Years back, I loved the sky… and would periodically visit, up close.

That worn and worthy Cessna 180 shuddered and gradually accelerated as the seven of us huddled forward and climbed twelve thousand feet. That’s as high as I ever got. Any higher and masks were required. It took us about eight minutes to circle up to our altitude.

And then came our moment. It was always a rush as we neared the open door. Wind whistled by our heads as the pilot cut his engine. We looked at each other and nodded with a defiant thumbs up: we knew the routine.

I was the last diver out and in one of my existential moods. I fell, dove, hovered and watched the green and yellow checkerboard world down below grow larger. Pastel clouds lingered as I flew by. And it’s somewhere at that point I considered NOT opening my chute.

Twelve seconds is terminal velocity: 170 MPH. Deployment has to be between five and two thousand feet.

Was that ephemeral rush merely seconds? I closed my eyes and hung weightless. Air rushed by me in a tumultuous roar. And then, my inner monologue smacked me on both sides of the head.

“What the fuck are you doing, Mike?”

Yes. I floated down like a fletched feather, the way a professional should. But for seconds there…

“L’appel du vide”… is more than a myth.

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Le Group Pivot: (landing page copy written by me)

Consultants for High-Stakes Decision-Making. We are an advisory firm for leaders in moments of freefall. We are not traditional management consultants but a rapid-response team of veteran executives and crisis experts deployed when the stakes are highest.

Whether you’re navigating a PR disaster, a hostile negotiation, or a sudden market collapse, we become your calm, rational center. We absorb the pressure, filter out the noise, and provide the clarity and strategic counsel to make the right moves under extreme duress.

Are you in freefall?

We are the steady hand that will help you pull the ripcord, turning a chaotic descent — into a controlled landing.

Le Group Pivot:
Professionals guiding you in moments of crisis.

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Result:

This flash fiction piece was used as the creative foundation for the company’s landing page. It immediately began to pay dividends as web traffic increased by 19% and inquiries about their services increased threefold.

This piece demonstrates how narrative storytelling can directly impact a brand’s voice and message — translating emotion into measurable results.

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