Jeff Atwood

I love telling stories that help people live better lives.

In 8th grade, my English teacher Mrs. Stanker handed back my homework with one line scrawled across the top: “Write what you know.”

Thirty-plus years later, I’m still trying to do exactly that.

The Need to Know books are a culmination of experiences, good, bad, and occasionally spectacular failures, as a husband, parent, and communicator.

By day (and many late nights), I’ve served as a senior executive for two national healthcare organizations while also being the dad of a child with significant health challenges and developmental disabilities. That’ll teach you a thing or two about what actually matters.

I also serve as Board Chair of Backlight Productions, a theater arts program for adults with developmental disabilities in Middle Tennessee. Because the best stories aren’t just written, they’re lived.