I count on my friend and colleague Erika to bring something special to every gathering with her passion for art and creative expression. And if I’m being honest, every time I ask her to lead something art-related in one of our sessions, a part of me gets nervous: How are people going to respond to…

click for a screen reader-friendly rendering of the above image When tensions run high on a team, the natural advice is often, “Just get it off your chest.” Many leaders even encourage venting as a way to “clear the air.” But neuroscience tells a different story: Venting doesn’t calm frustration—it fuels it. Here’s why: Each…

From meal plans to mind-expanding book mashups, here’s how I’m using artificial intelligence to make my life easier—and a lot more fun. Lately, I’ve been leaning on ChatGPT so much that it might qualify as a new close friend. It’s fast and clever and makes me feel like I have a personal chef, research assistant,…

Last weekend, I spent a slow, lovely day by the water with family, walking by the ocean, stopping for a bite at a beach café, sun on my face, nowhere to be but there. It should have been joyful. And in some ways, it was. But that evening, something unsettled me. Looking back, I realized…

Every year before Memorial Day, my husband and I spend the week in Yosemite. There is nothing that creates more clarity and inspires more feelings of awe than being surrounded by nature for seven straight days, twenty-four hours a day. I had a strange interaction that I’m still trying to make sense of during the…

Have you ever examined the way you listen? Did you know your inner state while listening directly impacts the other person—what they share, how safe they feel, and whether they open up or shut down? I recently invited a senior leadership team to practice listening to a peer from three different states: Here’s the typical…

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the connection between anxiety at work and anxiety on stage. It’s the same heartbeat, really—the ache to be seen, to belong, to make something matter. Yes, I started with talking about a literal stage, but let’s broaden it. “Taking the stage” can mean leading a meeting, navigating a tough conversation,…

Many of you know that my dad was a letter carrier for the post office when I was growing up. He loved being the person everyone could count on, and he took pride in walking three miles every day to deliver the mail, no matter what the Chicago weather had in store for him. Meeting…

Did you know we check our phones an average of fifty-eight times each day? In a hyperconnected world, we’re drowning in information. We’re constantly bombarded by headlines, updates, and breaking stories. If you’re like me, you sometimes wish for a flip phone. Flip phones are actually trending again, thanks to people driven by nostalgia, a…

Our origin stories shape us. They’re not just chapters in our history; they’re the foundation for everything we build. Origin stories also can fuel our confidence to overcome anxiety or fears and embrace our potential. My professional journey began in the warehouse of the S&H Green Stamp Company. Remembering where it all started has been…