Writing
In my own words.
Straight talk on leadership, gun violence prevention, resilience, and building things that last.
01 / Writing
When the words are hard to find.Help me find the words
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Featured / Asking for Help
I have called 988 more than once. Here is why I’m telling you.
I've called both the old suicide lifeline and 988. I've also stood onstage telling people they mattered while struggling to believe it about myself. I want to be honest about both, because asking for help has been part of staying here.
Oct 17, 2026 / 3 min read
02 / All posts
173 posts
Asking for HelpI have called 988 more than once. Here is why I’m telling you.Oct 17, 2026 / 3 min readFatherhood and FamilyPaula raised me as her ownOct 16, 2026 / 3 min readLeadership Under PressureLeading a team when you are the one strugglingSep 28, 2026 / 7 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsYour crew should understand the safety program, not the hazard aloneSep 21, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryScaffold planning starts on paper before anyone climbsSep 19, 2026 / 9 min readHome Improvement IndustryThe crews least familiar with electricity are often the most exposed to itSep 18, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsHand and power tool safety starts with the habits nobody correctsSep 17, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsOnboarding a first year roofer takes more than a safety videoSep 13, 2026 / 8 min readResilience and AdversityOne incident investigation misses what a pattern would showSep 12, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureHazard communication only works if the crew has read itSep 11, 2026 / 7 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsA training library only helps if foremen know what is in itSep 10, 2026 / 7 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWorker participation belongs on the schedule, inside paid hoursSep 9, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureAssigning safety responsibility without authority sets people up to failSep 8, 2026 / 8 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhat a commercial roof submittal should tell the ownerSep 7, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsTraining for a new task starts before the first production daySep 6, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsCross training your crews is the cheapest insurance you can buySep 5, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhy the manufacturer’s final inspection belongs in the project planSep 5, 2026 / 8 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhat building owners should ask before signing a roofing contractSep 2, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsHow to promote your best foreman without losing themSep 2, 2026 / 9 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWorksite demonstrations beat instructions people cannot applyAug 22, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsThe hazard you walk past becomes the standardAug 19, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureThe annual safety review should end with assigned workAug 14, 2026 / 7 min readLeadership Under PressureA safety commitment without resources is only a sentenceAug 13, 2026 / 7 min readLeadership Under PressureManagement walkthroughs that find problems instead of staging a tourAug 11, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureWhy injury counts are not enough to measure a safety programAug 10, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryWinter roofing in the Midwest: what can be done and what should waitAug 9, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsToolbox talks that people actually listen toAug 8, 2026 / 8 min readHome Improvement IndustryThe real reason building owners defer roof maintenanceAug 7, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWhy the best field crews are built in the winter, not the summerAug 6, 2026 / 8 min readPersonal Brand & CareerHow to build credibility in a new industry when nobody knows your nameJul 24, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWhy your best performers are probably underchallenged and how to fix itJul 23, 2026 / 9 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWhat I learned about hiring from 20 years of getting it wrong and rightJul 20, 2026 / 9 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsHow to build accountability culture without micromanaging your teamJul 19, 2026 / 6 min readLeadership Under PressureHow to reset a toxic team culture without blowing it upJul 18, 2026 / 7 min readPersonal Brand & CareerWhat a Wikipedia entry actually does for your career, and what it does notJul 17, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryUnderstanding building envelope failures: how a roof leak becomes a structural problemJul 9, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryRoof asset management for facility managers: a practical primerJul 7, 2026 / 8 min readHome Improvement IndustryCommercial roofing warranty coverage: what owners think they have vs what they actually haveJul 6, 2026 / 7 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyFrom personal loss to public advocacy: how I found the work that chose meJul 5, 2026 / 7 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyHow I talk to my kids about gun violence without making them afraidJul 4, 2026 / 6 min readPersonal Brand & CareerHow to negotiate your next executive role without underselling yourselfJun 30, 2026 / 7 min readPersonal Brand & CareerWhy your resume is not your personal brandJun 29, 2026 / 7 min readResilience and AdversityHow to lead well when your personal life is falling apartJun 27, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsDiversity in construction: what actually moves the needle and what is just opticsJun 25, 2026 / 9 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsHow to build a team that runs when you are not in the roomJun 24, 2026 / 7 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsThe right way to give feedback that people actually useJun 23, 2026 / 9 min readLeadership Under PressureMaking decisions with incomplete information: how to stay decisive under pressureJun 20, 2026 / 6 min readLeadership Under PressureWhat nobody tells you about running a division inside a larger companyJun 19, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureHow to run a performance conversation when the person is a friendJun 18, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureAuthority vs influence: why new executives confuse the twoJun 17, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureWhen your best foreman quits mid-project: a field guide to not panickingJun 16, 2026 / 8 min readResilience and AdversityHow to come back from a bad quarter without losing the teamJun 15, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsPerformance management in the trades: what works when nobody is sitting at a deskJun 14, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureDecision speed vs decision quality: what running an operating company taught meJun 13, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureFiring well: the leadership skill nobody teaches and everyone judgesMay 31, 2026 / 9 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsRetention in roofing: why the third year is when you actually lose peopleMay 28, 2026 / 8 min readHome Improvement IndustryInsulated metal panels are eating the wall: where IMPs make sense and where they do notMay 27, 2026 / 9 min readHome Improvement IndustryPre-buying steel coil: when speculation makes sense and when it sinks youMay 26, 2026 / 7 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsBench strength in the trades: building your next three foremen before you need themMay 26, 2026 / 8 min readHome Improvement IndustrySheet metal flashing is where commercial roofs leak: a field foreman primerMay 26, 2026 / 8 min readLeadership Under PressureCrisis communication when the safety incident is real: a field guideMay 26, 2026 / 7 min readResilience and Adversity30 years without a mother: what I learned about not turning grief into a personalityMay 26, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryCool roofs and reflective TPO: how 84 percent solar reflectance changes the HVAC mathMay 26, 2026 / 8 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsHiring sales people from outside the trades: what transfers and what does notMay 26, 2026 / 9 min readLeadership Under PressureManaging up to a parent-company CEO in your first 90 daysMay 26, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhy 75 percent of commercial roofers expect growth in 2026May 24, 2026 / 6 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhat the $24 billion metal roofing market means for sheet metal contractorsMay 24, 2026 / 6 min readHome Improvement IndustryPrivate equity bought a roofing platform every 48 hours in 2025May 24, 2026 / 7 min readHome Improvement IndustryIECC 2024 raised the R-value bar for commercial roofsMay 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Here is what we still owe the rest.Apr 25, 2026 / 10 min readHome Improvement Industry5 Signs Your Roof Needs Attention Before It’s Too LateApr 16, 2026 / 6 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhy Customer Experience Is the Future of Home ServicesApr 15, 2026 / 6 min readHome Improvement IndustryWhat homeowners get wrong about contractor estimatesApr 14, 2026 / 3 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsHow to give feedback that people actually hearApr 13, 2026 / 3 min readPersonal Brand & CareerHow I Balance Being an Executive, Advocate, and FatherApr 12, 2026 / 5 min readResilience and AdversityGrief does not follow a schedule and neither does healingApr 11, 2026 / 3 min readResilience and AdversityWhat getting engaged at 48 taught me about patience and timingApr 10, 2026 / 3 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacySurvivor to Advocate: Turning Pain Into PurposeApr 9, 2026 / 6 min readLeadership Under PressureThe first 90 days in a new leadership role: what actually mattersApr 8, 2026 / 3 min readResilience and AdversityThe lie we tell ourselves about being self madeApr 7, 2026 / 2 min readLeadership Under PressureThe difference between managing and leading and why it mattersApr 6, 2026 / 2 min readResilience and AdversityThree things my mother never got to teach meApr 5, 2026 / 3 min readLeadership Under PressureHow to evaluate a roofing company before you sign anythingApr 3, 2026 / 3 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsThe meeting that should have been an email and what it reveals about your cultureApr 2, 2026 / 2 min readLeadership Under PressureWhy resilient leadership matters more than talent in a downturnApr 1, 2026 / 5 min readResilience and AdversityHow to build resilience after personal tragedyApr 1, 2026 / 6 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyFirearm suicide prevention: what every family needs to knowApr 1, 2026 / 5 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyThe conversation about guns that America refuses to haveApr 1, 2026 / 3 min readLeadership Under PressureFrom $1.5M Startup to Regional GM: The Mindset Shifts That MatterMar 30, 2026 / 7 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyIn Wisconsin you can buy a gun faster than a mental health diagnosisMar 29, 2026 / 5 min readLeadership Under PressureHow to run a productive one on one meeting in 20 minutesMar 28, 2026 / 3 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyThe 5 leadership lessons from running for Congress that no one talks aboutMar 25, 2026 / 7 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWhat the home improvement industry gets wrong about leadershipMar 25, 2026 / 6 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyA father’s fight: Why I advocate for gun violence preventionMar 25, 2026 / 5 min readBuilding High-Performing TeamsWhat scaling a $15M construction company taught me about leadershipMar 23, 2026 / 6 min readResilience and AdversityHow I stopped letting imposter syndrome run my careerMar 22, 2026 / 3 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyWhat I tell people who say gun violence is not their problemMar 21, 2026 / 3 min readLeadership Under PressureWhy the skilled trades shortage is a leadership problem, not a labor problemMar 20, 2026 / 4 min readResilience and AdversityThe phone call that changed how I think about fatherhoodMar 19, 2026 / 3 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyWhat happened when I stopped pretending to have it all figured outMar 17, 2026 / 3 min readLeadership Under PressureWhy the Trades Are the Best Career Path Nobody Talks AboutMar 16, 2026 / 9 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyInside the Wisconsin Fake Electors Lawsuit: Why I Became the Lead PlaintiffMar 15, 2026 / 10 min readWritingInside the Home Improvement Industry: What Most People Don’t SeeMar 14, 2026 / 6 min readPersonal Brand & CareerThe Career Pivot Nobody Talks About: Lessons from 20+ YearsMar 13, 2026 / 6 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyThe Intersection of Business Leadership and Community AdvocacyMar 12, 2026 / 6 min readHome Improvement IndustryMetal Roofing vs. Asphalt Shingles: Which Is Right for Your Home?Mar 11, 2026 / 6 min readWritingWhat Homeowners Should Know Before Starting a Major RenovationMar 10, 2026 / 6 min readPersonal Brand & CareerBuilding Your Personal Brand While Working Full-TimeMar 9, 2026 / 6 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyHow One Person Can Change Policy: A Practical GuideMar 8, 2026 / 7 min readLeadership Under PressureI wrote this when I walked away. 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Sensenbrenner Silent on Request for DebatesSep 23, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyPenebaker Statement on National Suicide Prevention MonthSep 10, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyKhary Penebaker Challenges Rep. Sensenbrenner to Five DebatesSep 8, 2016 / 2 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyPenebaker Praises First of Its Kind Gun Violence Prevention PartnershipAug 31, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyResponse to Trump Statement on Gun ViolenceAug 29, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyParty in Cutler Park with Russ, Khary & Sen. Mary Landrieu!Aug 13, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyKhary Penebaker Wins Primary, Will Face Jim Sensenbrenner in NovemberAug 10, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyCandidate Khary Penebaker to Cast His Vote in the Wisconsin PrimaryAug 9, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyCongress Fails to Protect AmericaJun 23, 2016 / 2 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyWe Need More From Our LeadersJun 13, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyPenebaker to #WearOrange for National Gun Violence Awareness DayJun 2, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyHire A HeroMay 30, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyOur Leaders Should Fight for Affordable HealthcareMay 13, 2016 / 3 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyKhary Penebaker Values Diversity in all Communities.May 11, 2016 / 2 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyKhary Penebaker Proudly Stands with Jack McCain and Interracial FamiliesMay 3, 2016 / 2 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyPenebaker Calls for Improved Mental Health Care After Antigo High School ShootingApr 26, 2016 / 1 min readGun Violence Prevention & AdvocacyKhary Penebaker Announces Wisconsin’s 5th CD BidApr 26, 2016 / 1 min read