Female Firebrands Author Mikaela Kiner once asked me, "Why are you so authentic?" "What does that even mean?" I responded. She rephrased, "How did you get so comfortable being you?" I responded flippantly, "Well, who else would I be?" But deep down, I knew exactly what she meant. I had spent a lot of time pretending not to be myself earlier in life, at…
Recently, we hosted brunch, and someone asked how, after living in Austin for only six months, were we able to throw our first annual ‘Naughty or Nice’ holiday party and have 40 curated guests show up. It comes down to masterful networking. I arrived in Austin, with two goals: To become part of the business community and to make friends. Before Austin, we’d…
Two causes: Hypothermia temperatures last month and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. Effect: Nothing better to do than pour a glass of wine, and reflect the shit out of 2022. So I lit enough candles to burn the house down and disavowed the need to meet anyone's expectations over the holidays (or any time, really.) First question: Did I like Knives Out 2?…
Developing Executive Presence Executive presence is the collection of skills and traits that allows leaders to lead others in order to become successful. It is intuitive and can be difficult to pin down, but you will know it once you see it or feel it. This is a main focus of my executive coaching practice. And what I'm seeing in remote work environments and…
Typically, I do heavy reflection and goal setting in Sept, during the Jewish high holidays, but at that time this year, I felt uninspired. #2020Sucks. So, instead, I chose the Winter Solstice to set my goals into rapid action. Raj (husband) and I created this Goals for Success Ritual - that went like this: 1. Think and Write your goals down at some point…
Brad Smith is an "un-complicator." Every day, he faces the quicksand of complexity that emanates from being the President and Chief Legal Officer of the small country called Microsoft. From championing a Digital Geneva Convention to conveying his personal conviction and Microsoft’s stance on immigration, what I found most startling about Brad is that he deals daily with hard, thorny issues, yet he does…
I was meeting with a young leader interested in executive coaching. Halfway through the conversation, he told me I reminded him of the performance coach on Billions, the Showtime drama starring Paul Giamatti, Damian Lewis and Maggie Siff. I hadn’t heard of the show, so the comment meant nothing until I watched it. When I did, I wasn’t sure if I should feel flattered…
You say your dad was tough on you? You felt like nothing you did was ever good enough? Or your mom was a tiger, before "Tiger Moms" were a thing? And look at you now. You succeed at whatever you set your mind to: being the CEO of something major, an exceptional athlete or a mastered musician. In a lot of peoples' minds, there’s…
When I speak about leadership, I am often asked who my favorite leaders are. The smart people would skirt the question, but I don’t. The reality is, I have several favorite leaders for different reasons. Currently, I’m leadership-crushing on Raj Singh, because he truly is one of the most authentic people I know. So it was no surprise that when I posed the question…
When I talked to Daryl, a lot stood out. Something that stuck with me was the creative logic that came about when he and his friends were naming their boy band. One day, they were down at the marina and they saw a boat. “There were four guys, and the name of a boat was Forvus.” And that became their name. #MoreCleverThanOneDirection Daryl Campbell joined…
When combined, my cat’s collective name is Satan. I didn’t plan it that way. I named them Matan and Sinclair, and a college kid I mentored coined the name. I tell you this because, today’s post is about a guy who started a company to help cats like Satan (and dogs). Darryl Rawlings has a passion for pets, (get the tissue before you read…
