Learn. Share. Repeat.

Ten years ago, I took a leap. I left a stable and successful career in Big Law to pursue the truly human craft of coaching.

Curiosity opens doors like no other communication tool. It creates space to learn, to engage in questions that interest you, to keep defensiveness at bay, and to become empowered by the information that results from the curiosity-induced interaction. A recent trip reminded me of what makes the admittedly rigorous effort to stay curious, worth it.  Nine days in Cuba.

Networking is a critical sport at all stages of career, and yet, there are very few folks out there who consider themselves fans. Most people dislike networking because they carry false narratives about how it works and how much time it takes. So Michael Melcher, author of Your Invisible Network, and I sat down and dispelled 3 networking myths that will change your game entirely. Check out the videos!

Wanna love your life just a little bit more? Here are 100 ways to do just that.

Weren’t quite ready for the new year on Jan 1? Join the crowd. Here’s how to get ready on your own terms.

Over the past year, countless clients expressed a longing for adventure. Even more than a trip to Nepal, what they really wanted (and needed) was an adventure mindset. Here’s how to adopt one.

Are you feeling that teen angst that you thought was gone forever? Check out how that Junior High Hangover shows up for so many of the most seasoned leaders.

Halloween reminds us that we don’t have to wait until October each year to find new ways to reinvent ourselves.

Feeling stuck? Applying data analysis can reveal what’s getting in your way. One thinker’s method is clear, concrete, and empowering (in a stick it to yourself kind of way).

A clean-slate mentality is more than just reframing our outlook, coming at work from a different angle; it's really setting a new intention to rid ourselves of those nagging voices, habits, attachments, baggage. We may not feel the same tactile thrills of new notebooks, new classes, new teachers, but with a kid-like optimism, the power to push the reset button is always in our grasp. Here are some ways to craft your own.

Here’s how we can all take a page from the tested-and-proven philosophy of summer camp to bring some camp spirit to your team and to your work all year long.

The wonder of what if is real, and it can hold people hostage. Vectoring toward certainty, to be able to have total clarity of picture, is not only impossible, it’s paralyzing. What if asking yourself what if is wasting precious time?

In a recent workshop about managing the “whole person” for a group of women from different companies each of whom sits in the upper echelons of management, participants shared tested tactics, and collaborated on new approaches to address today’s unrelenting human needs with similarly unrelenting business needs.

I was psyched to sign up for MasterClass and then I never showed up. The question nags at me: What prompts us to bail on these types of intentions that we self-select? Sure we can blame busy schedules but that’s just an excuse. It feels like something more. Fear of failure or something else?

Often I find energy in the new, in the adventure, in the exploration. Recently though, I’ve found myself revisiting instead of exploring anew: picking up a book I’ve previously read; listening to a podcast for a second time; thinking through (again) my takeaways from a talk I attended over a month ago; rewatching a movie I haven’t seen in years; even resurrecting a book club that became a casualty of busy schedules and competing priorities.

A recent training offered a clear window into another’s workday and left me with a lasting impression around prioritization and how we define urgency.

I love the Oscars. I don’t care that they are long, overly politicized, and representative of a glam life that I don’t really care anything about. I love them. And while the achievement itself is meaningful for sure, it’s the stick-to-itiveness and belief in oneself that really get me. But perhaps even more catapulting than believing in yourself, is knowing you’re not flying solo on the journey, because someone else, behind the scenes, has a steadfast belief in you too.

There is no question that the demands of work and life – for anyone, regardless of gender or family demographic – have increased during COVID. But still, there’s an interesting interplay between that weary, running-on-fumes feeling and identity. Here’s are some things to consider when figuring out what role you play in your own burnout.

Checklists are a great tool for getting things done, but when it comes to being who you want to be, post-its are the way to go.

“Every company is political,” Nooyi said. “Understand the politics. Do not play in the politics . . . [it] is a death knell.” Every. Company. So that includes yours. How are you handling organizational politics at your workplace?

These 5 pieces of advice from the great Indra Nooyi are portable, applicable, and adaptable in any career.

Botched vacations and leadership curveballs happen all year round. Check out how you might handle those hiccups.

Not everyone can stand front and center. Not everyone covets the spotlight. The late great writer, Joan Didion, found power on the periphery. Where will you find yours?

The pandemic didn’t invent stress, but it created a whole new level of uncertainty for a lot of people. Here’s a way to manage stress, even during the healthiest of times.

Coaching is process-oriented, creative, and explorative. There is joy in the process, joy in the effort of the work every session and every season of the year. But in this season in particular, I get to experience another joy: gifting. Read on about how the intersection of joy and effort makes it possible for me to “maximize the honoring.”

This Thanksgiving season, I’m reminded of a David Foster Wallace’s powerful commencement speech reminding us that the real work of life is to pay attention to the everyday moments. In memory of Jenni Baker.

The power of encouragement is profound. Check out what you can do to be (or have!) a better boss.

Inspired by a writing prompt asking us to tell someone about our adventure after death, my daughter and I collaborated on what that adventure might look like and reminded us of so many things we treasure about our year living in Mexico City — chief among them, Dia de Los Muertos and celebration of life.

The other week I found myself falling into a trap, one that I’ve discovered is exceedingly common to people I meet, no matter their level of achievement or general ability to be level-headed and forward-thinking. The trap? Spiraling on feedback I wasn’t able to make sense of.

In a recent facilitation, I was reminded that without people willing to speak up, even teams with the best intentions can easily leave progress on the shelf somewhere to gather dust. This can happen to your team too.

Anne-Marie Slaughter knows a thing or two about being brave. In 2012, she held a mirror up to the world and reminded the world Why Women Still Can't Have It All.  Her message, while tough to swallow, rang true in the hearts, minds, and in many cases, fears of ambitious women everywhere.  She's now taken another bold step in her book Unfinished Business, designed to advance the conversation on men, women, work and families. For this month's PowerChute, check out what Anne-Marie Slaughter had to say about making change, building confidence, and breaking the rules.  

A week before the 2015 NBA season kicks off, Michele Roberts, Executive Director of the National Basketball Players Association sat down with me to talk about shedding self-doubt, her maternal instinct, and working for men like LeBron and Chris Paul.  Her thoughts are searingly honest and refreshingly direct.  I've shared more content from this interview than any other one I've done.  Check it out.  It's not to be missed. 

A week before Ilyse Hogue, President of NARAL Pro-Choice America, returned to work from maternity leave after having twins, she sat down with me to talk about her life in politics and at home, and what her stellar career has taught her about keeping them both on track and under control.  Read about Ilyse's approach to leadership and motherhood and how she's juggling the women's movement and two babies!

Kate Andersen Brower, former White House correspondent and author of The Residence knows what it’s like to turn the page. Check out how she turned her love of reporting, knowledge of the White House, and self-discipline into a #1 New York Times Bestseller.  Find out how binge watching Downton Abbey really paid off!

We’ve all seen (if not worn) those inspirational t-shirts reminding us that women can be and do anything. Lisa Gross, founder of League of Kitchens, has combined her love of homemade food, and her background in public arts with her passion for curating special experiences and developed an empowering business that highlights an age-old role for women: the masters of the kitchen.

After countless cumbersome searches for organized activities and camp programs for their children, Ilene Miller and Lisa Friedlander, both attorneys, decided to set aside the legal docs and dive into a business designed to drive convenience, efficiency, and ease when it comes to connecting kids with fun activities. Thus Activity Rocket was born. Here they share with us the key ingredients to their success.

Director of the DC Department of Health LaQuandra Nesbitt didn’t always know she wanted to work in public policy. Today, she leads the way for healthcare policy legislators and healthcare professionals in the DC area, creating large-scale changes that make a big impact. LaQuandra sat down with us to chat about her career journey. Along the way, she shared some advice about what to consider when changing to a new career path and the one thing you should do everyday to be a great leader.

After spending years in male-dominated fields including retail finance, private equity and digital development Vanessa Dawson is no stranger to workplace gender-bias. When she realized how deeply that bias affected female entrepreneurs, she took action and founded The Vinetta Project; an ecosystem designed to help high-growth female founders get the mentorship, funding, and support they need to take their businesses to scale.

Jennifer Chambers turned her enthusiasm for hiking and the great outdoors into a key component of her career – a career that has had many of the twists and turns of her beloved trails.

Rosemary Murrain has a passion for non-profits. While working in the non-profit education sector, she saw there an opportunity to bring business savvy to the philanthropic world. While completing her MBA, she started volunteering with the Center for Mind-Body Medicine, which turned into a job as a financial director. Years later, she is now the Managing Director of the 25 year-old organization. According to her, one of the best ways to stay at the top is to seek out mentors in unexpected places. Check out what she had to say in this interview with Principal of Parachute Coaching, Lauren Laitin.

Sometimes it all comes down to the movie you watch on a Saturday night. For Karen Gereffi Goodman, Creative Director at Under Armour, success in advertising started with a childhood full of art and one, key Jennifer Aniston movie. Check out how Karen started strong, followed her gut, and succeeded in (what still is) the male-dominated advertising world.

Awesome ideas can be found anywhere.  For Rebecca Melsky, it happened on a regular day of shopping for her young daughter.  Turns out a routine trip gave birth to the Princess Awesome idea, and an opportunity to advance the public conversation on empowering girls to be exactly who they want to be -- and now they have a dress that can show the world exactly what it is.  For this month's PowerChute, I talked to Rebecca Melsky, Co-Founder and COO of Princess Awesome, to hear about her plight to open up girls' closets and minds.

Taylor Hamilton is unquestionably creative and she has a thing for celebrities. So when she started her stationery company, Tay Ham, she found an avenue to combine two loves.  I first learned about her in a New York Times article about how writing handwritten cards is coming back in vogue.  For this month's PowerChute, I chatted with Taylor to hear what she had to say about starting small, being bold and finding magic.

Fashion is big business.  The global apparel market is valued at $3 trillion, and accounts for 2% of the world's Gross Domestic Product.  The womenswear industry alone is valued at $621 billion. But Betsy Fisher, a contemporary women's boutique in Washington, DC, named after its owner, is not about high fashion trends and big business.  It's about service.  For this month's PowerChute, I sat down with Betsy to learn about her passion for dressing professional women, building relationships, and even a little retail therapy.

Everyday clients come to me longing for more ownership, more flexibility, and more opportunities to be creative.  Rosy and Donna Khalife used to long for those things too. But not anymore. In 2014, they buckled their seatbelts and founded Surprise Ride, an educational gift box company focused on taking kids ages 6-11 on a fun and thoughtful journey each month. For this month's PowerChute, I caught up with Rosy to hear about what its like to be in business with her sister, how their upbringing prepared them for being entrepreneurs, and what advice they have for others contemplating taking a ride of their own.

Diane Gross knows a thing or two about being thankful. After working on the Hill for years, she and her husband, Khalid Pitts, took a risk and followed their dream – turning their passion for good wine and great communities into a popular neighborhood wine bar in DC. Cork Wine Bar, and its sister, Cork Market, have won countless awards – including most recently being listed as one of the best wine bars in the country. For this month's PowerChute, I sat down with Diane to learn more about how she has conquered turning her passion into a career.

Ursula Mead, Co-Founder of InHerSight, is on a mission to measure how well employers support the women who work for them – and to turn those insights into better support for women in the workplace. In the process, Ursula and her co-founders are changing the way women choose where they work and the way that companies attract and retain their women employees. To launch a new monthly interview series, The PowerChute, highlighting stand out women in the paid workforce, we caught up with Ursula to hear more about what InHerSight is all about, and why it compels her to work 18 hour days.