Personal Development

Oftentimes summer brings a more relaxed schedule and time to try new things. Here are some ideas for branching out while having some fun this season! Go on a road trip: Plan a fun road trip with your friends or family to a place you've always wanted to visit. It doesn’t have to be far away, either! Some of the best spots are located right in your state. Make sure to plan some stops and activities along the way — it could even just be for a picnic at a roadside stop — to ma

Nowadays, the term "wellbeing" is commonly used, but what does it mean exactly? While there are multiple definitions, they all generally refer to experiencing positive emotions (joy, happiness), being free from negative emotions (worry, stress, anxiety), and having an overall sense of life satisfaction (fulfillment). In the workplace, wellbeing exists when employees can utilize their abilities, manage life's typical stressors, work productively, and contribute to their commu

Last year, ithrive31 partnered with Mary Greeley Medical Center to make external coaching available for all their leaders. Through this partnership, we have been able to offer support to leaders in a very personal way. This opportunity sends a message: “We care about your wellbeing.” The message that comes back from leaders who participate is 100% appreciation and a resounding “Thank You, we appreciate you offering this support to us.” It also allows leaders the tools they ne

Meet ithrive31 coaching client Ryan. Ryan was an Executive in a Banking Institution before he made the significant decision to pivot his career in a big way. In the summer of 2021, Ryan and his wife sold their home in Iowa and moved to Kuwait to teach in an American School. Ryan teaches English Literature to high school students and his wife teaches 5th grade. Ryan always had a passion for teaching, learning, and literature and he stepped fully into this calling.

I remember that day well. It was a Sunday in the spring. My husband and I left church and headed to the grocery store before heading home. In the parking lot, I got the call from my boss. As his business partner, I had been working with him over the past month to reorganize the department, which I was a part of. In the reorganization, I initiated a change that eliminated my position. I knew I wanted something different. It was time to leave the organization I had been a part

Transitions are a fact of life. Some transitions are planned and self-initiated, like making a career shift, changing marital status, or moving to a new city. Others happen involuntarily and without much planning, such as dealing with a health crisis, facing the death of a loved one, or the loss of a job. According to Bruce Feiler, author of Life Is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at Any Age , everyone goes through a disruptive event on average every 12 to 18 months. Tra

What a challenging time it is for leaders in the middle of “the great resignation.” Many reasons prompt people to look for new paths, and this creates a challenging environment for leaders who are trying to hold it all together. It is one thing to read about it, but it becomes very real when I hear the personal impact from clients, friends, and family in leadership roles. For leaders experiencing turnover in their teams, here are some things to pay attention to: 1. Take care

Hello! I am Monica Converse, the new head of operations, and I am excited to be part of the growing ithrive31® team. I would like to take a moment and share a little bit about myself and the personal impact ithrive31 coaching had for me. Finding a Career Direction—at 18 Before diving in, I have a question for you: Do you really know what you want to do professionally in your life? I have always thought it was a bit unfair that as an 18-year-old, you are expected to choose a

If you’re wondering what to expect from an ithrive31® small-group coaching opportunity, watch Beth Strobel’s insights into her own coaching experience. Beth shares the structure of the weekly coaching sessions and her personal takeaways from the experience. Watch the short video and let Beth describe how she benefited from the strategic focus on key coaching concepts and discussions of challenges and opportunities in her own organization. She also points out the value of th

It’s time to shine. Kick summer off by setting achievable goals that lead to long-term success. Remember, it’s summer, and that brings a different attitude. Your goals should reflect the season and be a springboard into the next. This handy acronym helps you remember valuable concepts as you set your goals, make progress, and achieve milestones throughout the summer. BRITE stands for: Balanced When setting goals consider all areas of your life. Use the ithrive31® model of w

Four years ago, I started my business. There is so much to reflect on and I feel humbled and honored to be walking this journey. Life is full of opportunities for personal growth, so looking back, here are some of the lessons I have learned. Year One was about humility . I never thought I had a big ego, but as it turns out, it has always been there. I left my job after 25 years with a big salary, good title and loads of experience thinking, “why wouldn’t I be a valuable,

GroundHog Day….. An important day to see what is to come. Will it be an early spring or six more weeks of winter? Come on Phil, inquiring minds want to know! This little rodent makes for a boring day in February a bit more lively, especially for the weather diehards in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. But here’s a question more specifically for you. Think about where you are at right now. Will it be 6 more weeks of the same or do you want to make some changes th

Happy December 1! Do you know what that means? It means there are 31 days left in 2020. What will you do with the 31 days? How about reflection? My guess is 2020 did not go as planned for you. Me either. Flashback to one year ago today. I was organizing a family trip to the Dominican Republic in February. The first quarter of the new year looked strong for my business. I had a schedule filled with live events and new client engagements. I had plans - personally and profe

Is your business booming or bLooming? The L can make all the difference. Recently I hosted a couple of women at my home to engage in a vision board exercise. (For anyone not familiar with these exercises, it involves cutting pictures and words out of magazines that speak to your heart/intuition and help you craft a vision for your future). As they were sharing their pictures, Jen held up a beautiful pink peony in full bloom. The caption on the image was: “Business is Bloom

Three years ago, I launched ithrive31®, and with it, its bright and colorful brand. The use of bold colors in the ithrive31 logo and other design materials was intentional, but was in stark contrast with “traditional” organizational marketing materials. When I shared the look of my brand with my peers in the corporate space, they were not shy with their feedback: “It looks like it is geared toward women and it may not resonate with men” someone said. “If you are working in

Over the last four days, in honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, I have shared real situations where coaching has made a big impact. Coaching can help you: Get Unstuck – Read Kim’s story on feeling stuck and desiring a new challenge Gain Clarity –Read Joe’s story on working through conflict with his boss Reach New Heights -- Read Bill’s story on being stretched in a new assignment Ensure Accountability – Read Cindy’s story on developing personal accountability Today’s

In honor of INTERNATIONAL COACHING WEEK, every day this week I will be sharing real stories of situations where coaching has made a big impact. Cindy’s Story: Cindy is a rockstar professional businesswoman. She is creative, driven and self-motivated. Like most high performers, Cindy does it all and has multiple irons in the fire. Her challenge was staying on top of everything and meeting the high expectations she has of herself. As a working mom, she balances the craziness

It was hard enough before to be a working mom…balancing professional and personal responsibilities, giving our all at work AND at home. But in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, children are home from school and daycare, we’re working from home alongside our spouses and stress about our family’s and our nation’s health is at an all-time high. Overnight, we’ve added the roles of full-time teacher or daycare provider, work-at-home rockstar performer, daily meal planner (now

It’s more than a fight against COVID-19 …..it’s a fight against GUILT Guilt that I’m not doing enough Guilt that I should be more productive Guilt that I am not doing as well as others And the mom guilt? ….let’s add school teacher, safety patrol and working from chaos (i.e home) to your job description. It was always bad but now…..on steroids! So, let’s take a breath. Take your moment. Let’s recognize it for what it is. Non-productive guilt. An e