Nancy Davis Kho is a speaker, author, and podcaster whose work has appeared in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, and NPR affiliate KQED. Nancy’s book THE THANK-YOU PROJECT: Cultivating Happiness One Letter of Gratitude at a Time was published by Running Press in December 2019. Nancy covered “the years between being hip and breaking one” at MidlifeMixtape.com from 2008 – 2024 and on the Midlife Mixtape Podcast, available on all major podcast platforms. The Midlife Mixtape Podcast won a 2020 Iris Award as Podcast of the Year and was included in Wall Street Journal’s list of 8 Podcasts for Anyone Nervously Facing Retirement. Her travel writing was recognized with a 2026 Solas Award for Best Travel Writing in the Funny Travel category. Nancy has been both champion and judge in the acclaimed international comedy-lit improv show, Literary Death Match. Her free monthly Substack newsletter, Hope As A Verb, helps readers find and put hope into action.
Nancy is from upstate New York and now lives in Oakland, California.
Speaking Engagements
Nancy is a sought-after presenter and emcee at conferences and reading series. Past engagements include Mom2.0 Summit, Watermark Conference for Women, and MOCA+SF Salon Series. She combines an engaging, funny delivery with deep knowledge of subject matter, and an ability to shape her talks to support your organization’s goals. An overnight pivot to virtual book clubs and events in March 2020 has made Nancy adept at captivating virtual audiences to ensure they stay engaged throughout her talks, and come away feeling inspired.
Speaking topics include:
- Signed, Sealed, Delivered: How gratitude letters create connection, resilience, and joy
- 8 Ways to Thrive During “the years between being hip and breaking one”
- Gratitude in the Workplace: Helping companies heal in a post-COVID world
- Using Podcasts to Turn Up the Volume on Your Literary Life
Want Nancy to speak at your virtual or IRL conference, event, workplace seminar, or retreat? Email info@daviskho.com for more detailed information on speaking topics, fees, and schedule.
Freelance Writing
Nancy’s feature writing, case studies, profiles, and essays have appeared in national, regional, and local outlets including:
- Washington Post
- The San Francisco Chronicle
- NPR Affiliate KQED
- Huffington Post
- Adirondack Life
- Alumni magazines of University of Pennsylvania, Berkeley Haas School of Business, Stanford Graduate School of Business, CSU East Bay
- Oakland Magazine
A representative list of articles and essays is included below. Please contact Nancy here for additional clips and editorial inquiries.
- After 40 Years, I Returned to Vienna and Gave My Husband a Tour of My Youth, Intrepid Times, July 2026
- All Heart, profile of Eko Health cofounder Jason Bellet, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Spring 2026
- Gratitude Adds More Than Years, Stanford Center on Longevity Magazine, November 2025
- Onward!, cover story/profile of Berkeley Haas Dean Jennifer Chatman, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Summer 2025
- Mission Critical, profile of JustAnswer CEO Andy Kurtzig, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Winter 2022
- Tour de Force, profile of Wheel The World founder Alvaro Silberstein, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Summer 2022
- Defying Expectations, profile of HubSpot CEO Yamini Rangan, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Spring 2022
- Trial By Fire, profile of cookware company Made In co-founders, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Fall 2021
- Instead of “I Love You,” Say “Thank You”, TODAY Parenting, February 2020
- What Happened When I Wrote My Mom a Thank-You Letter, Greater Good Magazine from the Greater Good Science Center, January 2020
- A Thank-You Letter to Oakland, Oakland Magazine, January 2020
- Finding Serendipity, profile of photographer Andrew Kung, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Winter 2020
- Fearless Woman of Wall Street, profile of Lifetime Achievement Award winner Margo Alexander BS ’68, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Winter 2018
- Letting There Be Light, profile of Inderpreet Wadhwa, MBA ’02, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Summer 2018
- Feeding Communities of Understanding, profile of Uyen Nguyen, MBA ’06, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Spring 2018
- Students Try Surviving in the Field with Only Alternative Financial Services, Stanford Graduate School of Business online magazine, December 1 2017
- Mapping the Future, profile of John Hanke, MBA ’96, for UC Berkeley Haas Magazine, Fall 2017
- Giving Back, Emirates’ Airlines first class magazine Portfolio, September 2017 – a look at how San Francisco’s tech companies are embracing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
- Life Lessons in the garden: The story of Ruth Bancroft’s pioneering life, San Francisco Chronicle, November 27 2016
