Who is Elsie Gilmore?

My life is a social experiment, and I am the mad scientist.

My life has been incredibly interesting. Part of that is luck, and the other part is that I’m not afraid to put myself out there. By “put myself out there”, I mean that I’m not afraid to place myself in unusual situations and meet new people along the way. My connections with other people are what create much of the magic in my life.

With all the time I’ve spent around other humans in all sorts of different scenarios and situations, I consider myself well-versed in human nature. (aka Junior Psychologist) I’ve spent enough time in bars, coffee shops and public places around the world to know that people are the same wherever you go. We all want to be loved and seen and appreciated.

Although I work in a technology field and believe that technology can be valuable and improve our lives, technology also has the ability to isolate and separate us. It creates funnels in our lives that limit our exposure to “new” or challenging information. It limits our exposure to people who are not like us and allows us to self isolate away from those people.

The more I talk to people in real life, the more I love humanity with all its textures and colors. When I lose faith in humanity, I simple step away from my computer and walk out my door into the world. When I talk to and interact with people face to face, I remember that we are all very much alike and that most people are good. In an effort to connect with people in unique ways, I often conduct social experiments that involve free hugs, hiding motivational messages in library books, asking people for their secrets or getting them to interact with a fun website.

My background

I began my writing career in 2002 with a pioneering online travel journal (aka blog) of a European adventure that included buying champagne for John Gotti’s niece and her wedding party in Rome, kissing the Blarney Stone and trying to get Swiss men to kiss me (challenged by their declaration that “the Swiss don’t kiss”). This trip originally came about because a friend had connected with a guy from a company in Norway who’d been a student in my friend’s corporate training class in Sweden. Because of course. That’s crazy sexy magic.

Since 2004, I have been a professional web developer. I enjoy this career because it allows me to use both sides of my brain – the right for creativity and design and the left for organization and programming. I’ve worked with small business owners and non-profit organizations from all across the industry spectrum and have enjoyed the diversity and challenges that my career has brought me. I create crazy sexy magic with my clients in the form of websites that work.

In 2006, I was acknowledged as one of the 40 Under 40 professionals in Sarasota to watch.

Between 2007 and 2011, I founded, grew and sold a women’s networking company in Sarasota, Florida called Women With Moxie. It was an amazing experience during which I connected with hundreds of incredibly smart, creative and talented female entrepreneurs. I’m a huge fan of empowering women, and I always encourage women to support one another and collaborate instead of competing. I helped my Women With Moxie members create crazy sexy magic together by facilitating connections, encouraging collaboration and supporting them in any way I could.

I have a Bachelor of Science in Business Management and a Master’s of Environmental Law & Policy.

Now what?

Now I’m focusing on writing (essay, memoir), speaking, and inspiring.