’ve all been wronged. No one goes through life without being scarred by someone deciding to do something wrong towards them. But, where is the line that when crossed there is no forgiveness? Some would say that the line doesn’t exist. Others would argue that it depends on the offense. Some might say it depends on the person committing the wrong and how close they are to the victim. As with most aspects of our lives, there is no easy answer. Rather, an endless stream of contemplations...
Diner Love
May 25, 2018 14:01 image/jpegDiners are my happy spot. The coffee is never great. The eggs always a gamble. But, I’ll take an order of homemade hash and eggs over a five-star tasting menu any day. This morning the conversation was about prom, work and our plans for the weekend. There was grilled cornbread, crispy bacon and overheard local gossip around a disgraced teacher. Diners are where a community comes together. Whenever I travel, I love to sit quietly in a corner and take it all in. Listen to the voices of ...
Sometimes All You Need Is
May 24, 2018 10:44Sometimes all you need is a couple of hours of conversation over a stack of ribs with a dear friend. Sometimes all you need is to get offline and binge watch a full season of that show you’ve been meaning to check out. Sometimes all you need is a close-knit group of friends that you know are out there and you can text anytime you need to. Sometimes all you need is the realization that as bad as things are, you aren’t dead so keep on living. Sometimes all you need is a good laugh. Someti...
A New School. Another Semester.
May 18, 2018 12:59 image/jpegSpring semester at Wheaton College is officially over. It was an eye-opening semester for me in multiple positive ways. I was hired to teach Marketing, and while I’ve spent most of my career in the space, it was fun to go back to a textbook and the fundamentals. At the last moment, I was asked to teach a second class, and that was where a lot of the surprises came from. The Business and Management major is one of the newest ones at the school, and it has quickly become a popular one. Man...
Looking Back and Feeling Good For Once
April 24, 2018 13:06 image/jpegSix years ago today I was standing inside of Princess Marie Louise Hospital in Ghana holding the hand of a young girl named Mercy. Days later I would board a plane home. Weeks later she would die. When I share this story, it is followed by the notion that when I returned home I determined that I “wanted to use my powers for good.” Today, as I look back at what I’ve done since that day I find myself smiling. The artist and entrepreneur in me will never be satisfied. It is the curse of th...
I’m Okay With Students Being Punished For Protesting
March 16, 2018 12:21 image/jpegEarlier this week, tens of thousands of students around the country walked out of school to protest for changes in our country’s gun laws as part of the #NationalSchoolWalkout on the one month anniversary of the attack in Parkland, Florida. Many schools recognized student’s rights to a peaceful protest. Our school provided a designated area to gather, and while they didn’t openly support it, they warned students that their teachers would decide on if to discipline them or not for leaving...
America, You Need to Meet More Americans
February 21, 2018 11:56 image/pngThese past seven days have followed a similar pattern that plays over and over. Outrage, anger, call for changes, finger pointing and then silence as something else grabs attention and pulls people away. Ban this! Shut up snowflakes! Lock it all down! We demand change! The technology we love has made it too easy to scream and thus harder to discuss. When you are more inclined to only use your thumb to reflect your emotions, you can’t use your brain and heart. I have some very strong bel...
Are You Prepared to Survive and Help Others Live?
February 15, 2018 19:40 image/jpegEmotions are raw and hearts are heavy. Another school day in America ended with screams, blood, and gunfire. Since our paid-off government isn’t doing anything about updating our gun laws and I wasn’t in the mood to have those kinds of conversations today I decided to focus on a different issue that doesn’t get talked about enough. I wondered aloud if people I knew were prepared to deal with and survive an incident that involved injuries around them. Doesn’t matter if it is a car accide...
Looking Forward Rather Than Around
January 30, 2018 12:39 image/jpegBefore the sun rose this morning, A Futile And Stupid Gesture was playing on the television. The coffee was strong, the dogs were sleeping and the weather people had completely botched the forecast of “a dusting at most” with the arrival of several inches of fresh powder. Laura packed up and headed to work and as we hugged, I blurted out, “movies like this remind me that I’m not a complete fuck up.” We shared a laugh and she left for the day. Schools are delayed by two hours since the gu...
Technology Is Breaking Humanity
January 03, 2018 13:20 image/jpegTechnology is rapidly improving around us, all the while breaking us as humans. A century from now, historians and scientists will look back at these years and write volumes on how technology evolved society in a negative way. I’m not going Amish on you anytime soon, but as much as I love my gadgets and technology all around me I do hate watching how it is eroding a lot of what makes humans great. When a celebrity decides to film, make jokes and then publish a video to their millions of ...
Another End Of The Year Is Upon Us
December 31, 2017 23:03 image/jpegThe final hours of another year. The ball will drop, people will kiss and tomorrow everyone tries to start over. I pondered making a video wearing my Casey Neistat “Work Harder” hoodie while drinking from my Chuck Wendig “Art Harder Mother Fucker” coffee mug to motivate everyone to do more in 2018. Those of you who know me just giggled because you know I could never do that with a straight face and that sentence was dripping with sarcastic honey. The reality is, every December I look ba...
December: The Long And Short Month
December 14, 2017 12:10 image/jpegDecember is my most reflective month. The end of the year. Another trip around the sun for me. The first flakes of snow and bitter cold in the lungs. Life quiets down and speeds up at the same time. The mayhem of the holidays mixed with cuddling in front of a fire with those you love. You want to look to the future. To plan for the next year. Determine your three words, say all the things you are going to do, promise to make the next twelve months better than the last. The only thing I k...
As The Next Phase Of The World Unravels, I’m Ready To Write
October 30, 2017 17:31The dominoes are starting to fall and while I’m glad the truth will finally begin to be known, I’m also angry that this is happening in America. That we’ve become so “my side is right and your side is wrong” that we’ve lost sight of the bigger picture that we are one country and if another country messes with us, we should all be pissed. We woke without power this morning. Thankfully we were prepared and it is back on now. Of course, it made me realize a few things we should have done but ...
Why I Write? I Have No Choice.
October 17, 2017 12:22For the past year, I’ve asked numerous people the simple question of “Why do you write?” on the Why I Write Podcast. The answers usually start with a giggle at the enormity of the question, but the answers all have a similar vibe to them. All around some version of having to do it because the urge/voices/need is there. This certainly fits for me as well. I have to write. It isn’t a choice. The voices in my head scream when I haven’t created in a while. For me, there is a variety of writi...
Journaling The Rambles Of My Mind
September 27, 2017 13:25 image/pngThis space has always been treated as an online journal first and any other word you might choose to call it second. I collect my thoughts and process the ones that I want to share with the world. The ones not for your eyes go down on paper in some sort of semi=regular schedule that is far from daily. Last night as I walked the dark streets of Boston I reflected on friendship and how it works. We use to call, write and touch base with those we cared about. Today a thumbs up, like or ret...
Don’t Trust Others To Care About Your Career
September 25, 2017 11:58 image/jpegDylan started college earlier this month. On the cross-country road trip, many stories were shared and advice given. He has a few years before he has to worry about it, but I reminded him that the only person he can fully trust to care about his career is himself. Recently, I was reminded of this fact and by now it is something I should know since more than once I’ve put my faith in others and then had it thrown away. What it boils down to is that you need to be sure you are looking out...
My Beliefs
July 27, 2017 12:13 image/jpegMy beliefs are simple and set in stone. They’ve evolved over time as life experiences shape them like river rocks. I don’t judge people based on the color of their skin, who they choose to worship or who they love. I judge everyone based on their words and actions. Your word is your bond. Putting in the time, effort and work is the only way to get what you want. Break my trust once and you’ll never earn it back fully. I forgive as much as possible, but I never forget. Protecting thos...
Being a Duck Ain’t Easy, But It Keeps Me Sane
July 21, 2017 12:21 image/pngIn Amazing Things Will Happen, I talked about the idea of being a duck. The concept is simple enough. Ducks don’t care about the rain. They keep swimming around, doing duck things. They let the rain wash off of them because they realize there is nothing they can do about it directly so they focus on what they can do. Today’s world is full of moments where I need to stop and remind myself to be a duck. If you could hear the voices in my head you’d hear “Quack! Quack!” as they remind me of...
Boston GORUCK Constellation
June 13, 2017 13:40 image/jpegMy iPhone vibrates and I quickly pull it out to see what the latest from Command is. As the designated Comms for the team, it is my job to stay on top of what other teams are doing and orders from on high. “Blue teams, you have two minutes until hunting of red teams begins.” I share the news with the team and we quickly scurry to our predetermined hiding spot. We were assigned call sign Delta. Some of us know each other. Others are strangers. But, for the night we are together and everyt...
Weeks Are Rarely Simple
June 12, 2017 13:13The heat of summer has rolled in. My least favorite time of year and one that I don’t mind rolling past as quickly as possible. Last week was one full of emotional swings. It started on Sunday with Dylan graduating from high school. It wasn’t as emotional as I was expecting it to be. We are so proud of him and what comes next in his life. It’ll hurt to see him go, but knowing that he is starting the next phase of his life excites me. Plus, that next phase starts with a cross-country road ...
Our Family Depends on Verizon Fios
June 10, 2017 11:13 image/jpegI’ve worked remotely for more years than I’ve commuted to an office. If my Internet connection is slow or unstable, I can’t get the work done that I need to. The moment Verizon Fios came into my neighborhood I immediately signed up. I had done some marketing work for them early on and knew how good they were. I raved about it to my neighbors and soon everyone was signing up. Check to see if Fios is available in your neighborhood. Today, the internet is more important than cable or telep...
To Binge Or Savor?
May 01, 2017 12:48 image/jpegMy week began with an early morning viewing of the new show American Gods. Last year, two trusted friends insisted that I read the book before the show came out. I do what I’m told (sometimes) and in this case am better for it. Sipping my coffee, I savored every minute of the episode even though I knew it was going to end too soon and I’d have to wait a week to see where it goes. Last weekend, I plopped down on the couch with a bowl of pistachios and a cold Sam Summer to start watching A...
Our Last Summer All Together
April 25, 2017 12:18 image/pngTime is flying by and while I refuse to start counting days, I know there are not many left. Dylan begins college in the fall and the emotions that come with preparing for it have been hard and swinging. We are a tight family. I hug and kiss my kids goodbye and good night every day. Our times together are generally full of laughs. Laura asked that we go away together for her birthday. Booking a cabin for all of us to stay in the weekend before the college road trip begins brought the rea...
Watching My Kids Grow Up and Away
April 03, 2017 13:13 image/pngThe moment you add an event to your calendar titled “Dylan & Dad’s College Road Trip” you know that emotions are going to be a bit messy. Not as messy as last week when an entire week worth of Senior events was added including one titled “Dylan Graduates.” We even had to go and buy him his first suit since he now has a date to his senior prom Yes, my not so little boy is nearing the end of his mandatory education and headed into the next phase of his life. He isn’t the only one growing ...
Words and The Days To Come
March 01, 2017 15:32 image/jpegWords have been hard to come by lately. No, that isn’t exactly true. There have been plenty of words, but I’ve been writing them down elsewhere. Leaving this spot alone. They’ve been anger fueled and tinged with a layer of neon orange slime. Not the words I want to share. Not the energy I want to throw out into the universe. Did you miss them? Did you miss me? Lorde is screaming about tennis courts, ribs and bravado as I hit the keys to share with you. There has been a lot of anger i...
Why I Chose To Be Part Of The Women’s March
January 23, 2017 15:37 image/jpegMen and women are different. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be treated equally. Around the globe this weekend, on all seven continents, millions of humans marched. Each who chose to show up did so for their own reasons. My reasons were simple. As a father, I marched to show my daughter that I support her. I wanted my son to see that a strong man is one who helps and supports others. As with everything, I lead by example. As a male, I wanted all the women around me to know that I suppor...
Paying For College
January 18, 2017 16:59 image/jpegIt is a proud moment in any parent’s lives when their child is accepted to college. The moment our son received his acceptance letter to his first choice will never be forgotten. You get to check off another accomplishment proving that you did ok as parents. Soon after the hugs and fist bumps were done the realization of the high price tag ahead got us thinking, “how are we going to pay for this?” Back when our kids were born 529 college savings accounts were new. While they sounded li...
Stop Creating For The Algorithms
January 06, 2017 14:59 image/pngI’ve been outlining my keynote for next month’s IzeaFest and one of my scribbles reads “stop creating only to satisfy an algorithm.” The more I pondered it and how I might represent it on a slide, the more I realized I wanted to write about this specific epidemic because it bothers me to my core. There is a constant game being played for our attention. Dictator Orange Tinyhands is a master of making you look over here, while something you should be paying attention to what is happening in...
2017 Is Here. Now What?
January 03, 2017 14:16 image/jpegThe calendars have been flipped and 2017 is upon us. A fresh start and we don’t know if the car is going to crash over the cliff, handle all of the curves or keep on driving off into the sunset. I’m full of worries for the world around me. Anyone with half of an open mind would realize there is a pot of turmoil and upheaval boiling on the stove and soon it is going to start making a mess. The holidays were full of quiet time away from screens and memories being made with those I love. Th...
The Press Hotel – Inspired By Writing
December 28, 2016 13:32 image/jpegLetters pour off the hallway walls as you walk to the elevator. Typewriters hang on the wall and hold menus for you. You are not in some hipster gin infused dream, but find yourself at The Press Hotel in Portland, Maine. I awoke there recently and noticed that the desk chair had the familiar “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” quote on the back of it. In the dark of night I had not noticed it. The first of the morning sun shined on it and the writer in me smiled. Traveling the...
My 2016 in Photos
December 23, 2016 14:02 image/jpegOut of all the things I create, I enjoy pulling together my year in photos the best. Scrolling through all of the photos I take and share brings back memories of the little things I forgot. The trips that blend together. The faces, places and meals shared. These roundups are not of my “best” photos, but the ones that stand out to me for one reason or another. I share them equally for you to enjoy and for me to remember. Of course this is best viewed on any screen bigger than your phone, b...
In The Holiday Giving Spirit
December 08, 2016 21:40 image/jpegIn our family, we know the importance of helping others. Our kids have been exposed this their whole lives through various fundraisers and activities. They’ve walked 5k, climbed up stairs and seen me go on humanitarian trips. When Heifer International reached out to me about partnering for a post about giving it was easy to say yes. Plus, I had never had anyone ask me to take a “goat selfie” before A photo posted by C.C. Chapman (@cc_chapman) on Nov 29, 2016 at 5:30am PST Heifer Interna...
A Puppy’s First Play in the Snow
December 05, 2016 14:38 image/jpegEmotions are impossible to perfectly put into words. The only reason we are able to even begin to encapsulate and share with others is because the human brain has experienced similar things before and can fill in the blanks for us to understand. This morning I felt the most pure form of joy that I’ve felt in a long time. Jaz has never seen snow before and we woke up to a little over an inch this morning. It still falls as I type this. She watched as Dylan cleaned off his car and when he ...
A Holiday Marketplace Comes to Boston
December 02, 2016 22:03 image/jpegMillennial Exhibitions has high hopes for their European inspired holiday marketplace known officially as ‘Boston Winter presented by Berkshire Bank’ at City Hall PlazaCity Hall Plaza. Today, we were given a behind the scenes tour to see what is being assembled for all of New England to enjoy. I’ve had the pleasure of walking through holiday markets in England and The Netherlands and have fond memories of them. The smell of sweets, the giggles of children and holiday cheer in every directi...
Work Doesn’t Get Done Unless I Do It
November 30, 2016 15:22 image/jpegWhen Thanksgiving leftovers begin to be annoying is when I become reflective. Looking back at the year that is beginning to end. Pondering over missed opportunities. Smiling at the memories that warm my heart. Wondering what might have been and marveling over what was. The truth is, I learned some hard lessons over the course of the last eleven months. The lesson learned is that while I don’t have a lone wolf mentality, I need to be the pack leader more often. See, this year I put my fa...
Legacy
November 22, 2016 13:35 image/jpegSunday morning I sat and watched Brad Meltzer speak to a packed room of english teachers. He spoke of the legacy we leave and how we each leave one behind that we’ll never know. The end of 2016 has been a life changing one for me that I know will have effects on my legacy that I can’t begin to contemplate yet. I woke up to a nightmare election result, a friend died too young and I attended the National Council of Teachers of English annual conference in Atlanta. Those three things have n...
One Last Rant For Bob
November 14, 2016 19:54 image/jpegFriday morning I poured a cup of coffee, grabbed my phone, turned on the local news and plopped down on the couch the same as any morning. Sip the coffee. Turn on the phone. It is a process that happens most mornings. My phone was full of messages and wiping away the night I quickly realized that things were not well. A simple comment by someone on a friend’s Facebook wall had started a wave of concern. Was our friend dead? Was it a joke? Was it in reference to his last Facebook post ab...