Going forward by looking back

Blog

  • Help Shape WordPress 6.8.2: How to Start Testing and Contributing

    🎥 Embedded Video:

    💬 Summary:

    In this episode of Kinsta Talks, Aaron Jorbin shares how anyone who uses WordPress can start contributing — by testing the bugs targeted for the upcoming 6.8.2 release. Learn how to use the beta testing plugin, how to write helpful bug reports, and why your voice matters even if you’re not a developer. We wrap up with a short bonus on submitting to WordCamp US.

    💡 Key Quotes:

    • “Now is not the time to fix your personal wishlist bug. Now is the time to fix the problems introduced in 6.8.”
    • “It’s impossible to test every plugin combination. That’s why we need the community.”
    • “There’s no wrong way to report a bug. There’s just incomplete or unkind ways.”
    • “A video can be worth thousands of words. If you can’t describe it, record it.”

    🔗 Resources:

    📌 Call to Action:

    Help test WordPress 6.8.2 and make the web better.

    👉 Learn more about contributing

  • People First, Profits Second: What I’ve Learned About Relationships and Sales

    For a good portion of my career, I treated business and personal relationships like two separate worlds.

    Work was work. Personal was personal.

    The reality is that those lines blur fast. Especially in sales. Especially when you’re working with people over long periods of time. Especially when money, pressure, and pride get involved.

    So let me lay it out simply:
    Sales is relationships.

    Selling With a Heartbeat

    In any sales process, you’re working with a real person, someone with a family, a career, a past, and a future. Sometimes you’ve known them in other roles. Sometimes you’ve never met. But if you want to earn their trust, it starts by showing up as a person, not just a pitch.

    Yes, I have goals.
    Yes, I represent a company.
    Yes, I want to close the deal.

    But if I lead with that, I lose the thing that matters most: connection.

    When the Deal Doesn’t Happen

    Here’s a hard truth: some deals aren’t meant to happen.

    Maybe the budget isn’t there.
    Maybe your solution isn’t the right fit.
    Maybe they just don’t want to move forward.

    That doesn’t mean the relationship failed.
    That doesn’t mean you lost.
    That doesn’t mean they’re not worth keeping in your world.

    One of the biggest mistakes I made early in my career was burning bridges if I couldn’t cross them immediately. It’s a short-sighted move. Because in business, as in life, people circle back.

    If you can maintain the relationship after the deal falls through, you’re doing it right.

    Emotional Triggers and Financial Stress

    Let’s talk about the pressure. The “I need this deal to pay my mortgage” kind of pressure. I’ve been there. When I was in that mode, I sold from fear. I made bad decisions. I acted selfishly. I damaged relationships that could’ve lasted.

    The irony is, the more desperate I was, the less people wanted to buy from me.

    Only when I got my personal finances under control, and stopped tying every lead to my survival, could I finally show up as a helpful partner, not a hungry salesperson.

    The Long Game

    Some relationships take months. Others take years. If you play the long game, if you show up honestly, consistently, and with curiosity, things tend to unfold.

    Even when you’re not “selling,” you’re building trust. Trust turns into deals. Or referrals. Or friendships. And sometimes, all three.

    Here’s my current compass:

    • Be honest. Even if it costs you a deal.
    • Be curious. Even when there’s nothing immediate to gain.
    • Be kind. Even if they pick a competitor.
    • Be patient. You don’t need to win every time.

    My Mantra

    Whenever I’m feeling anxious or out of alignment in a business relationship, I come back to a simple mantra:

    I’m enough.
    I deserve to be in the room, flaws and all.

    I have much to contribute.
    My experience and ideas matter–and can help others.

    I have much to learn.
    Every person I meet knows something I don’t.

    That last part has saved me more times than I can count. Especially when I feel like I need to prove myself.

    Final Thought: Relationships Over Revenue

    Agency owners, freelancers, consultants, we all live in the balance between relationships and revenue.

    You’re going to mess up sometimes. You’ll take things personally. You’ll push too hard or ghost someone who didn’t “convert.” I’ve done it. We all have.

    But with time, and a little humility, you can build a career where your integrity is the value prop.

    Because in the end, we don’t do business with businesses.

    We do business with people.

    And if you take care of the relationship, the sales will follow.

  • The Hard Easy

    I call it The Hard Easy—but really, it’s just a shift in perspective.

    We all know those moments when a task feels heavier than it is. Dishes in the sink. A report we meant to write. A sales call we’ve avoided for days. They seem small, but they carry weight. Emotional weight. Decision weight. And the longer we let them sit, the heavier they get.

    That’s the Hard Easy in action:
    Do the hard thing now, and it becomes easy later. Wait for it to “become easier,” and it only gets harder.

    Take the dishes. Right after dinner, they’re quick work—rinse, done. But leave them overnight? The food crusts. The water turns cold. The next day you’re scrubbing, not rinsing. Add in one late meeting or an unexpected phone call, and suddenly it’s a bigger problem than it ever needed to be.

    In work, it’s no different. Sales calls, for example. You know most people won’t answer. You know most who do won’t be thrilled. But if you build the habit, if you stay consistent, you’ll find the people who need what you offer. The hard part is starting. The easy part comes later—when results start to snowball.

    Or take writing a report. Wait too long and your memory fades. Details blur. But if you capture it while it’s fresh, everything flows more easily. The hard part is sitting down. The easy part is realizing how much you remember when you act quickly.

    The Hard Easy isn’t about hustle. It’s about momentum. And mercy—for your future self.

    So if you’re staring down something that feels heavy today, just remember:
    You’re not failing.
    You’re just on the edge of a moment.
    And you have a choice.

    What’s one “hard” thing you can do right now… that your future self will thank you for?

    (If you’re new here, this idea came from my intro post—feel free to start there.)

  • My first contribution to WordPress

    I didn’t set out to contribute to WordPress. I was just curious about a new feature.

    In WordPress 6.6, a new auto-rollback feature was being tested—something designed to help users recover automatically when a plugin update breaks their site. I’d heard about it through the usual community chatter and decided to give it a try. I figured at the very least, I’d learn something new. What I didn’t expect was to become part of the release process.

    Following testing instructions from Andy Fragen and Colin Stewart, I installed a special plugin that was intentionally built to trigger a PHP error. The goal was to see how WordPress handled failure—and how the new rollback system would recover from it. The test went smoothly. WordPress detected the problem, rolled the plugin back to the previous version, and sent me an email.

    But that email? It left me a little uncertain. It worked—but it didn’t fully explain what had happened. Which plugin had failed? What was restored? Did the update go through at all?

    I shared my feedback with the team: make the notification email more descriptive. A few tweaks to language could make a big difference in user confidence, especially for people who aren’t developers. The idea was simple—don’t just tell users something happened, tell them what and why.

    That small suggestion became my first real contribution to WordPress core.

    It wasn’t a patch or a line of code, but it was part of the process. The developers had done an incredible job making the testing environment clear and easy to follow. It felt approachable. And that changed everything for me.

    Since then, I’ve given a few talks about this feature—how it works, why it matters, and how it makes WordPress safer for everyday users. As part of my role at Kinsta, I’ve been lucky to speak with developers and agency owners about tools like this and how we can all make the web more resilient.

    I used to think contributing to WordPress meant writing complex code. Now I see it’s really about showing up, being curious, and offering what you can—even if it’s just a better subject line in an email.

    So if you’ve ever thought about contributing but weren’t sure where to start, this is your nudge: try something. Test a feature. Ask a question. Suggest an improvement. You might be more helpful than you think.

  • The Rhythm of Balance

    A meditation on standing tall, eating well, pulling back, tuning in, and finding balance in life

    Balance Is a Moving Target

    I’ve been thinking a lot about balance lately.

    Not just the kind that keeps you from tipping over when you’re walking on a rocky trail or holding a yoga pose. But the kind that threads through your entire day—quietly adjusting itself from one moment to the next. Balance in your body, your plate, your head, your heart. In your work. In your relationships.

    Balance isn’t something you “find” and keep forever. It’s something you practice, lose, and return to—again and again.

    It’s a rhythm. Or maybe a song you’re constantly remixing. Adjusting the bass and treble until things sound just right. Some days you hit it. Other days, not even close. But tuning in? That’s the key.

    Warrior II and a Broken Finger

    Take yoga, for example.

    Warrior II looks simple, but once you’re in it—feet grounded, arms reaching in opposite directions—you realize it demands presence. You’re rooted and open at the same time.

    It’s a stance that reminds me I’m strong, I’m capable, and I’m ready for the day.

    Then there’s the less graceful side of balance—like when I flew over the handlebars of my mountain bike during a race and broke a finger. That moment was humbling. I finished the race, sure. But it cost me. Physically and emotionally.

    It taught me that I don’t need to race through life. I can push myself without pushing past myself.

    This Harvard Health article on yoga and balance explains how foundational poses like Warrior II build both strength and mental focus.

    Oatmeal in the Morning, Brownies at Night

    Balance shows up in the kitchen, too.

    Every morning starts with a bowl of oatmeal that’s become its own kind of meditation. Not just oats—flax, chia, hemp seeds, cranberries, dates, cacao, cinnamon, nutmeg, and blueberries. A whole rainbow in a bowl. It grounds me.

    And at night? A different ritual. My wife and I make ice cream sundaes with homemade brownies and chocolate syrup.

    It’s how we say: “We made it through today. Let’s celebrate that.”

    I don’t count calories. I count colors, satisfaction, and joy. Especially during work travel, I try to stay balanced—fruit in the bag, a drink mix for breakfast, moderation on the road.

    Emotional Centering and Curious Dogs

    I remember being a kid, standing in a schoolyard, getting mocked for what I was wearing. Back then I’d lash out—or withdraw. Now I try to laugh. Not dismissively, but compassionately.

    People project their own stuff. Unless my shirt’s actually unbuttoned (which—thank you), I let it go.

    Balance, emotionally, isn’t about always being calm. It’s about choosing the right energy for the moment.

    I use tools to stay centered:
    – 10 minutes of meditation each morning
    – Journaling each night
    – Morning dog walks to absorb their pure joy
    – Classical music at dinner to slow things down

    These little rituals help me stay aware of where I am—and where I need to be.

    Over-Giving, Pulling Back, and Showing Up

    In relationships, balance is one of the trickiest dances.

    I tend to over-give—especially at the beginning. Friends, partners, colleagues—I show up. And sometimes, the other person doesn’t.

    That realization stings.

    In romance, it’s heartbreak. At work, it’s a wake-up call. In both cases, it’s an invitation to reevaluate.

    I’ve had to learn to step back. To let others meet me in the middle—or not at all. Sometimes the healthiest thing is space. A little distance to reset, recalibrate, and then reconnect.

    Work That Feeds Me

    Right now, I’m in a good place professionally.

    About 90% of what I do brings me joy—and I know how rare that is. I get to connect with people. Host meaningful conversations. Create. Grow.

    Joy at work is a gift—but like anything else, it needs support, alignment, and structure to stay balanced.

    I’ve got a manager who helps me stay grounded. They push me into the discomfort that leads to growth—like speaking more and owning my voice.

    Still, I’ve got room to grow. I want to get better at communicating what I’m doing and syncing up with others. I like working solo, but I know I’m stronger when I collaborate.

    Tuning In, Every Day

    Balance isn’t a finish line. It’s not something you achieve and lock in forever.

    It’s rhythm. Some days, a steady beat. Other days, a jazz solo that barely holds together.

    But I trust I can come back to it.
    Pause. Adjust. Tune in.

    Like fine-tuning a photo until the colors pop.
    Like shifting my weight in Warrior II.
    Like making a sundae—not for nutrition, but for joy.

    So here’s my question for you:

    Where do you feel off-balance right now? And what’s one small thing you can adjust—today—to bring it back into tune?

  • Spotlight on Kelsey Parks: Helping Startups Build Systems That Stick

    One of the best parts of doing interviews for Kinsta Talks is getting to sit down with people I already know—but haven’t yet had the chance to really dig in with. That was the case with Kelsey Parks, a local friend, fellow WordPress Meetup organizer here in Durango, and the co-founder of Psyche Digital.

    We recently sat down to talk about her journey into marketing, what she’s learned from years of working with startups, and how her agency helps founders build the kind of systems that don’t just survive—they scale.

    From Startups to Systems

    Kelsey’s path into agency life didn’t begin with marketing degrees or a traditional agency climb. It started with startups—and with chaos.

    “I got completely addicted to the unemployable startup founder,” she told me. “The oddballs in a warehouse, making cool things happen from thin air.”

    After stints in D.C. and China—where she helped Chinese companies position themselves for North American markets—Kelsey eventually returned to Southwest Colorado and teamed up with her childhood friend (and now business partner), Kate. The two had stayed connected since the third grade, and they launched Psyche Digital together to serve companies during one of the most intense phases of business: the early growth stage.

    Why Systems Matter

    Kelsey works with founders who are often at a critical juncture—what she calls the “we’re going to make it or we’re not going to be here in a year” phase. Rather than overwhelm them with trendy marketing tactics, Psyche Digital focuses on something more sustainable: building repeatable systems.

    One line really stuck with me:

    “Another thing that’s important to startup founders is knowing that the work we’re doing isn’t going to be lost when they bring in their own marketing team.”

    That mindset—treating systems as something founders can keep—feels like the kind of long-term thinking a lot of fast-moving businesses forget to prioritize.

    On AI and Interns

    We also talked about AI, of course.

    Kelsey doesn’t see AI as a threat. She sees it as a tool. Specifically:

    “I think of AI as part of my workforce—more like an intern in my workforce.”

    That framing resonated. Use AI to gather ideas, generate outlines, or even write drafts—but then let your experts take it from there. It’s not about replacing creativity. It’s about removing bottlenecks.

    Meet Her at the Meetup

    In addition to running an agency, Kelsey co-hosts the Durango WordPress Meetup with me. She’s been instrumental in building a welcoming space for folks working with WordPress across the Four Corners.

    If you’re a local and haven’t joined us yet—now’s a good time. We meet monthly, and our conversations are always lively (and occasionally spicy—like Kelsey’s favorite Sichuan food from her days in Chengdu).

    Watch the Full Interview

    You can watch the full interview on YouTube here:

    🎥 How Psyche Digital Helps Startups Build Systems That Stick

  • Building WordCamp Canada: A Conversation with Sofia Shendi

    Sofia Shendi has been working on the web for over 20 years, with roots in software programming and a deep passion for front-end development. In a recent interview for Kinsta Talks, I had the chance to hear more about her journey—and how she’s now playing a key role in organizing WordCamp Canada 2025.

    From Software to the Front-End

    Sofia began her career with formal training in software programming, specifically .NET. But as she quickly discovered, real-world demand pushed her in a different direction.

    “As soon as I got out of school, I couldn’t find work related to .NET. Everyone was doing PHP. So I started taking contracts, relearned everything on the fly, and fell in love with front-end development.”

    That flexibility became a cornerstone of her career. She freelanced for eight years, worked with agencies, and now finds herself at Kanopi Studios, where she helps nonprofits build better digital experiences.

    Discovering WordPress—and the Community Behind It

    Sofia has been working with WordPress since it first launched. What started as a tool for portfolio sites became a long-term relationship with open-source software—and the people who build it.

    “I’ve been working with WordPress from the moment it became available as an open-source platform… and I still rely on the skills I developed in those early years.”

    Recently, she’s done a deep dive into Gutenberg and block-based development. She admits the learning curve was real but says it’s been worth it.

    “That’s what I love about web—if you’re comfortable with constant change, you’re in the right place.”

    Getting Involved with WordCamp Canada

    Sofia didn’t plan to join the organizing team for WordCamp Canada—it just happened naturally.

    “I joined the Slack channel out of curiosity. I saw they needed help with French translations, and as a French speaker, I jumped in. From there, it just grew.”

    WordCamp Canada will take place October 16–17 at Carleton University in Ottawa, and Sofia is part of the team bringing it to life. She’s particularly excited about:

    • Welcoming first-time and returning speakers, especially those helping newcomers understand the WordPress block editor
    • Bringing together volunteers who want to make new friends and give back
    • Possibly organizing a Contributor Day, so more folks can learn how to contribute to WordPress

    Why You Should Get Involved

    When I asked Sofia what stood out most about organizing this event, she didn’t hesitate:

    “Everyone has been so nice. It’s always been my experience with the WordPress community—it’s a very welcoming group.”

    WordCamp Canada is shaping up to be a special event, with something for everyone—tech talks, networking, language accessibility, and a great setting in downtown Ottawa.

    Want to Get Involved?

    Here’s how you can take part:

    If you’ve ever been curious about joining the WordPress community—or you’re ready to give back—this is a great place to start.

  • May 2025 Durango WordPress Meetup Recap

    May 2025 Durango WordPress Meetup Recap

    A casual lunch with meaningful conversations and new faces

    The May edition of the Durango WordPress Meetup was a small but memorable gathering over lunch at Esoterra Cidery in downtown Durango. We were excited to welcome two new guests, Taylor and Kim, alongside returning attendee Jasper, for a relaxed yet insightful conversation about building and maintaining websites.

    Real Conversations for Real Website Challenges

    As always, the discussion was wide-ranging and practical. We touched on:

    • WooCommerce tips and quirks
    • The pros and cons of page builders
    • Reliable web hosting choices
    • Hiring and communicating with developers
    • Driving meaningful traffic to your site

    One particularly helpful moment came when we dug into a real-world issue involving unclear pricing from a developer. Together, we helped interpret what was going on and offered actionable suggestions—a great reminder of how valuable a local support network can be.

    Building Connections in Our Own Backyard

    Beyond the web talk, this meetup delivered something even more important: connection. Meeting new neighbors who are working on similar projects—whether personal blogs, small businesses, or client sites—is what makes this group special. There’s something uniquely energizing about gathering with others who “get it.”

    Join Us Next Month

    We’ll be back again for lunch on Wednesday, June 18 at Esoterra Cidery. We’ll kick things off with a short discussion on how to use ChatGPT and other large language models as your assistant for managing WordPress websites—from content planning to plugin explanations and even customer support responses.

    💡 Lunch is on us, courtesy of Kinsta.

    Bring a topic, bring a friend, or just bring your curiosity.

    Click here to RSVP please.

  • What Cooking Taught Me About Using AI Tools

    Early Food Memories

    I grew up around food. Not in a Michelin-star kitchen or a trendy farm-to-table bistro, but in my mom’s deli store—where we sold everything from stacked sandwiches to Beluga caviar. It wasn’t fancy, but it was serious about quality. We catered to some high-end tourists, and I got exposed to ingredients most kids didn’t know existed. Brie, Camembert, Muenster—you name it, I tried it.

    It’s a bit ironic now that I’m vegan, given how much cheese was part of my early palate, but that upbringing gave me an appreciation for good food and the craft of making it.

    The Chef That Wasn’t

    That appreciation followed me for a while. I worked in kitchens during college and even considered culinary school. But after enough shifts in hot commercial kitchens—sweating over fryers, sprinting through prep lists, getting burned both literally and metaphorically—I realized professional cooking might not be the dream. Hard work, low pay, and not enough creative spark for me.

    Much later, I flirted with the idea of becoming a vegetable farmer. That dream wilted too, once I understood how truly hard farming is. Again, deep respect. Again, not quite my path.

    Why This Matters Now

    So why bring all this up on a blog about media and technology?

    Because every experience we have—failed careers, childhood snacks, prep shifts in hot kitchens—builds the lens through which we see the world. Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how large language models like ChatGPT fit into that lens. And one answer I keep circling back to is this:

    They’re most useful when you bring something to the table.

    The Art of Prep (and Prompting)

    Let me explain. I’ve been using ChatGPT to help me with meal planning. Not just one-off recipe suggestions, but complete weekly meal plans: multiple dinners, tailored to our diet (vegan), with full ingredient lists, caloric targets, and bulk prep checklists.

    Last week it gave me five solid meals: zucchini fritters, a butternut lentil shepherd’s pie, a Thai-style curry, a stir-fry, and something I’m now forgetting—but all delicious. I gave it the ingredients I had on hand, asked for meals to serve four, and it generated the full plan, shopping list, and prep workflow.

    I spent Sunday doing all the bulk prep—chopping, steaming, roasting. Just like a line cook in a restaurant. The biggest difference between home cooking and restaurant cooking is preparation. Once you have things chopped and portioned, making a meal on a Tuesday night takes 20 minutes instead of 60.

    The Festival Twist

    This week was different. Kate and I are heading to a bluegrass festival halfway through the week, so I had ChatGPT help me create four one-pot meals we could reheat easily in a trailer. We froze some, packed others, and just like that, festival food was solved.

    Was it perfect? No. The shopping list still takes some cleanup. Getting it into Apple Reminders involves a little copy-paste dance. But the value is there—and it keeps getting better.

    Experience Still Matters

    Here’s the key point though: this works because I know how to cook. I’ve been cooking for over 40 years. I can glance at a recipe and tell if it’s going to work—or not. I’ve chopped every vegetable under the sun, cooked rice a thousand ways, burned things and salvaged them. That experience matters.

    LLMs don’t replace knowledge. They amplify it.

    If you don’t know the difference between sauté and simmer, it won’t matter how good the recipe looks. If you can’t taste for salt, AI won’t help you. But if you’ve got some knowledge—just enough to see patterns, evaluate options, and tweak where needed—then these tools can be transformative.

    The Tools Are Here. Use Them.

    There’s a lot of debate out there about AI tools. Some people think they’re going to take over the world. Others think they’re glorified spell checkers. I live somewhere in the big, messy middle. They’re not magic. They’re not junk. They’re useful.

    You don’t need to be a technologist to try them. Just be curious. Give them something to work with. Treat them like a very fast, mildly unreliable intern. And then—like in cooking—trust your taste.

    Explore. Experiment. Prompt boldly. Adjust generously.

    Who knows? You might end up with a perfect zucchini fritter. Or a new way of thinking.

  • Welcome to Roger Williams Media

    Why I’m writing, what you’ll find here, and what “The Hard Easy” means to me

    I’ve spent most of my life surrounded by media. Books, magazines, TV, arcades, music, the web—I’ve consumed and created across nearly every format. And over time, I’ve come to see media not just as entertainment or information, but as a mirror. A mirror of who we are, what we want, and where we’re going.

    This blog is my place to explore that—personally and professionally.

    Roger Williams Media is part archive, part notebook, part digital campfire. I’ll be writing about:

    • The tools and platforms that shape how we work
    • WordPress, open-source, and the tech community I’m proud to be part of
    • Communication, content, and the ethics of digital marketing
    • Leadership, career shifts, and choosing your own path
    • My personal journey with things like health, training my dog, and walking trail half-marathons in the desert
    • And bigger themes like media addiction, clarity, purpose, and building a meaningful life in a noisy world

    Underneath it all is a simple idea I call The Hard Easy.

    It’s the philosophy that guides how I live and work:

    If you do the hard thing now, life often gets easier later. If you avoid it, things usually get harder.

    It shows up everywhere—from building websites to building habits. From answering that one awkward email to launching the project you’ve been avoiding for months.

    I believe in making things, in helping others, and in sharing what I’ve learned—even when I’m still figuring it out.

    So whether you’re here for a practical tip, a perspective shift, or just to see what I’ve been thinking about lately, I’m glad you stopped by.

    Let’s see where this goes.

    —Roger