Don’t know about you, but lately I’ve found that rest alone isn’t enough. When our nervous systems are exhausted, when our calendars keep demanding, when leadership feels like sprinting a marathon, simply sleeping more doesn’t always restore us. What I’ve been reaching for are two other forms of nourishment: dreaming and exercising the “hope muscle.” It's Gloria Steinem who once said: “Without leaps of imagination, or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreami

A few days ago, driving my son home from basketball practice, I decided to share something I’d been reflecting on from Joseph Nguyen’s...

I watched an interview with musician and songwriter Phil Cook recently, where he said something that stuck with me: “When you’re...

It’s Friday afternoon. You’ve worked hard all week, but instead of feeling accomplished, you feel wrung out. It’s not the workload that...

A Creative Leadership Meditation on Tenderness, Gentleness, and Relearning Self-Compassion We teach what we most need to learn. And lately, what I’ve needed to relearn, and to teach, is tenderness. Gentleness toward self. Towards the parts of ourselves that are raw, tired, doubting, regretful. The parts that want to perform, impress, produce, solve problems. Same parts that probably just want to rest but don’t know how. When I speak with leaders about the idea of being gentle

Today, the conversation in front of me felt particularly difficult because of the CliftonStrengths dynamics at play. It was, in essence,...

We live in a culture that’s obsessed with what’s broken. Somehow, criticizing and pointing out flaws is considered a sign of...

“When you do not seek or need external approval, you are at your most powerful.” — Caroline Myss Most women don’t need a seminar on “reading the room.” Years of social conditioning mean we pick up on micro-moods and rush to smooth them over. Studies show women often score higher than men on empathy and perspective-taking , but when motivation is equalized, the gap nearly disappears. What that means is that we practice empathy because we were taught it matters. That invisible

Is there a difference between healthy striving and perfectionism? Absolutely. One is rooted in growth. The other, in fear . As Anne Lamott puts it, perfectionism “leaves us pretzelized.” It distorts us. Exhausts us. And most of all, it keeps us from starting, or finishing, what really matters. It may also leave us used, omitted, and abandoned, by others, yes, but mostly by ourselves. By others, because who wants to live in constant comparison to something that’s not real,

I’ve always felt a quiet envy toward people who could introduce themselves with just one word."I'm a doctor.""I'm a photographer.""I'm a dancer." There’s a kind of comfort in that, isn’t there? A clarity. A clean box you can tuck yourself into and present to the world like a polished LinkedIn headline. That was never my story. For years, I thought there was something wrong with me. My inability to generate myself a single label felt like failure, like I hadn’t landed anywhere

Have you ever noticed how being constantly available to others ends up hurting you? We say yes out of habit, reply instantly, stay...

Good leaders never stop learning. Great leaders, the kind who leave a positive lasting impact not just on organizations, but on people’s...

"At the center of your being, you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want." - Lao Tzu Deep within us lies a well of wisdom, an intuition that knows what is right, even when fear clouds our vision. Yet, too often, fear takes control, drowning out our inner knowing with alarm bells and doubt . When we learn to tame our fear center, the amygdala, we regain access to our intuition, making decisions from a place of clarity, courage, and trust rather than

What is Psychological Safety? "The belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or...

Thriving Non-Profit. Sounds like an oxymoron. If you're an Executive Director or CEO of one, you know exactly what I mean. In a sector where fundraising costs are questioned, overhead is misunderstood, and some of the most demanding roles remain the lowest paid, the idea of "thriving" can feel almost laughable. And yet, we persist, not because it's easy, but because the work matters. Deeply. So what does it take today to truly lead a thriving non-profit? It’s time to rethink

How do we reconnect with ourselves and each other? What is the universal language that unites human experience? The ability to name our...

Imposter syndrome is the persistent feeling of self-doubt and inadequacy despite evident success. It convinces us that we are frauds,...

Strategy often remains confined to PowerPoint decks, failing to translate into real-world implementation. There’s a gap. Everyday choices...

Trust defines relationships. It is the invisible thread that holds society together, shaping our interactions, decisions, and...

What if setting boundaries in a clear and compassionate way was not only possible but also empowering? Imagine feeling confident ,...