Country Roads the Remix - Leadership West Virginia Newsletter
A leader's look at leadership AND gratitude.
Read NowBlog category: life
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Hey, I like your shoes
“Hey, I like your shoes.” That is my #1 networking hack. People love talking about their shoes.
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Sometimes the road ahead is straight and clear
Sometimes the road ahead is straight and clear. But sometimes it's winding, has a few potholes, and the fog is settling in.
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I always feel a little out of place at the Women Warriors Summit for obvious reasons
I always feel a little out of place at the Women Warriors Summit for obvious reasons. 😂 But one of my favorite things about working the event each year is being reminded just how many truly incredible and inspiring women we have in our region.
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It was such a privilege to speak at Trailblaze yesterday in Fairmont with TechConnect West Virginia
It was such a privilege to speak at Trailblaze yesterday in Fairmont with TechConnect West Virginia. Big thanks to my friend Ariana Shives 🌄 and Michele O'Connor for the invite!
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It’s so easy to spot when other people are the problem
It’s so easy to spot when other people are the problem. But man, it’s so hard to see in ourselves.
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I’ve had people tell me they think I don’t like ChatGPT
I’ve had people tell me they think I don’t like ChatGPT. Truth is, I love AI and use it every day.
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Just a quick reminder this beautiful morning with item 📙 4 of my fun little office tour
Just a quick reminder this beautiful morning with item 📙 4 of my fun little office tour. I don’t know much about “regular people” jobs, but I figure it’s similar to the creative field.
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Listen, I get that LinkedIn style posts can get pretty cringy sometimes
Listen, I get that LinkedIn style posts can get pretty cringy sometimes. But if watching the great Blenko Glass Company shatter their own imperfect pieces so they can be returned to the furnace and shaped into something truly remarkable doesn’t make you reflect on your own life and work, I’m not sure we’d get along anyway.
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Some things just stick with you: a movie, a song, a book
Some things just stick with you: a movie, a song, a book. For me, it was the book The Giver in fourth grade.
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The boys and I put in a pretty interesting day of work today
The boys and I put in a pretty interesting day of work today. I’m proud of my guys and the quality of work they do.
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This is the oldest email I could dig up from when I first started doing contract work for Bullseye Total Media over 10 years ago
This is the oldest email I could dig up from when I first started doing contract work for Bullseye Total Media over 10 years ago. Let’s just say I’m pretty glad we didn’t go with the logo concepts we were tossing around in that email.
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I don’t believe you “find” your purpose
I don’t believe you “find” your purpose. I don’t really think it “finds you” either.
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It was 2019
It was 2019. Bullseye had just moved downtown.
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It was 2019
It was 2019. Bullseye had just moved downtown.
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**Item number✌️from my office:** One of the few things I’ve bought for myself displayed in my office
**Item number✌️from my office:** One of the few things I’ve bought for myself displayed in my office. It’s a cheap sign with this quote from Robin Williams: *“You’re only given a little spark of madness.
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Let’s go a little more lighthearted for item 🥉 on my office tour
Let’s go a little more lighthearted for item 🥉 on my office tour. If you’re new here, I’ve been giving a little behind the scenes view of my workspace at Bullseye.
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The #1 marketing lesson I’ve learned
The #1 marketing lesson I’ve learned? Ask yourself what you actually care about.
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When you say three things, you say nothing
“When you say three things, you say nothing.” — Chip & Dan Heath, Made to Stick I’m a recovering rambler and over explainer at heart. I’ve had to learn the hard way that good communication, whether marketing, writing, or speaking, isn’t about cramming in every little detail.
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I came across the story of Breece D'J Pancake last week here on LinkedIn of all places
I came across the story of Breece D'J Pancake last week here on LinkedIn of all places. His story really grabbed a hold of me.
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I spent the evening yesterday doing photography at the Final Showcase for Marshall's iCenter gBETA cohort program
I spent the evening yesterday doing photography at the Final Showcase for Marshall's iCenter gBETA cohort program. I found the business plans and pitches to be fascinating.
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🚩🚩 I’m looking forward to sharing a few “Digital Red Flags” at the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn tomorrow
🚩🚩 I’m looking forward to sharing a few “Digital Red Flags” at the Huntington Regional Chamber of Commerce Lunch and Learn tomorrow. But I would be lying to your face if I said I hadn’t struggled a bit to put the presentation together (I really hate speaking with a slide deck, by the way).
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Shout out to Ariana and TechConnect West Virginia
Shout out to Ariana and TechConnect West Virginia. This thank you card showed up in my mailbox last week.
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The best gift to give any human being is curiosity
“The best gift to give any human being is curiosity.” I scrambled to open my notes app when Amy Panzarella, SPHR, SCP, ACC shared this during a Leadership West Virginia Session last week. “Everyone knows something that I don’t” has long been a core value for me.
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The first thing people want to talk to us about at Bullseye Total Media isn’t our top notch graphic design
The first thing people want to talk to us about at Bullseye Total Media isn’t our top notch graphic design. It’s not our great web design and development.
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This is an old logo design I did years ago
This is an old logo design I did years ago. Just something I found in an Illustrator file while looking for something else.
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You know, there are times when I do a pretty good job of having a growth mindset
You know, there are times when I do a pretty good job of having a growth mindset. But most of the time, I very much worry that I’m about to be found out as a fraud...
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Do you know your Meyers-Briggs personality type
Do you know your Meyers-Briggs personality type? If so, what is it?
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Efficiency is good
Efficiency is good. Insight is better.
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My son’s Panda Express fortune cookie is dropping a great piece of communication advice today: Say what you mean clearly
My son’s Panda Express fortune cookie is dropping a great piece of communication advice today: Say what you mean clearly. Care about what you say.
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This is Ian getting body slammed by a wave five minutes into our beach trip
This is Ian getting body slammed by a wave five minutes into our beach trip. We’d been wondering how the little guy would feel about the ocean this year.
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This is me holding something on a photo shoot yesterday for Bullseye Total Media
This is me holding something on a photo shoot yesterday for Bullseye Total Media. I laughed when it was sent to me.
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Want to know the secret to becoming more valuable at work
Want to know the secret to becoming more valuable at work? Figure out what your leader values.
Read NowI don’t know who needs to hear this, but it turns out that: - Knowing how to schedule a post on facebook - and adding a hefty portion of ChatGPT - does NOT equal a competent social media strategy
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but it turns out that: - Knowing how to schedule a post on facebook - and adding a hefty portion of ChatGPT - does NOT equal a competent social media strategy. Who would have thought?!
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If you manage a social media account, here’s my best advice: Post the kind of stuff you actually like to see
If you manage a social media account, here’s my best advice: Post the kind of stuff you actually like to see. If you’re not interested in what you’re posting, why should anyone else be?
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Leadership is about creating an environment that helps people succeed
“Leadership is about creating an environment that helps people succeed.” Brandi Jacobs-Jones LEADERSHIP WEST VIRGINIA INC | Session 1 Okay, so that's probably not an exact quote from Brandi. My brain isn’t quite the steel trap it used to be.
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Marketing peoples… They say that AI is coming for us
Marketing peoples… They say that AI is coming for us. Maybe sooner than we think.
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Support ticket plot twist: We’re helping a client with an issue on their website involving a donation form
Support ticket plot twist: We’re helping a client with an issue on their website involving a donation form. The form wasn’t built by us.
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The fact that Mel Robbins straight-up stole Cassie Phillips’ poem “Let Them” and turned it into millions of dollars and tons of internet points™ bothers me more than it probably should
The fact that Mel Robbins straight-up stole Cassie Phillips’ poem “Let Them” and turned it into millions of dollars and tons of internet points™ bothers me more than it probably should. I like the idea.
Read NowThe greatest gifts you can give your people as a leader are: - Vision - Clarity - Recognition These tried-and-true fundamentals are more effective than any leadership tip, trick or buzzword sold to you
The greatest gifts you can give your people as a leader are: - Vision - Clarity - Recognition These tried-and-true fundamentals are more effective than any leadership tip, trick or buzzword sold to you.
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The number one question you need to ask to be a great leader is: 'How can I help
“The number one question you need to ask to be a great leader is: 'How can I help?'”—Juli Fulks I had the pleasure of hearing Coach Juli Fulks speak this past week at Leadership West Virginia. We’re a big basketball family in our house.
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The number one question you need to ask to be a great leader is: 'How can I help
“The number one question you need to ask to be a great leader is: 'How can I help?'”—Juli Fulks I had the pleasure of hearing Coach Juli Fulks speak this past week at Leadership West Virginia. We’re a big basketball family in our house.
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I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but
I don't know who needs to hear this right now, but... Your logo is plenty big enough.
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You might not realize it, but we all judge every message by its medium
You might not realize it, but we all judge every message by its medium. Your significant other says “I’m fine.” We all know there are at least five different ways that can land, all depending on their tone, timing, and eyebrow angle.
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Here’s a little trick I’ve used for a long time
Here’s a little trick I’ve used for a long time. Feel free to steal it.
Read NowHey Buddy
Hey Buddy A note to the kid I used to be. And maybe still am, sometimes.
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I'm a fixer
I'm a fixer. When a client emails me with a problem, my instinct is to jump in and solve it.
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I used to keep my thoughts to myself… and my Notes app
I used to keep my thoughts to myself… and my Notes app. I like writing.
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I’ll never be the most talented, but I try to remind myself that showing up is what’s most important
I’ll never be the most talented, but I try to remind myself that showing up is what’s most important. “The big things may change the direction of your life, but it’s the little things that you do over and over that are truly life changing.”
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I’m fairly critical of how AI is currently being used
I’m fairly critical of how AI is currently being used. I don’t love that we are outsourcing our creative thinking and problem solving to the machine.
Read NowI’ve Come Close to Walking Away
For anyone who’s not sure about faith, but still kind of hoping Jesus is real. An invitation from someone who has been close to walking away.
Read NowMy new partner in the bedroom
My new partner in the bedroom How sleep apnea nearly wrecked more than just my truck. Jimmy Lemon Mar 23, 2025 1 1 3 Share Earlier this year, I did something incredibly dumb.
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Saw someone on Facebook suggest a graphic designer take WV and represent the Appalachian mountains
Saw someone on Facebook suggest a graphic designer take WV and represent the Appalachian mountains. I don’t do a ton of graphic design like that anymore, so I thought it would be a fun logo exploration after work today.
Read NowSqueeze the Day
Squeeze the Day No more day ones. Just this one.
Read NowThe Gentle Giant
The Gentle Giant I mean well. But also… maybe calm down, Jimmy.
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The Psalm Without Sheep
The Psalm Without Sheep Reflections on Identity and Psalm 23 Jimmy Lemon May 05, 2025 1 Share Five years ago today, I posted my reflections on Psalm 23 in the midst of Covid. In reading the Facebook post again, it still hits close to home.
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Want to reach real people
Want to reach real people? Be a real human.
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We Miss What’s Beautiful Because It’s Ours
We Miss What’s Beautiful Because It’s Ours Jimmy Lemon Jul 02, 2025 3 Share Every time I see the New River Gorge Bridge, I’m in awe. Pictures just don’t do it justice.
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Bird by Bird, Buddy.
Bird by Bird, Buddy. How a line from Ted Lasso keeps me going when the world feels like a dumpster fire.
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Call me crazy, but I think "Support Local" should actually mean… supporting your LOCAL community
Call me crazy, but I think "Support Local" should actually mean… supporting your LOCAL community. Sure, that means hitting up the locally owned restaurants and shopping at the mom-and-pop store instead of the big-box chain.
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I’ve wasted countless hours of my life hunting for missing socks
I’ve wasted countless hours of my life hunting for missing socks. One minute, they’re happily tumbling around in the dryer.
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May the Tik Tok ban be a reminder that … SOCIAL MEDIA DOES NOT MARKETING & ADVERTISING The world of social media should serve to point people to your own channels that YOU can control
May the Tik Tok ban be a reminder that … SOCIAL MEDIA does NOT equal MARKETING & ADVERTISING The world of social media should serve to point people to your own channels that YOU can control. Don’t put your entire marketing strategy and business plan in the hands of social media companies whose billionaires argue with other billionaires around the globe.
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The Gentle Giant
It was junior year, Mrs. Harmon’s class. I was hiding behind a worn out copy of Of Mice and Men, doing everything I could to hide the tears that were welling up. There was something about Lenny—big, gentle Lenny—that got to me as I read through the pages. I didn’t quite know why at the time. I just knew I understood him.
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There are quite a few things I love about working at Bullseye Total Media
There are quite a few things I love about working at Bullseye Total Media. Here are a few of them… 🎯 I’m grateful I get to work with a couple of my closest friends every day.
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The Hummingbird
Life is busy. But, seeing a simple hummingbird this morning reminded me of the importance of taking time to take a breath
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Damned if You Do, Damned if You Delegate
I can’t do it all, but that’s never stopped me from trying. I’ve been learning the important difference between delegating and empowering and what that means for me and the people I help lead.
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Remembering Coach O (Or, Why Legends Never Die)
When you think of sports and coaches, we all have heroes. But, there are some people who are more. They are the legends that inspire us to be better humans.
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Happy Birthday, Buddy
Reflecting on the life lessons my son has taught me in the 8 years I've been his dad.
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Life's a Pitch: Gaining Fresh Perspectives at Leadership Huntington
From executive suites to team huddles, Leadership Huntington has been a masterclass in fresh perspectives, peppered with hearty laughs and invaluable life lessons from unexpected places, including Marshall Soccer Coach Chris Grassie.
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Lost in the flock
I’ve heard the parable of the lost sheep taught dozens of times in church. I’m sure I’ve even taught it a time or two. It's a classic tale, but I think there's a misconception that needs addressing.
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The Power of Delivery: Insights from TEDxMarshallU
While all of the talks at TEDx MarshallU were based on brilliant ideas, only a handful felt like ideas that were truly worth spreading.
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Bird by Bird: From a throwaway line to life philosophy.
This almost throwaway line from the beloved show “Ted Lasso” has become a guiding principle for me over the last year.
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