Lately, I’ve been asking myself one simple question before I walk into a meeting or conversation: “Am I open or protected?” I can’t relate if I’m in protection mode. It’s been a quiet way to return to myself … just enough to shift the energy I bring into the room. If this idea resonates, I…

According to Deloitte’s 2024 Global Human Capital Trends report, emotional intelligence and self-awareness are among the top five leadership capabilities identified for navigating complexity and building resilient teams. Some of the most important clues we have about our natural leadership tendencies are found in our earliest experiences on a team—our family team. I wrote about…

Have you ever found yourself overfunctioning on a team, overextending while silently thinking, “Why am I the only one handling this?” Or perhaps you notice your tendency to play the peacekeeper, smoothing over tension while your own ideas sit politely in the backseat. Maybe when things get stressful, you default to “lone-wolf mode”—better to do…

We’re six months into the year, and summer gives us the extra light we need to check in with ourselves. Last December, I shared a variety of end-of-year reflection questions that can help you learn from your experiences and set intentions for the year. You can explore these questions for you, your team, and your…

The other day, I found myself deep in a rabbit hole, thinking about the owls and owlets in my neighborhood. It was 10:45 p.m., and I should have been asleep. But I was wide awake, totally absorbed—and weirdly energized. That’s when I remembered a question Susan Cain posed in a recent Substack newsletter that’s been…

We just launched the newest cohort of Leading and Living on Purpose. Thirty-one courageous leaders from across one organization are stepping into a powerful journey of self-discovery and aligned leadership. This isn’t just another leadership program. It’s an invitation to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what truly matters within and beyond the workplace. One participant…

There was a season in my life when I measured my days by what I got done —not how I felt; not who I connected with; not whether I moved closer to meaning. Just checkmarks. Tasks. Output. It looked productive from the outside. But inside, I felt like I was running a race with no…

Not long ago, I caught myself ending a day feeling depleted but not satisfied. I had bounced from meeting to meeting, replied to dozens of emails, checked off a handful of tasks, and still felt like I’d somehow missed the mark. I paused and asked myself, “Was I productive today or just busy?” It’s a…

Sometimes leadership lessons show up in feathers. There are baby owls up the street from my house, and lately, they’ve become the talk of the neighborhood. It started with one neighbor posting a picture and then another sharing a sighting. Pretty soon, folks were gathering under the trees, standing shoulder to shoulder in the quiet,…

Right now, there’s a subtle but rising return to more directive leadership–fewer questions, faster decisions, more top-down control. In some cases, it’s needed. But in many, it’s reactive. This is what I want leaders to ask: Where does this directive need to come from?Is it clarity—or is it control? As leaders, we’ve all been there—things…