Hi Reader,

Release the doves. It is the day you have all been waiting for.

April 13th—my birthday.

(No gifts necessary; send cash.)

And in case you’re new here, I share a birthday with Alfred Mosher Butts, the inventor of Scrabble.

This feels correct.

So, in honor of this auspicious alignment, I present:

Scrabble Myths… Busted.

Myth #1: I am a cut-throat Scrabble player.

You may have heard the warnings.

“Don’t play Scrabble with Judi unless you’re prepared for bloodshed.”

Friends, nothing could be further from the truth.

I am delightful to play with.

Mary Poppins energy. No umbrella.

I don’t crush opponents—I coach them.

I don’t hoard knowledge—I share it.

I don’t gloat over a 78-point word—I celebrate your 22.

Myth #2: I will steal your triple word score.

No, sweet pea. I will teach you how to use it.

Scrabble isn’t a battleground for me—it’s a teaching moment with a tile bag.

Case in point:

A few summers ago, I was playing at my friend Stacia’s house when her teenage son wandered over.

Teenagers don’t typically volunteer for games involving parents or spelling.

But he sat down. He played.

And within a turn or two, he hit a triple word score AND used all seven tiles.

Reader, I screamed.

Was I mad he blew past my score? Absolutely not.

I was ecstatic.

Because watching someone discover the joy of a big Scrabble move is like watching a baby take its first step—only with more Qs and less drooling.

Myth #3: Winning matters most.

Incorrect.

What matters is playing with intention.

Optimizing the board.

Celebrating small wins.

Scrabble is writing in tile form—creativity inside constraints.

You know I live for that.

(Also, if you want to win more often, play with me. You’ll pick up strategy fast.)

If you believed any of these myths, consider them officially busted.

So:

Happy birthday to me.

Happy birthday to Mr. Butts.

And happy Scrabbling to you.

And hey—if you want to sharpen your words off the board too, you know where to find me.

If your message is dense, I’ll make it make sense.

Catch you next time,

P.S. If this way of thinking about words resonates, the Voice Clarity Intensive is where I do this work one-on-one. More info coming soon.