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…

Denver artist Diana Merkel shared this photo of her art installation at Burning Man 2024 with me. I love these pods because they are an ode to the stoop, talking circles, and our early origins of sitting around a fire. Communing over a flame dates back thousands of years and explains our connection to storytelling,…

Ever since I saw the movie Pretty in Pink, I’ve been fascinated with reusing and repurposing clothes. I had the most fabulous opportunity this week to go to a “designer repurposing event” and got to bring in an old denim jacket that I never wear anymore to have it refreshed by designer Simon Ungless, who…

Paul and I were delighted to spend a week in Yosemite in May. It was the first time we were there without a fire going on and with the waterfalls in full force. We hiked to the top of Nevada Falls and kept our eyes open for bears. If you haven’t been to Yosemite, I…

I learned to sew when I was in fifth grade, and I never stopped. My eighth-grade graduation present was a sewing machine, and I quickly turned into Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink and made all my own clothes during high school. When I turned sixteen and was able to get my first paying job,…

My in-laws live in Manchester, England, and we don’t get to see them every year. My mother-in-law, Delia, is someone I consider a friend and pal, and she loves to take pictures of all her adventures. When she came to visit several years ago, I decided to surprise her and be her photographer without her…

If you’re like me, you feel a tinge more hopeful with room to dream when you look out the window and see the days getting longer and warmer as we edge our way to full-bloom springtime. Even our ancestors shared these positive feelings of anticipation with festivals and ceremonies. Egyptians went so far as to…