Christine Merser
Her Story
I think for a living.
I write to share what I think.
"If Christine had been living 500 years ago, she would have been a Renaissance man who happened to be a woman." - Introduction at Women in Business, Woman of the Year Award.
The introduction wasn't really about history. It was about curiosity.
During the Renaissance, the most admired thinkers weren't defined by a single profession. They moved between art, science, philosophy, politics, literature, architecture, and commerce because they believed ideas became more valuable when they were connected rather than separated.
That's how I've approached my own career.
Over the past three decades, I've founded companies, published books and magazines, advised CEOs, hosted radio programs and podcasts, interviewed hundreds of people, and written about business strategy, branding, politics, film, mythology, leadership, culture, and technology. On the surface, those subjects seem unrelated. To me, they've always been part of the same conversation.
I've never been interested in becoming the world's foremost expert on one topic.
I've been interested in understanding the patterns that connect many topics. The same human behaviors appear in a boardroom, on a movie screen, during an election, inside a great brand, and in a story written thousands of years ago.
That's what you'll find here.
Some essays begin with a business problem. Others begin with a film, a book, an ancient myth, or something happening in the headlines. The destination is always the same: a deeper understanding of why people think, choose, lead, create, and change.
Welcome. I'm glad you're here.
A few things I am thinking about...
Five Pillars of Success for 2026 and Beyond
Success in this new world will no longer built on titles or identities. It is built on daily practices. Our Pillars of Success are the five daily actions that shape clarity, momentum, and the ability to collaborate in a world that refuses to sit still. Time, Focus, Discipline, Curation, and Intention form a framework for how to move through life with purpose rather than performance. Together they create a foundation strong enough to build a future that matches who you are becoming, not who you were.
Time
Time is the only pillar that cannot be replenished. It is the true constraint behind every decision, every relationship, every ambition. How time is spent reveals what actually matters, not what we say matters. Protecting time means making deliberate choices about where attention goes and, just as importantly, where it does not. In this model, time sits slightly forward because everything else depends on it.
Focus
Focus is the discipline of narrowing. It is the ability to resist distraction, opportunity overload, and false urgency. Focus allows work to deepen rather than scatter. It replaces breadth with clarity and makes progress visible. Without focus, even the best intentions dissolve into motion without meaning.
Discipline
Discipline is what turns ideas into outcomes. It is not rigidity, but consistency. The quiet, repeated actions that compound over time. Discipline creates reliability, both for yourself and for the people who depend on you. It is the structure that allows creativity and strategy to actually take hold.
Curation
Curation is the intentional selection of what earns your attention. In an environment of infinite information, curation becomes a strategic act. It is choosing which people, ideas, sources, and signals deserve space in your world. Good curation reduces noise, sharpens judgment, and ensures that time is spent on what has real return.
Intention
Intention is the why behind every choice. It aligns action with purpose and keeps work from drifting. Intention turns activity into direction. It asks, before each commitment, whether it serves the larger path you are trying to build. Without intention, even disciplined, focused effort can move you somewhere you never meant to go.
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Assessment
It is time to reassess what we call assets. Skills, relationships, property, reputation, all of it. What used to count may not count the same way anymore. That house that was supposed to keep you secure in old age might not. The job title that sounded impressive last year might already be a relic.
Net worth is not just money now. It is adaptability. It is the ability to rethink, to reset, and to join with others who are doing the same. This is the moment of pivot. Pivot is a word you are going to see a lot from us in the future.
What Slate | Spark is Doing
Here is what we are already offering as Slate | Spark.
Pivot Papers
Short and sharp deep dives into topics that define this moment. Think of them as blueprints for what is next, with fewer buzzwords and more real talk.
Roundtables
Groups of thinkers, doers, and question askers who come together to work through what is changing and what to do about it. You bring your questions and your experience. Others bring theirs. The magic is in the mix.
One on One Consulting
One on one work for individuals and companies who want to understand where they stand and what to build next. It is part therapy, part strategy, and there is usually at least one moment where everyone goes quiet and says, oh.
Pivot Labs
Live sessions built to make people think and then act. The goal is that you check your phone afterward, not during.
The Invitation
This is a moment to get out of our corners and into conversation. I want Slate Spark to be a place where smart, curious people come together to figure out how to thrive in a world that keeps rewriting the rules while we are in the middle of the story.
If that sounds like your kind of table, pull up a chair. Bring your ideas, your uncertainty, and your sense of humor. I will bring mine.
The future is not waiting. Neither are we. - Christine Merser
Team Slate l Spark
Our team gathers around the circular table of collaboration. Each person brings something essential to the success of whatever sits at the center of that table. Everyone is responsible for their specialty within any project. It’s collaboration. Always.
Christine Merser
Collaborator
Loves all things 'story.' Sell me with a story and I'm a loyal customer for life.
Teagan Haynes
Collaborator
Earning a master’s in communications while still figuring out exactly what I want to say. Turns out curiosity is a career path, too. I channel that curiosity into creating content that sparks conversations and connects people.
Lover of travel, pickleball & always in search of the next best bite
Courtney McMahon
Collaborator
I have a passion for web design. I love creating visually appealing websites that are both functional and user-friendly.
Frances Pearson
Collaborator
Keep the focus on the goal line and I'm all in. Let's get this content loaded!
Equestrian, travel enthusiast, avid reader & podcast listener
Meg Tschaikowsky
Collaborator
Give me a puzzle, and I'll make it my mission to solve it. Streamlining and efficiency are my areas of expertise.
Seasoned hospitality professional, dancer, trail navigator & airport dad
Amash Gull
Collaborator
I’m passionate about grabbing new opportunities everyday in virtual world of business.
Slate l Spark
Philosophy
"Progress begins when we clear the slate, strike the spark, and imagine what could be, then act on it."
— Christine Merser, Founder & Collaborator