Relaxation, Mindfulness, and Meditation Many of us suffer from FOMS (Fear Of Missing Something) so we approach life as series of manic, highly active episodes thinly sandwiched between inadequate layers of sleep. We continually pump our systems full of adrenalin and cortisol (and when those fail, more caffeine), and when those chemicals build to toxic … Read more
I love to play with tight language, which is why Haiku has always been my favorite poetic form (17 syllables and rigid rules, yet infinite possibilities). I also love the brutal simplicity of six-word essays, a format over which I obsessed in high school (see https://www.sixwordmemoirs.com for more) Since January I have attended 28 … Read more
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? When I was a kid, this question always pulled me into a philosophical mindset, and I can remember many conversations and/or debates working it from both a logical and emotional point of view. What I most remember about those sessions is that we’d often end in either … Read more
Case study. Client is Director, 15+ years experience. She is smart, decisive, gets shit done… and is perceived as “demanding.” She wants to shift her leadership style from Command & Control to a Coaching approach. We discussed in a coaching session different ways she can use both language and her physical presence to shift the … Read more
Recently I was guest on the Leadership Hacks Podcast with my esteemed colleague, Jill Windelspecht, a fellow executive coach and organization consultant. Jill invited me to bring my best hack (shortcut/workaround) to the conversation, so I showed up with the most basic tool in my box: Breathing. You’ve heard me say it before: if you … Read more
When you are a key influencer, leader, or manager in a work unit, however you show up affects your team. Like water, your mood flows downhill and across flat areas, always seeking to level the space. Whether you show up happy or stressed, it spreads. Use these four quick tips to change the energy … Read more
I don’t create a huge summer reading list any more. but people still ask. So as I’m making my selections, I’m sharing. Here are some books I’m reading while on the beach this year: For personal transformation, Daring Greatly, by Brene Brown. Everyone who has read this insists I will love it — about being vulnerable and showing … Read more
Do you remember learning to tie your shoes? Put on pants? Button a shirt? Neither do I, but last evening I was reminded of the experience. I had the pleasure of giving my three-year-old grandson his bath. After I dried him off, he escaped and ran naked into his room, all excited — he has … Read more
Stress works like a balloon – it keeps getting bigger and bigger till it pops. When you train your body to release stress, it’s like releasing air from the balloon. Each time, you recapture some of your capacity.
Try one or two of these practices several times daily for 30 days, and I promise you’ll notice a difference in your stress levels. Enjoy!
Imagine you lose all your data. Your inbox, gone. Your sent file history, gone. What would you do? It happened to me, today….