Words of Wisdom

I was born into a family of Democrats in a neighborhood of Democrats, attended a church of Democrats in a city of Democrats and moved across country to another city of Democrats. And I am not a Democrat. Here's how I got here. 

I remember as a little girl how my Dad used to watch both Democratic and Republican conventions every four years in their entirety. This was a time where they were three days long. My Dad watched every single minute he could.

Coming from Polish immigrant parents, my Dad…

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
~John F. Kennedy

The above quote and title of this post is from a speech that John F. Kennedy, our 35th President never delivered.

"He was scheduled to deliver a speech in Dallas on November 22, 1963. He never spoke these words. He was assassinated on his way to the event and died before he spoke these words."

When I saw this speech, I grabbed a fresh cup of coffee and sat down to read it. It was the message I wanted to deliver to…

A few years ago, I was invited to do a charity trip to Nepal with five other women and trek to basecamp on Annapurna.  Eight days trekking up to an elevation of 13,550 feet and five days back down.

Those of you who know me know I was born and raised in the city of Chicago where it is pretty flat there and in the surrounding area for mile after mile. Also, if you know me, I have never been a big hiker. Yes, I enjoy getting out in nature and walking leisurely on trails and stopping along the way …

‘Tis the season! Yes, it is here and it seems to have arrived ever so quickly.  As I’m pondering what I want to create for my experience of this season, I realize I want to create this season to be one full of gratitude. 

Mirriam-Webster defines gratitude as simply the state of being grateful. The English Language Learners definition of gratitude is a feeling of appreciation or thanks. 

While researching the impacts of gratitude I ran across an article Giving thanks can make you happier by Har…

Twelve step programs use a great acronym that reminds one to check in when one feels like turning to the addictive behavior. It’s called H.A.L.T. "Am I hungry, angry, lonely, or tired right now?” It makes you stop in the middle of letting your emotions run high and think about how you are feeling and reacting to a situation.

• H: Hungry. Check in to be sure your body’s nutritional needs are met. I know this is critical for me. If I am not fed on a regular basis, I regularly become “Hangry.” I a…

I just completed my fourth year co-leading an 8-month Women in Leadership program. This cohort had twenty-four emerging and new leaders who completed the program. We cover self-awareness in the context of the doing and the being of leadership. Much is revealed over this program that changes the definition of what leaders are for these women.

The closing exercise in individual groups of 8 is to look back on their journey and look forward to their new journey being future leaders. We ask them to …

Some of our best lessons are learned by just listening to other’s stories.

Alex Borstein who plays the opinionated manager Susie Myerson on Amazon Prime’s "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel", won the Emmy this year for best supporting actress in a comedy series.

She dedicated her award to “the strength of a woman” and paid tribute to several women including her grandmother.

She said “to my grandmother, Nudgy, (they) are immigrants, they are Holocaust survivors. My grandmother turned to a guard. She w…

Have you ever met a person for the first time and knew immediately, even before a ‘hello’ was spoken, you would become friends? I felt that way about Hanna Fitsner whom I met in Lake Como, Italy, where I attended a Bliss Champion retreat.

My last blog, “How to Find Happiness via One Italian’s Advice” was based on a conversation I had with her husband Pietro. Together they own Best Como Real Estate and sell and rent properties around beautiful Lake Como. 

On our first amazingly clear, warm morn…

I recently returned from a week long trip to Lake Como in Italy. Paradiso. I’ve been contemplating the meaning of happiness and went on a Bliss Champions retreat there to dig deeper into what brings me bliss and how I can intentionally create more in my life.  

While there we ate most of our meals at the Villa we were staying at but a few times went out for an amazing Italian meal. Is there any other kind but amazing? 

One evening I was driving to dinner with Pietro, the husband of the woman I…