interview
Interviews with successful executives and top corporate culture influencers.
The Gate We All Walk Through
I didn’t realize I’d disappeared until I saw my reflection and didn’t recognize myself. It wasn’t sudden. It was slow—a word silenced here, an opinion softened there, a laugh forced to match the room. I traded pieces of myself for acceptance, like coins dropped into a vending machine that never gave back what I paid for.
By KAMRAN AHMAD4 days ago in Journal
The Keeper of Secrets
I didn’t go in for a book. I went in to escape the rain. It was a gray Tuesday in March, the kind of day that presses down on your chest like a wet blanket. I’d just received news I wasn’t ready for—a job lost, a relationship frayed, the quiet unraveling of plans I’d spent years building. I walked without direction, shoulders hunched, until I saw it: a narrow storefront with a flickering “Open” sign and a window full of leaning paperbacks.
By KAMRAN AHMAD4 days ago in Journal
The Last Game of the Season
I didn’t go for the win. I went because it was the last game. The gym was packed—folding chairs lined the walls, parents stood in the back, and the buzz of nervous energy hung thick in the air. Two rival high schools, decades of history, one championship on the line. But I wasn’t there for the trophy. I was there for my nephew, who’d spent all season riding the bench.
By KAMRAN AHMAD4 days ago in Journal
The Man Who Fixed the Clock
I didn’t notice the clock was broken until it stopped. It sat on the corner shelf of my grandparents’ living room for as long as I could remember—brass, ornate, with Roman numerals and a soft, steady tick that marked the rhythm of every visit. My grandfather wound it every Sunday without fail, even in his nineties, even when his hands shook.
By KAMRAN AHMAD4 days ago in Journal
The Boy Who Carried the Ball Home
I didn’t go to the game for the score. I went because my nephew asked me to. He’s twelve, wears his hair in a messy bun, and talks about basketball like it’s a secret language only he and the ball understand. “It’s not about winning,” he’d said, eyes bright. “It’s about who shows up when it matters.”
By KAMRAN AHMAD4 days ago in Journal
Why Did Eleven Lose Her Powers?
The character of Eleven, who is a telekinesis user, is often referred to as the most powerful in Stranger Things. She has the ability to interact with the physical world using only her mind, to battle monsters, as well as to make portals to different universes.
By Lightbringer 4 days ago in Journal
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Mobile App in Tampa?
By 2026, the question of mobile app cost has become harder to answer honestly. Not because pricing is secretive, but because the idea of a single “app price” no longer reflects reality. In Tampa, especially, costs are shaped less by screens and features and more by architecture, risk tolerance, and long-term operational demands.
By Mary L. Rodriquez5 days ago in Journal
Why We Watch the Fall
I’ve never worn gloves. But I’ve stood in my own ring. It was a rainy Tuesday in March. I sat across from a hiring panel, my résumé trembling in my hand, reciting answers I’d rehearsed for weeks. I’d been unemployed for eight months. My savings were gone. That job wasn’t just a paycheck—it was my lifeline. When they said, “We’ll be in touch,” I knew. The silence that followed wasn’t neutral. It was final.
By KAMRAN AHMAD9 days ago in Journal
The Boy Who Didn’t Look Away
I was seventeen the first time I saw someone truly lose—and not just lose, but lose in front of everyone. It was a school assembly. A poetry contest. My friend Mateo had spent weeks writing a piece about his mother’s hands—how they cracked from cleaning other people’s houses, how they still braided his little sister’s hair every morning before dawn. He stood at the mic, voice trembling at first, then rising like a song. For three minutes, the gym was silent. Then he finished. And no one clapped.
By KAMRAN AHMAD9 days ago in Journal
The Night Football Felt Like Church
I’d never been to Lambeau Field. I wasn’t a diehard fan. I didn’t own a jersey. I couldn’t name the starting quarterback. But when my brother called in late November—voice hoarse from crying—he didn’t ask for advice. He just said, “Come with me to the game. I can’t go alone.”
By KAMRAN AHMAD9 days ago in Journal
The Year I Watched the Light Fall
I didn’t plan to watch the countdown that year. 2025 had worn me thin—layoffs, loss, the kind of loneliness that makes even your own voice feel like a stranger. By December, I’d stopped believing in fresh starts. New Year’s Eve felt like a cruel joke: a world celebrating while I was just trying to survive the night.
By KAMRAN AHMAD9 days ago in Journal
