Heather Armstrong
Born 1975 · Age 50
American blogger and internet personality (Dooc e). Pioneer 'mommy blogger', creator of dooce.com, writer on parenting and mental health, author of multiple books, and public speaker.
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Life & Career Timeline
Raised in LDS Church
Raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Memphis, Tennessee.
Born in Memphis, Tennessee
Heather Brooke Hamilton (later Armstrong) was born in Memphis and raised in Bartlett, Tennessee.
Left the LDS Church
Reportedly left the Church the day after graduating from BYU due to a withheld diploma over a $20 unpaid parking ticket; cited as pivotal to leaving Mormonism.
Moved to Los Angeles to work in tech
Moved to Los Angeles after graduation and worked as a web developer for startups during the dot-com boom.
Graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU)
Majored in English at BYU, Provo, Utah; left the Church the day after graduation (reported) after an incident involving her diploma and an unpaid parking ticket.
Returned to Salt Lake City to work as consultant/designer
After working in LA startups, returned to Salt Lake City to work as a consultant and designer (approximate timing during dot-com aftermath).
Launched blog dooce.com (first post)
Started the personal blog dooce.com (pseudonym 'dooce' derived from misspelling 'dude'); first post about Carnation Milk in February 2001.
Fired from job after blogging — 'dooced' enters vernacular
Allegedly fired for writing satirical accounts of coworkers on her blog; spawned the term 'dooced' meaning fired for online writing.
Wider public use of term 'dooced'
The verb 'dooced' circulated to describe being fired over online posts; Armstrong humorously disavowed formal coinage in her FAQ.
Married Jon Armstrong
Married Jon Armstrong (year listed as 2002 in biographical summary), who later became her business partner.
Blog shift to parenting content
After the birth of her first child in 2004, Dooce shifted substantially into parenting and postpartum content, shaping the 'mommy blogger' category.
Dooce begins running text ads
Accepted text advertisements on dooce.com for the first time; this was controversial with some readers.
Birth of first daughter (parenting becomes blog focus)
First daughter born (blog post 'Our Little Frog Baby' dated Feb 5, 2004); Armstrong devoted much blog content thereafter to parenting.
Entered negotiations with Kensington Books
Negotiated in late 2005 to publish two books (one a memoir) with Kensington; negotiations later broke down.
Accepted graphic/banner ads; family income shift
Accepted graphic ads; revenue from advertisements became the family's principal source of income as Jon transitioned to manage advertising/business.
Kensington negotiations break down; lawsuit filed
In May 2006 negotiations with Kensington collapsed and Kensington sued to force Armstrong to fulfill terms of an unsigned contract.
Settlement with Kensington allows Armstrong to seek other publisher
October 2006 settlement permitted Armstrong to pursue other publishing opportunities.
Weblog Awards lifetime achievement recognition
Dooce received multiple nominations and awards from The Weblog Awards, including a lifetime achievement award for Armstrong.
Edited book published by Kensington (Things I Learned About My Dad)
Kensington Books published a book of essays edited by Heather B. Armstrong on April 29, 2008.
Jeopardy! used 'dooced' (term mainstreamed)
Game show Jeopardy! used the term 'dooced' on December 10, 2009, reflecting the term's mainstream currency.
Published memoir 'It Sucked and Then I Cried'
Simon Spotlight Entertainment published It Sucked and Then I Cried: How I Had a Baby, a Breakdown, and a Much Needed Margarita on March 24, 2009.
Named one of Forbes' 30 Most Influential Women in Media
Featured by Forbes among 30 honorees on its list of 'The Most Influential Women In Media' (2009).
Dooce's peak monthly readership reported
Dooce reported to have peaked at nearly 8.5 million monthly readers (conflicting sources place this peak in the mid/late 2000s).
Advertising revenue milestone reported ($40,000/month)
By 2009, ads visible to Dooce's readership were reported to be bringing in about $40,000 per month for the Armstrongs; advertising became primary income.
Used Twitter to get washing machine fixed; received media attention
Armstrong used Twitter publicly to resolve a consumer issue (washing machine repair) and garnered media attention for influencer/customer service power.
Announced partnership with HGTV
Late-2009 partnership announced with HGTV to create convergence programming; began contributing to HGTV's Design Happens blog in February 2010.
Started running sponsored content/affiliate marketing
Expanded monetization to include sponsored posts and affiliate marketing (Stitch Fix, Amazon), becoming an early influencer monetization model.
Featured in national press and profiles
By 2009 Heather was widely profiled in national media (NYT, Forbes, The Week, etc.) as a leading voice in blogging and online media.
Appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show (media crossover)
Reported appearances and mainstream media crossover including an appearance on Oprah (date often referenced in coverage around 2009).
Book reached The New York Times Bestseller List (#16)
It Sucked and Then I Cried reached #16 on The New York Times Bestseller List for April 12, 2009.
Introduced Dooce Community (interactive section)
Announced and launched an interactive section of the site allowing registered users to post questions and responses (announcement Oct 29, 2009; community introduced Nov 2009).
Public criticism and 'hate' websites draw attention
Dooce attracted critical forums and 'hate' sites (e.g., Get Off My Internets, blogsnark subreddit); Heather publicly posted hate mail at times and later removed it.
Began contributing weekly content to HGTV 'Design Happens' blog
Started contributing weekly posts to HGTV's design blog (first contributions in Feb 2010).
Last recorded post on HGTV 'Design Happens' (approx.)
Her last post on the Design Happens blog was in September 2010 (per available records).
Dooce business expanded staffing
By around 2011 the revenue from Dooce paid salaries to Heather and Jon and also an assistant and two full-time babysitters (reflecting business growth).
Announced separation from husband Jon Armstrong
Heather announced a trial separation on her site (January 17, 2012); Jon posted on his blog confirming separation.
Divorce announced/finalized (process concluded 2013)
Special announcements posted Dec 3, 2012; divorce was finalized in 2013. The separation surprised many readers.
Divorce finalized
Court-finalized divorce (year given in bio as 2013); Jon moved to New York City with a new partner; children spent summer with him.
Dooce readership begins significant decline (mid-2010s)
Readership of dooce.com began to decline due to the rise of social media and changes in the online media landscape.
Announced stepping back from blogging
In 2015 Heather announced she would step back from regular blogging to pursue speaking and consulting work.
Armstrong Media, LLC management change
Armstrong Media, LLC (web design, advertising, content) was reported as being run by Jon Armstrong without Heather as of 2015.
Began publicly writing about depression and mental health
After treatment, Heather increasingly focused writing on mental health issues, addiction, and suicide prevention to help others feel seen.
Experienced severe depression; enrolled in experimental clinical trial
After depression worsened, Heather enrolled in a clinical trial at the University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute involving 10 sessions that simulated 'brain death' (induced coma for ~15 minutes) and reported improvement.
Resumed blogging after experimental treatment
Following a reportedly successful experimental treatment in 2017, she resumed posting more regularly and began publishing again (to a much smaller audience).
Began relationship with Pete Ashdown (approx.)
After her divorce, Heather became romantically involved with Pete Ashdown, a Utah tech entrepreneur and two-time Democratic Senate candidate; they lived together and he became her partner.
Reported monthly readership around 500,000
Even after decline, dooce still reportedly drew about half a million readers per month (circa 2019).
Published 'The Valedictorian of Being Dead'
Published The Valedictorian of Being Dead (2019), a book about her experience with depression and the experimental clinical trial.
Sobriety milestone (18 months sober celebrated in April 2023 post)
Reportedly was sober for 18 months before a recent relapse prior to death; she celebrated 18 months of sobriety in an April 2023 post.
Public reaction and legacy recognition
News outlets, peers, and readers memorialized her impact as a pioneer of mommy blogging and an early influencer who shaped online personal storytelling.
Last substantial Dooce posting period; April 2023 sobriety post
Last period of active posting included an April 6, 2023 post celebrating her sobriety milestone and a daughter's 18th birthday.
Died by suicide in Salt Lake City
Found dead by an apparent suicide by gunshot on May 9, 2023, in her Salt Lake City home; partner Pete Ashdown reported relapse in alcohol after 18 months of sobriety.
Key Achievement Ages
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