When I was 28 years old, my dad died suddenly. He came home for lunch, had a heart attack, and was gone. There was a flurry of activity to notify family members and arrange his funeral, among a myriad of other tasks. We were all stunned, moving like automatons through this thoroughly unexpected ending. My
OUCH. In recent months, here’s a sample of what I’ve heard from my coaching clients. These anecdotes are disguised to protect confidentiality: -A manager at a large company was told by their boss to fire 8% of their high-functioning team for “efficiency’s sake.” Although they tried to fight it, the anguished manager was forced to
I write this from New Zealand, which is very VERY far from my home. I am not in the same hemisphere, or even the same DAY as my fellow Californians–and that has been profoundly helpful. Seeing new sights, hearing new sounds, smelling new aromas: all have had a salutary effect. When life as you know
This past year, 3 companies I loved working with failed spectacularly. At their peak, all 3 were places I (and countless others!) wanted to work—each characterized by a strong sense of purpose, learning, and commitment to making the world a better place. It was a joy and privilege to work with each of them. Tragically,
Here in the US, a coup is underway. There is so much happening so quickly that it is not possible to integrate it all. You may feel your nervous system being overwhelmed in trying to take everything in—and as a result you may feel yourself ping-ponging between the poles of panic and shutdown. It’s not
I started writing this post a few weeks ago, during the Los Angeles wildfires. And then…I stopped. I suppose I was a victim of the very shock I was trying to write about. This week, Trump is up to all sorts of “shock and awe” tactics; people and organizations are reeling. The question on everyone’s
2025 is here. In any new year, the seasonal call of winter beckons us to “go inside,” to make time for introspection. As we stand at the threshold between the old and the new, many of us review the past year and make resolutions for the year upcoming. Resolutions obviously are about resolve. But why