LIVING BOLDLY
Writing, Exploring, & Sharing Insights
So… Who is Donna Fontenot anyway?
Latest Thoughts
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Time to Go
Read more: Time to GoThis is the last post I will ever write here. I’m done with blogging. I’ve been done for a while, really, but it’s time to shut it down deliberately. If you’re looking for something light or uplifting, this isn’t it. Some readers may find the following distressing and may wish to stop here. This is…
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Taming the Beast: How to Make FSE Front Page Templates Stop Hijacking Your Homepage
Read more: Taming the Beast: How to Make FSE Front Page Templates Stop Hijacking Your HomepageIf you’ve ever set a static homepage in WordPress Full Site Editing (FSE) and wondered why your carefully crafted “Home” page content doesn’t actually show up on the live site… congratulations! You’ve met the Front Page template, the boss battle of block themes. But you can make it behave. And you can do it without…
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My Go-To WordPress Plugins: The Essentials and the Extras
Read more: My Go-To WordPress Plugins: The Essentials and the ExtrasIt’s been a very long time since I last published one of these “favorite plugins” posts. Honestly? I got bored today, so now felt like a good time to dust off the idea and share my current lineup. The WordPress plugin directory can feel like an all-you-can-eat buffet at a sketchy roadside casino – lots…
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Rebelling Against The Hollow Universe
Read more: Rebelling Against The Hollow UniverseWhen I first read The Hollow Universe by Jono Alderson, I felt something I rarely feel online anymore: Seen. Unsettled. Charged. It wasn’t just that I agreed with it. It was that I recognized it. This wasn’t a warning about a potential future. It was a stark, beautifully phrased confirmation of what I’ve been feeling…
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How Small Brands Can Thrive Without Google, Meta, or AI
Read more: How Small Brands Can Thrive Without Google, Meta, or AIThe Small Brand Crisis No One Warned You About If you’re running a small business or creative brand, here’s the harsh truth: The common advice used to be: “Be everywhere.” Now? It’s more like: “Own your space. Connect on purpose. Make it easy to be found by real humans.” This post isn’t about quitting tech…
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You Can’t Turn It Off
Read more: You Can’t Turn It OffThere’s no off switch. Sorry, but you are stuck with it on the ON setting forever. Wondering what I’m talking about? Indulge me, while I tell you a little story. Once upon a time, 44 years ago, I frequently hid from the cops. Why? Because I wasn’t alone in my car, driving through the streets…
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More Solid Than I Realized
Read more: More Solid Than I RealizedThe end of 2024 is fast approaching. It was a hell of a bad year. I’d planned to blog here about life after retirement, but it was far too difficult and painful to even think about, much less write about. I’ve been through more than one person should have to handle in just a few…
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A Thelma and Louise Kinda Gal
Read more: A Thelma and Louise Kinda GalI often think about who I am, deep inside. Of course, there isn’t one simple answer to that. We’re all a mishmash of all sorts of things. But lately, life’s way of messing with me has proved to me what I’ve suspected in the past. I’m a Thelma and Louise kinda gal. I’m Louise, in…
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A Name Is Powerful
Read more: A Name Is PowerfulA long time ago, my mom put together an 8×10 shadow box which held little mementos of my childhood. Things like a charm bracelet, my cheerleader patch, and various bits of baby and toddler jewelry. My amazing friend, Jenny, is recreating it for me because over the decades, it became raggedy and beat up. While…