Suggestions
Kristi Coulter
Author of EXIT INTERVIEW: THE LIFE & DEATH OF MY AMBITIOUS CAREER and NOTHING GOOD CAN COME FROM THIS. Ex-Amazon.
Kristi Coulter is an accomplished author and writing instructor based in Seattle, Washington. She currently teaches writing at Hugo House, a literary arts center in Seattle.1
Professional Background
Coulter has an extensive career in both writing and corporate leadership:
Author::
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She is the author of two books published by MCD Books:
- "Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career" (2023)
- "Nothing Good Can Come From This" (2018), which was a Washington State Book Award Finalist1
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Her work has appeared in numerous publications, including New York Magazine, Elle, Vox, The Paris Review, and Glamour.1
Corporate Experience::
- Coulter spent 12 years as an executive at Amazon, holding leadership roles in:
- Global Retail
- Amazon Publishing
- Executive Development
- Amazon Go1
Teaching Experience
At Hugo House, Coulter teaches craft-focused classes in memoir and creative nonfiction. Some of her courses include:
- Writing About the Workplace2
- Writing About Other People34
- Writing About Addiction5
- Writing About Music6
- Making Memoir Funny7
- Writing About Work8
She has been a Writing Instructor at Hugo House since March 2020.1
Education
- MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Michigan (1992-1994)
- BA in Literature from New College of Florida (1988-1992)1
Coulter's unique blend of corporate leadership experience and literary accomplishments informs her teaching style and provides valuable insights for aspiring writers in her classes at Hugo House.
Highlights
Amazing, by which I mean infuriating, work by Kieran Snyder that among other things is an illustration of how even female leaders can act as enforcers of the patriarchy.
I correctly guessed the word before I even clicked the link. Can you?
Today is my eleventh soberversary. Here are a few of the ways quitting drinking changed my career:
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Reduced anxiety. For years, I told myself I'd quit drinking once I got control over my anxiety. But I had it backwards--alcohol was actually a primary CAUSE of my anxiety, which began to dissipate within a few weeks of sobriety. I became a calmer, steadier, more fun person and a better leader.
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Perspective. Getting sober is the scariest thing I've ever done, and any crisis Amazon could throw at me paled by comparison. If I started to feel overwhelmed by circumstances, I'd remind myself "You QUIT DRINKING, babe. This work thing? This is just a problem to solve. You've got this."
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Easier networking. I'd always relied on alcohol to ease my social anxiety. But when I got sober I was working in publishing, a very boozy industry. About a month in, I had to attend a happy hour for 100+ authors, and I was so terrified of meeting all those people without a wineglass in my hand that I sat in my car physically shaking beforehand. Finally I told myself that after I talked to ten people, I could leave. And you know what? It was FINE. I learned that a little awkwardness is not actually fatal, and that it passes. Today, I can talk to pretty much anyone about anything, and make real, non-transactional connections with people.
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Clarity of sight. I had always blamed difficulties at work on my drinking, telling myself I'd be sharper/more confident/more assertive if I weren't hung over so often. And that was partially true. But sobriety helped me to see that I was ALSO in some sh---y, untenable circumstances I lacked the power to fix. Instead of wallowing in shame and the false belief that ALL problems were my fault, I was able to recognize my unpleasant reality and map out an exit.
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Actual self-care. Why not just endure the bad work situation I mentioned above? Well, because I wanted to stay sober, and it's much easier to do that when your daily life isn't so miserable that you need to self-medicate. I'd bought the lie that "self-care" equalled wine, Manhattans, and designer bags. But I came to understand that it actually meant a job with realistic expectations, time to unplug, and leaders who cared about me. (Um, and also designer bags.)
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Ambition. Sobriety put me back in touch with my lifelong dream of being a writer, unlocking a level of ambition and hunger I thought I'd never feel again. By age 30, I'd given up on ever publishing a book. Last year, when I was 53, my book was on the front page of the New York Times. Getting there took talent and grit and the stamina to spend YEARS writing the best book I could and the belief that my voice should be heard. I was born with the talent. But without the rest, talent means nothing. Sobriety gave me all the rest. I think I'll keep going with it.
