Mark Aspelin
Travel Writer • Conservation Biologist • Project Delivery
Writing
I write about places people pass through without stopping, and what you find if you do.
Whether it’s a small town in New Mexico or somewhere farther away, I write about what’s actually there instead of what I expected to find.
Most of this work lives on New Mexico Travel Guy, where I’m visiting every town in the state and writing a story about each one.
Project Delivery
I help organizations get important work finished.
Usually that means stepping into something that is stuck, short-staffed, or drifting, and bringing structure and follow-through to get the work done well and on time.
A lot of projects start with energy and good intentions, then slow down once the real work begins. That’s usually where I come in.
About
I’ve spent most of my career helping organizations turn good ideas into something real.
My background spans conservation, healthcare, international security, operations, strategy, and R&D. Different settings, same pattern. Plans that look solid on paper run into friction once people, priorities, and time get involved. After enough years of doing this, I’ve come to see where things break down and what it actually takes to get things unstuck.
I’ve led more than 125 projects across Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, large healthcare organizations, and startups that needed someone to step in, get oriented quickly, and move things forward. The industry changes, but the core problem doesn’t. Starting something is easy. Finishing it is where things get complicated.
I’m not tied to any one methodology, and I don’t spend much time on fancy slide decks full of buzzwords. I focus on two questions. Does the work matter, and what needs to happen to get it done?
Writing came later, but it comes from the same instinct to pay attention to what’s actually happening.
I try to experience firsthand whatever I write about. I’ve traveled to more than 100 countries and all 50 states, and most of what I write comes from being there. That approach has led to work published by GreenBiz, Inside EPA, Perceptive Travel, and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation’s Half-Earth Project. I also contributed a chapter to an upcoming edition of Fodor’s travel guide to New Mexico.
Outside of writing and project work, I’m also a certified personal trainer specializing in senior fitness, corrective exercise, and fitness nutrition, a certified yoga instructor (who can barely touch his toes), a volunteer docent at the ABQ BioPark Zoo, and a volunteer with Albuquerque Sister Cities.
Project work and writing aren’t that different. One is about getting something across the finish line. The other is about noticing what’s actually there. Both are useful.
If you’re here for the writing, you’ll find travel stories and observations that stay close to real experience.
If you’re here for project work, you’ll find how I approach getting things finished.
Either way, I’m glad you’re here.
Let’s Connect!
If you’d like to connect for project work or writing, you can reach me at mark@markaspelin.com or on LinkedIn.
📧 Email: mark@markaspelin.com
🌐 Website: MarkAspelin.com
🔗 LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markaspelin
