Hi friends,

When I first stepped into Corporate America, I was a first-gen college grad and the first in my family to land a white-collar job. And honestly?

I felt like an imposter.

Everyone else seemed to have an invisible playbook for meetings, networking, and project management.

But beyond doing things, they knew how to say things. I wasted too much time blankly staring back or fumbling over my words when all eyes were on me.

That frustrating gap is why, in 2024, I launched How to Say It ® on Kickstarter. Thanks to the 900+ people who pledged, these flashcards became a way to overcome the corporate language barrier.

👉 Professionals continue to use How to Say It ® as their secret weapon for learning more confident, impactful communication skills.

What is How to Say It ®?

These are the expert-vetted, field-tested templates I developed from interviewing leaders and teams at top institutions, from Google to Goldman Sachs.

• Corporate Fluency: Get 52 fill-in-the-blank scripts for 52 career-defining scenarios (from asking for help without looking lazy to giving difficult feedback).

• Pocket-Sized Coaching: Every deck includes 52 companion video tutorials where I personally walk you through how and why to use each script, plus extra tips for every situation.

• Next-Level Upgrade: Whether you need the Foundations deck for core corporate fluency or a targeted topic like Impressive Interviews to land the job—there’s a deck for your needs (or, get the Ultimate Bundle for a comprehensive set).

I created this system so you can master clear communication and finally get the recognition you deserve.

If you’re interested (or are gearing up for holiday gifting season), then take advantage of this Black Friday sale!

Thank you for being one of my loyal newsletter subscribers. 

As a subscriber, you get 30% off (10% more than the sitewide sale).

Use the exclusive code “NEWSLETTERBLACKFRIDAY25” to claim.

👉 Own every conversation at work with How to Say It ®

*Sale ends 12/01 at 11:59pm ET or until we sell out. Shipping is only available to the USA and Canada at this time. Free shipping is applicable to orders $40 and up.

TODAY’S TAKEAWAY

Keep your dream alive.

You never know when the time will come for it to be revived.

THE STORY

The ice cream 23 years in the making

It was 1996. Jeni Britton Bauer, a 22 year old college student in Columbus, OH, just quit school to open an ice cream shop called “Scream Ice Cream.”

Bauer’s ice cream obsession started when she was experimenting with perfumes one day. 

She “mashed cayenne essential oil into chocolate ice cream” and realized: it “was the best thing” she’d ever had.

So, she set off to “perfect the art of ice cream making.”

But, after 4 years of sluggish sales, Bauer closed up shop. 

Though it felt like she was “walking away from ice cream” forever, something in her wouldn’t let the dream die outright.

So, over the next 2 years, Bauer…

• Enrolled in Penn State’s famed ice cream course to hone her skills

• Worked as a librarian and nanny to recoup some of her funds

• Applied for (and got) a $40,000 loan to open a new ice cream shop

Fast forward to 2025—23 years since her decision to close shop—and Bauer reopened as “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams” and now has her ice cream in thousands of retailers across the United States, from CVS to Whole Foods.

THE UNSPOKEN RULE

Keep your dream alive.

Bauer’s story helped me realize: there’s a difference between quitting and pausing.

How do you decide whether to quit or pause? 

Ask yourself 3 questions:

1. “Do I enjoy this (anymore)?”

2. “Is this something I’d ever want to return to?”

3. “Do I think I’ll ever reach my personal definition of success or satisfaction doing this?”

If your answer is “no” to all 3 questions, then maybe quitting is the way to go. After all, whatever you were doing is no longer worth your time.

But if your answer isn’t necessarily an emphatic “no” to all 3 questions but is instead…

1. “I think I’ve reached a lull.”

2. “I could see myself coming back to this at some point in the future.”

3. “I think I have a decent chance of succeeding if I put my mind to it.”

…then maybe the answer isn’t to quit, but to pause—and to let that brilliant idea or goal of yours marinate further.

Who knows: maybe I’ll stumble upon your story like I did Bauer’s and write about it!

See you next Tuesday for our next story and unspoken rule,

Gorick

WHAT I’M READING

Here are 3 articles that I found interesting recently (no paywalls, although it may depend on your cookies):

1. “A seismic shift in computing is on the horizon (and it’s not AI)” (CNN)

2. “College admissions: How the game is shifting” (OPB)

3. “The ‘Boring Job’ Trend Is Bringing More Financial Security (and Happiness) to Gen-Zers” (The Everygirl)

MORE OF MY WORK

Every newsletter is free and a fraction of my work. Here are 3 of my paid offerings that may interest you:

1. Keynote speaking​​: If your organization is looking for speakers for your internship program, new hire orientation, new student orientation, manager training, all-hands meetings, recruiting season, year-end performance evaluation season, or something else, let's chat!

2. How to Say It: Flashcards that teach you to know what to say in every high-stakes professional setting via hundreds of fill-in-the-blank scripts (just like the examples above). Free shipping on all orders over $40.

3. The Unspoken Rules​: My Wall Street Journal Bestseller that Arianna Huffington calls “a blueprint for anyone starting their career, entering a new role, or wanting to get unstuck.” Used by top companies and MBA programs.

Gorick Ng
[email protected]​
Harvard career advisor | WSJ bestselling author | Fortune 500 keynote speaker | First-gen

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STORY SOURCES

1. Bauer, undated

2. “I mashed cayenne essential oil into chocolate ice cream"

3. “was the best thing”

4. “perfect the art of ice cream making.”

5. “walking away from ice cream”

6. The shop only lasted four years

7. Enroll in Penn State’s famed ice cream course to hone her skills

8. Work as a librarian and nanny to recoup some of her funds

9. Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream

10. thousands of retailers across the United States

11. Bauer, present day, with 3 pints of “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream”