For thousands of years, cultures around the globe have told a version of the same story: the hero leaves home, faces trials, slays the dragons, and returns with treasure that saves the community. Joseph Campbell called this the Hero’s Journey, and it has shaped our imagination of what leadership should look like. Even today, we unconsciously expect ourselves as leaders to embody this myth. We look up to that elusive notion of a heroic solver of all problems, the one who leave

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...

Or why getting lost with a good partner might be the best leadership move you make this week. It was a Sunday, and I was craving a hike....

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...

Here is a deceptively simple question: What is the opposite of helplessness? But let’s take it one step at a time. We All Come to Work to...

“I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn’t say any other way—things I had no words for.” — Georgia O’Keeffe When I say “leadership,” I couldn’t be further from political headlines, hierarchical ladders, or the alpha-performance model that often comes to mind. The kind of leadership I believe in, and coach clients into, is not about titles. It's not about charisma an it is not about control. It’s about creating the world we need , a world rooted in purpo

And How to Use Them to Strengthen Yours When Fin took over a passionate literacy team, he thought things would click quickly. Seven staff...

How to replace dread-inducing reviews with talent, engagement, and belonging It’s Time to Retire the Old “Performance Machine” Picture...

Do you really know who you are as a leader? Far too often, we step into leadership because we excelled at our last role. Maybe we were...

We don’t like defiance. Not in teenagers, not in colleagues, not in ourselves. It disrupts. Refuses. Challenges the norm. And yet, defiance might be one of the most essential leadership qualities we never talk about.  Especially when it comes to leading our own lives. Defiance isn’t just rebellion for its own sake. It’s the refusal to shrink into expectations that don’t fit. It’s a boundary line that says: not this . In psychological terms, defiance often emerges as a protec

“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...

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...

When did you realize that no one else was to blame? That the voice of doubt, criticism, and sabotage wasn’t coming from the outside, but...

In a world saturated with likes, shares, and applause, the pull of external validation can feel inescapable. Yet when we’re caught in this cycle, the moments between the hits of approval or admiration often feel strangely empty, and that’s the best-case scenario. They can feel much worse. Liberation from this cycle is an act of reclaiming our power . “What’s the greater risk? Letting go of what people think … or letting go of how I feel, what I believe, and who I am?” Brene B

If I were to begin and end my blogging journey with just one article, it would be this one. Believing in ourselves is the most important...

Navigating today’s leadership landscape requires new leadership skills , it's not just about solving problems but about mastering the...

As a coach, I see the hidden opportunities in conflict every day. Many clients come to me saying, “I have a situation I need help with.”...

When was the last time someone truly listened to you, not to fix, judge, or offer an opinion, but simply to witness you, with openness and without expectation? Many of us go through life feeling unheard, constantly adapting to meet the expectations of others or to navigate the demands placed on us. A coach offers something rare, an opportunity to be fully seen and heard, with empathy and without judgment. In that space, you’re guided to safely explore your unique thought p