Author: Christopher Palma

When Jen Barnett was a grad student in her 20s, she was overwhelmed with her studies and looking for a way out. “I walked out of class, dropped out and tried to buy a one-way ticket to France,” she explains. While her travel agent talked her off the ledge and

In a world where people are experiencing increasing levels of workplace burnout—which is fueling a widespread desire to find more work-life balance—freelance careers, sometimes called gig work or consulting, are attracting more and more American workers. In an Upwork study, researchers found that 64 million Americans freelanced in 2023, making

We all deal with people who say something offensive, whether they mean to or not. But how can we learn to focus on the positive when we are programmed to focus on the negative for self-preservation? I interviewed a couple of experts to better understand why we react so strongly

Female entrepreneurs are denied on business loan applications more frequently than men and also often end up with lower loan amounts and higher interest rates. This disparity makes it less surprising that there is a $1.7 trillion worldwide financing gap for female founders. Despite this gap, businesses owned and controlled

I was in the hospital with a very sick relative. The rest of the floor grew quiet as visitors left and the minimal overnight staff came on shift. But then, the door opened unexpectedly, and in walked the emergency room doctor who had admitted my relative the day before. “You

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has warned us about some serious things in the past, including social media for youth and gun violence. Now, a less obvious yet widespread threat joins his list: parenting. On August 28, Murthy released an advisory about parents’ mental health and well-being. In the

From the first batch ever baked with Grandma, chocolate chip cookies are a sugar fix we indulge in, both to celebrate and to console us. Since the invention of the chocolate chip cookie in the 1930s, the baked goodie has maintained its hold over our hearts and waistlines, making cookie

Personal branding expert Claire Bahn, founder and CEO of Los Angeles-based boutique strategic communications and marketing outfit Claire Bahn Group, says she got into the field professionally after learning to market herself as an actor and model. “I found that the people who marketed themselves the best were able to

Getting sued might be every freelancer’s worst nightmare. A decade ago, Reyna Gobel, MBA, MPH, a freelance journalist and speaker, was asked to edit and fact-check an article about 10 celebrities who had declared bankruptcy. The online publication paid her $125, well below Gobel’s normal rate, but she took it

Welcome! I hope this letter finds you thriving in your pursuit of success (excuse the pun!). As the editor-in-chief of SUCCESS+, it’s my absolute pleasure to present our Freelancer’s Handbook issue. I’ve had the incredible privilege of working in the media industry for over three decades and have been fortunate