A writer who designs brands.
Hey, I’m Derek and I specialize in
brand narrative, strategy, and
storytelling operations.
Cover photo by Derek MacDonald
Published work.
Publications
- Unobstructed — a multimedia lit mag for rethinking how you move through the world.
Columns, essays, & podcast episodes.
- Kickturn — a daily column on pivots, patterns, and new perspectives.
- The Unobstructed Newsletter — weekly essays on navigating agency, grief, and creativity in daily life.
- The Unobstructed Podcast — monthly conversations on creating clarity and increasing agency.
My Top 5 Column of 2025
- Your Most Unconventional Self
- Grieving, Still Believing
- When You Least Expect It
- Hyper-Vigilante Injustice
- The Flow State You Requested Is Ready
My Top 5 Essays of 2025
- What Lonely Men Won’t Say Online (Or In-Person)
- The Masked Destruction Of “Male Loneliness”
- A Cup Of What Sets Your Heart On Fire
- For When Your Spark Burns Out
- A Story All Your Own
My Top 5 Podcast Episodes of 2025
- The Overlooked Half Of ‘The Let Them Theory’
- Digging Out Of Content Fatigue With A Different Approach To Posting
- Talking About Suicide Saves Lives
- If Your Data’s A Mess, Your Results Will Be Too—Even With AI
- The Other Side Of Shame And Fear
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Or, to get in touch, you can contact me here.
onward.
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Explore more of my work.
-> Daily column.
- Days like this make it hard to write.
- The price of existing is going up and I’m not convinced keeping up is worth it.
- We had a handheld label maker when I was a kid that stressed me out a ton.
Read more from the daily column.
-> Newsletter.
- The price of existing is going up.
- Nostalgia was never the point.
- Conversations that go beyond asking 'what's new?'
Sign up for the weekly newsletter.
-> Podcast.
Browse more episodes.
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Derek MacDonald 