Gutsy Women Win

For the longest time, I would say “yes” to just about everything. I wanted to be seen as a collaborator, supporter, and making things easier for others, putting myself second. I was slow to realize that for everything I said "yes" to, I would be saying "no" to something else. That started me thinking about what it is I was saying "no" to, and found  it was much more effective for me to say "no" to things to make the space to fully say "yes" to those things I really, really wanted. 

I ran across…

Once, after giving a presentation, I was thanked for my vulnerability. No one had ever told me this before and in reflecting on her comment I realized I was not being vulnerable, I was simply being authentic.

“Because at the end of the day, we want nothing more in life than to be ourselves. That’s the feeling we’re all chasing: that simple, awesome joy that comes from not having to pretend to be something we’re not. We call that feeling ‘authenticity.’” – Jordan Harbinger

At times, it is n…

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any. ~ Alice Walker

Have you ever had someone say something to you that shook your world and made you feel worth less than what you believed you were worth? Well, I have and here’s what I did about it.

Early in my career, I was working in business at an international company. It was January, the dreaded “Personnel Management Performance Review” time. I walked into my boss’ office, and sat at the round table where…

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength, mastering yourself is true power.” – Lao-Tzu

In my work, I talk about power. Power in living authentically, power in using your voice, stepping into your power, and even using power poses. But what does power mean? Sometimes when I mention power, people will say, “Oh no, I don’t want to be powerful.” And when we dig a little deeper I find a lot of people are afraid of power because they have the …

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin

Yes. I confess. I am a life long over preparer. I am one of those individuals who prepares excessively. I have a fear of being seen as someone who doesn’t know her stuff. And I carry with me a performance mentality where I have a need to be seen as an expert in my field.

The source of this is that I don’t want that experience I had as a kid when I was laughed at or made fun of because I said the wrong thing or made a mi…

"Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
~ Mark Twain

I once told someone this was my favorite quote. Finding it again brought up the many reasons I love it. All during my life, I have encountered people who were nay-sayers and tried to belittle my ambitions. There was a time when I truly believed those who told me: "You can't do that!"; "That's too big for you to do."; "Who d…

"If we would only give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want to get out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two week's vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days." ~Dorothy Canfield Fisher

"Stop the World! I want to get off!" I screamed in the empty space in my car on the way home from a client. I pounded the steering wheel with my fisted hand. The highway (Pre-Covid) was stop and go, mostly sto…

"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…

“Mindfulness isn't difficult. We just need to remember to do it.” - Sharon Salzberg

These times are stressful for a lot of us. As I was writing this I began to list the many ways stress shows up, but  that in itself felt stressful, so I decided not to head in that direction.

Instead I thought I’d give you one simple technique I learned from WW I’ve been using with success. It relates to mindfulness, which in my mind keeps bringing me to the importance of staying present, being in the momen…

“You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” – Richard Branson

The worldwide ‘pause’ that Covid-19 has forced upon us has allowed me to have a lot of reflective time. I kept saying, “I am so amazed at how little I’ve accomplished with so much more time.” And then, I realized I have been very busy reflecting and taking a look at ‘What’s Next' as a lot of you might have been, too.

I picked up my book, Gutsy Women Win and read the following excerpt. I…