I work with a lot of leaders in various organizations.  One thing I hear repeatedly, regardless of industry or size of organization is: “We have a lot of meetings around here”.  A common concern I hear from many of my high performing clients is their calendars are so blocked with meetings that they need to do work outside of work hours.  This can leave people frustrated, resentful and unproductive.  Not good energy. Meetings are important because, by definition, a meeting is

Melissa has an MBA and is a leader in a Fortune 500 global business. Melissa’s business background, strong coaching skills, and passion to help others make her a great fit for the ithrive31 coaching team. She joins the team as a Leadership and Transition Coach and will do both personal coaching and leadership coaching. Here’s a little more about Melissa’s love of coaching and why she joined ithrive31. What was your response to coaching for the first time? My first experienc

This year, Valentine’s Day falls on a Monday. What a great way to start the workweek by showing love to your colleagues. Here are 8 ways to spread love in the workplace: Bring treats for the office. If you have a special recipe in mind, go with that. If not, pick up some donuts or bagels with cream cheese. Everyone will appreciate your thoughtfulness, even if they don’t indulge. Email a Valentine to your work team. Use a caption like: “I really love working with you all – Ha

We hear it every day: It is important to live gratefully. Multiple studies link gratitude to physical, emotional, and social well-being. Research shows that people who focus on gratitude are happier, more resilient, more empathetic, and have stronger interpersonal relationships. Additionally, they have less stress, sleep better and take better care of themselves. All good stuff, but we all know that life is also hard and so many negatives come at us every day. So, the questi

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

Some of the things I hear a lot when coaching managers is: “I want to develop my team, but I don’t have any time.”  “I am so consumed with the day-to-day that I cannot focus on the strategic planning for my department.” “I wish my team would step-up and take on more.” What managers fail to realize is that they create some of their own problems by making too many decisions.  By assuming the primary decision-making role, managers fail to develop capabilities that free up their