About Me — Marne Platt
Veterinarian. Expat. Chocolate-loving celiac. Music fan. Editor. And so much more.
Hello, Medium reader! Thanks for visiting. If you’re reading this, you must be curious about me. Who am I? Why do I write? How did I get here? This is not the life I expected!
First loves
I was born on New York’s Long Island in the early years of Generation X. My music is from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s: Led Zeppelin. James Taylor. Cat Stevens. Eric Clapton. And yes, the Beatles.
I remember when John Lennon and Ronald Reagan were shot, Vietnam, the Tehran hostages and MTV’s first video (The Buggles. Video Killed the Radio Star. Just in case you were wondering). Growing up meant walking home from school and trick or treating — all unsupervised — and yet I survived.
Always horses
My childhood dream was to be a veterinarian. My backup plan was to become an editor. I covered my bedroom walls with ribbons from horse shows and articles about Triple Crown winners Secretariat and Affirmed. I am one of the lucky few. I lived my dream. I worked in and loved my chosen profession. I still love it. Sometimes I write about animals:
Adulting
Allergies drove me from practice into the corporate world. I put aside my stethoscope and put on a suit. My career took me around the planet, to five continents, and to my current home in Switzerland. I climbed the ladder and ran on the hamster wheel.
I began writing books and doing webinars on surviving corporate life. Sometimes I write about corporate life on Medium:
The freedom to pay it forward
Then I realized…I could spend my whole life working crazy hours for money I would never have the time or energy to spend, or I could refocus on what matters to me: Friends. Family. Learning. And making the world a better place for the women and men coming behind me.
Sometimes I write about these topics:
Word nerd redux
I wrote a book: a sassy and practical life guide for young women who want to build a fabulous life, whether single or partnered. It’s called Living Singlish: Your Life, Your Way. Read more about it in this interview with Vishnu*s Virtues (thanks Vishnu!):
Throughout life’s twists and turns, I have always been a word nerd. All of my homes have been filled with books. I’ve written business books, short stories, articles for local papers. Now I write and edit: primarily non-fiction, some fiction. And I read everything!
On Medium, I write for Write Like a Girl, In Fitness and In Health, The Innovation, Crow’s Feet and Illumination. So far. My writing, like my interests, is rather eclectic.
What’s next?
My projects for 2021 include a cookbook filled with easy and reliable recipes for gluten-free treats, an online course about how mentors, sponsors and advocates can help you reach your career goals, working with UNC Health Care in North Carolina and with Wohnen+ Basel, a co-housing group of international over-50s in Switzerland. Life sends me opportunities and I try to grab them!
Contact
Follow my Living Singlish work on Facebook or subscribe to the Living Singlish newsletter. Find out more about my career and personal development projects and my writing and editing work at my company website, subscribe to my Fundamental Capabilities newsletter or follow me on LinkedIn.
Or reach me directly at [email protected]. I would love to hear from you!
So, Medium reader, that’s who I am and what I do. Writer. Editor. Gluten-free baker. Veterinarian. Adventurer. Thinker. Reader. A woman figuring it out. I hope you’ll join me on the journey.
