While I was choosing a title for this episode I recorded with my guest (and friend) Jackie Kotz, founder and owner of Kotz Kookies, I really tried to avoid the puns as a favor to both Jackie and any listeners. But I just couldn't. There were too many potential jokes that - as an experienced comedy writer - I just couldn't pass up. So then I had to decide, which of the many cookie puns would I use for the title?

Well, Jackie moved to the small town where we met when we were in high school. Instead of trying to fit into one of the many cliques in our class that had been galvanized back in middle school, she got along with anyone and everyone. She didn't choose a side, she didn't judge you for the brands you wore - unlike so many other classmates, she really didn't seem to care about your status in any way as long as you were a decent person. I guess you could say she sort of...broke the mold. 

But that only really covers a small section of Jackie's story. What about her time going to school for art and psychology? Studying art therapy, exploring the city of New York for inspiration, following those paths into the start of a professional career? She wasn't exactly doing the cookie cutter thing in terms of the go to school, get a job, stay in your field - you know the drill. She was taking some chances and exploring her options.

When Jackie found out she was expecting, well, that’s how the cookie crumbled. True to herself in every way, she’s navigated the ups and downs of motherhood, building a life, a family, and - somehow - starting a successful custom cookie business during lockdown, with the same fearless authenticity she’s had for as long as I have known her (which is a pretty long time). 

In the end, I titled this episode “Living the Sweet Life” because it just felt like the perfect way to capture the life Jackie has built for herself and her family. Whenever I call her, there’s always laughter—both in the background and between us. She’s busy in the best possible way, growing her business while showing her daughters that it’s not only possible to build something from scratch, but that creativity matters, and hard work opens the door to endless possibilities.