It’s that time of the year when we’re back at it. Back to school, back to work, and back to everything. But what is “everything,” and how do we go about creating it intentionally? The story that follows gives you a glimpse at why I’m sharing five “energy buckets” and how to audit your own energy […]
Want to Avoid Burnout? Design Your Best Year with This Quick Audit Read More »
Part 3 – A reflection exercise for friends and family In this three-part series, I’ve provided personal questions for you and prompts for your team to help you take an essential year-end pause for reflection and future planning. In this final installment, I’m giving you an exercise I find especially useful with friends and family.
Growth,Connections,and Experience: What Can We Learn? Read More »
Part 1 – A reflection exercise for you Every year, I encourage my clients to answer a series of questions that help them pause and reflect. Regularly pausing, reflecting, and planning is essential for our mental well-being, personal fulfillment, and goal setting—especially this time of year when we have the benefit of reviewing a year
Triumphs, Risks, and Surprises: A Year at a Glance Read More »
I started taking piano lessons (again) in June, but before I tell you why, let me give you some backstory. When I was nine years old, my dad retired from the Chicago Post Office and used a huge chunk of his savings to buy a Baldwin upright piano. He dreamed of playing “House of the
How Do You Keep Yourself Inspired? Read More »
Radical acceptance: accepting reality as it is, without judgment or resistance. Acceptance of all of it: not partial or conditional. I was having a conversation with a dear client yesterday who shared that he was practicing radical acceptance with a recent experience. Two hours earlier at my yoga class, someone said to another student, “I’m
Breaking the Control Habit: Discovering Freedom in Radical Acceptance Read More »
When author Julia Cameron came out with The Artist’s Way in 2002, I had just left my job and was branching out on my own. I was a little lost and feeling pretty untethered. I gave her Morning Pages technique a try, and twenty-one days later, my entire business plan (unbeknownst to me) was laid out. Morning
Recover Your Creative Energy Without Constraints Read More »
In a recent LinkedIn post, I wrote about how anxiety and stress often come in waves, making it challenging for me to manage. I find that containing it is often necessary so I can work, but “stuffing it” ends up forming cracks and leaks that cause “flooding.” And when we flood, the nervous system is on
Feeling a Wave of Stress? Try a Technique That Works for Me Read More »
Named one of the best books of 2022 by numerous publications, author Hernan Diaz is the author of Trust. I loved this book, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m just blown away by the creativity in the structure and expression of the story. It is a metafictional novel that reflects on the nature of storytelling itself.
Make Time for This Pulitzer Prize Winner Read More »
Did you know that children laugh eight times more frequently when they are with another child than when they’re watching a cartoon on their own? That’s the case even if they thought the cartoon was just as funny in both instances. One study reports that children laugh on average three hundred times a day. I’m
Anxious or Stressed? Try What Patch Adams Knew Best. Read More »
Many of you know my love for the Chicago neighborhood where I was raised. Stoops outside our front doors were practically windows into our souls. Sharing milestones and events of the day, and simply passing the time with neighbors strengthened our connections to life and each other. My stoop was also gateway to the outdoors.
Bathe in Benefits to Your Well-Being Read More »