Have you ever joined or hosted a potluck? When was the last time you invited neighbors, friends, and strangers to break bread and talk for an hour about just one topic? Does the thought terrify you? Make you anxious? Indifferent? Or just say, “No thanks, not my thing”?  When I lived in Chicago, I was…

I was getting a blood test, and the nurse said, “Your veins are tiny,” and I replied, “Oh, sorry.” I later wondered why I apologized for my body’s natural state. Last night I underestimated dinner prep time, causing a fifteen-minute delay, and apologized twice to my husband for being so late. He was chilling, reading,…

This year, the summer solstice was on June 20 at exactly 1:50 p.m. PDT. One of Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun and we experience the longest amount of sunlight. June is also Pride Month and the month we honor and celebrate Juneteenth.    Much like the Earth and Sun’s interdependence, June can…

You hop in your car after having lunch with a friend and start replaying the conversation in your head. You wonder if that joke you said landed wrong. You notice that she didn’t really laugh when you said it.  You start to worry. You text your friend (at a stoplight, of course—not while driving). “It…

How would you feel if you found out that an employee had framed a handwritten note from you? That it was so meaningful to them, they wanted to cherish that memory every day? It would be enough to make you pause and want to sit with the emotion that went into that gesture. Do you…

One of my favorite activities with teams and clients in the spring is to use Gratitude Blooming Cards to connect with nature, practice reflection, and express gratitude to one another. I give each client team member their own deck and often either a plant, flower, or gardening kit that we use on the spot. It’s…

I like to start each season by reflecting on a set of twelve questions that help me be more deliberate about capturing what I’ve learned and applying those learnings toward the new season. Here are some questions you might consider using to begin spring with intentionality:

Do you ever wonder why honesty seems so rare at work? Despite our society’s value of truth, many of us skirt straight answers because we’re working so hard to manage the impression we’re making on others. It’s exhausting. Poet and leadership consultant David Whyte said, “The antidote to exhaustion isn’t rest; it’s wholeheartedness.” As leaders,…

I’m sure you’re familiar with the saying “We’re our own worst critics.” We’ve all been there. Something happens–an event, a presentation, or simply a remark. We start to process it and form unfounded beliefs about what others think of us, which informs our own negative thoughts, such as, “I messed up. I’m toast, a complete…

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….