It is easy to feel overwhelmed, depressed and hopeless by what is going on around us. Violent acts seem to be escalating on a much too frequent basis. Daily news showcases human tragedy that capture our attention and leave us glued to know more, see more, and learn more. Even when the news outlets try to balance the messages of goodness to counteract the horrific, the catastrophes remain in our psyche and leave us with a deep void. We are filled with shock, sadness, and gr

I’ve been a student of leadership development for some time now and appreciate the fact that there has been a lot of great books written, studies performed, and models created. There are a lot of talented people who share great perspectives and opinions on the topic of leadership. I have appreciated being the student of this wisdom. I also have a lot of practical experience in this subject. I’ve created and led leadership development programs to help leaders be successful.

Fall: Back to CRAZY The new school year is jumping into full gear and with it comes the resurgence of parental commitments – new school committees seeking support, homework assistance to steal evenings away and sports schedules to hijack after school and weekend time. And you thought the summer schedule was busy!!! On top of all this, new commitments tug on your precious (and very few) moments. Community, clubs, churches and other organizations start their fall programming

How to Pivot According to Merriam-Webster, the action of pivoting is especially related to basketball - stepping with one foot while keeping the other foot at its point of contact with the floor. When it comes to a professional pivot – the trick is to leverage your existing experience (keeping one foot in contact with the floor), while moving towards something that is new, and perhaps even daunting (stepping with the other foot). Last year, I realized it was time to make a

I have always been a type A personality – spending most of my time looking for the next step, hill to climb or next challenge to tackle. I think it is in my DNA. As I age, I have learned to accept things about myself and come to terms with my strengths as well as those areas for “self-management”. What I have reflected on recently is how important it is to have FUN – no matter what personality type you have and no matter what might fill your personal fun-meter. Definition

How in the world do you thrive in today’s workplace? I would argue there are some practical factors to consider to thrive at work. However, if your work environment does not allow you to operate this way -- to some extent – you may want to examine “are you really in the right place”? Bring YOU to the workplace Value differences. Most mission statements have a variation of a theme on this principle. Yet we all know, what is on the wall may be different than what you see in

This has been a big week. I made a big decision. A decision that would change my life, shape my future and create a new path for my next steps. I decided to leave my job. And not just any job. A good job with a good company and good people. My tribe. After 21-years I decided to leave my stability, my identity, and…(gulp) my paycheck. Why would I do that? Short answer: Because I feel called to do something different. I feel like Indiana Jones in The Last Crusade when

So….the other day I attended the 2017 OneIowa Gala – celebrating the progress we have made to support LGBTQ community in Iowa. I attended as a representative of my company and I was beyond honored to show my support for those individuals who have shown courage, perseverance and conviction to be who they are. I have thought a lot about the way we label people and quite frankly, I am overwhelmed by all the “labels” that I need to learn (see Katie Couric “Gender Revolution”).

I am a goal setter – always have been and always will be. Listen to any self-help notables -- Tony Robbins, Brian Tracy, Jim Rohn, Dale Carnegie-- and they will point to goal setting as the most important trait of successful people and I understand why. I believe in the power of living your life in an intentional way. I believe that life happens and you can either react to it or be an active participant in it. I chose the latter. I’ve done it and I have seen amazing things