Introducing Taking Point

Because context changes everything.

Words are not broken. Conversations are.

We are surrounded by opinions, commentary, hot takes, and certainty delivered at full volume. Everyone has a platform. Not everyone has expertise. Do not confuse Influencers with Experts. Verify facts, confirm the credibility of the information and who is providing it. And cite your resources. Most Influencers are honest about who they are, and you should still Trust but Verify.

Context is what tells us what a word is pointing to. Without it, “we” is unclear. “Fair” becomes a fight. “Inclusion” turns into a proxy war instead of a problem to solve.

Context is deictic. It shifts based on who is speaking, where they stand, and what they are responding to. The word stays the same. The meaning does not.

Taking Point exists to restore that context. Not to dominate conversations. Not to silence disagreement. And not to tell people what to think.

But to slow things down long enough to ask better questions.

Who is speaking? What do they know? What evidence supports the claim? What does this mean in this moment?

Because when we get the context right, decisions get better. And when decisions get better, outcomes last longer.

Why This Matters Now

We are making high-stakes decisions in aviation, education, workforce development, and leadership at a moment of real constraint. Talent pipelines are tightening. Experience is retiring. The workforce is changing, whether we acknowledge it or not.

These realities are not ideological. They are operational.

And yet, many conversations about workforce sustainability stall out because people use the same words to mean different things, and no one stops to clarify. Taking Point reframes those discussions by centering subject-matter expertise, credible data, and clearly cited sources. Not because lived experience doesn’t matter, but because experience without context can mislead just as easily as data without interpretation.

This is not about being right. It is about being precise.

What Taking Point Actually Does

Taking Point is a signal-finding platform.

It identifies who we should be listening to, and why. It distinguishes expertise from influence. It reinforces the habit of checking sources without shaming curiosity.

This work shows up through:

• Essays and long-form analysis

• Interviews and conversations with credentialed experts

• Practical frameworks for decision-making

• Translation between policy, operations, and lived experience

  
  

The goal is simple: help people think clearly in environments where clarity is in short supply.

I use AI to help edit and condense my work, not to replace original thinking. My ideas, conclusions, and judgment are my own. I welcome requests for source materials and expert connections.

Taking Point is about clarity, context, and earned insight.