When do you default to your old habits? I’m thinking about this today as I recommit to budgeting, and meal planning, and generally being more intentional. All the tools I need to be good at this stuff are literally at my fingertips—apps, information, lots of ways to monitor and measure. But the driver of all … Read more

Our faces are our billboards to the world. They are telling the people around us how we’re feeling, whether it’s okay to approach us, what kind of person we are. What is your face doing when you’re not keeping an eye on it?

I know. I do, too. But you know what I hate more? Feeling unprepared. Forgetting what I wanted to say. The clammy feel of my palms sweating as I realize I’m not sure I checked my slides after the last time I used them to make sure they’re updated with this client’s info. I practice … Read more

I’ve been reading and working through a revolutionary book. It’s not Karl Marx or Tim Ferriss or the latest by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s “Become a Supple Leopard,” by Dr. Kelly Starrett. Starrett is a physical therapist and trainer, and he started out as an athlete himself, paddling for the US canoeing and kayaking teams. … Read more

We all know that weddings are big business. What they also are is a fascinating place to learn about other people. In the last couple of decades, wedding planning has begun taking an a la carte approach. The couple notices what they’ve experienced at other weddings, they incorporate some parts and leave others out. Many … Read more

Do. Not. Memorize It. I’m serious. My colleague Neela describes the phenomenon of watching someone deliver a speech from rote memory as being like they are reading it from a ticker tape right in front of their eyes—they aren’t connecting with the audience because their brain space and focus are all taken up with remembering … Read more

There is only one person who cares what you do with your hands when you are making a presentation. You. And you shouldn’t care, either. Here’s the thing—if you are connecting with the audience, they don’t care. If you have carefully considered what you want them to get from your presentation, it doesn’t matter what … Read more

Did you ever have one of those days? A lot to do, a lot that I’m excited about, and it’s all making me move a little too fast. I can’t even type without tripping over my fingers. What if, and stay with me here, the power of our great work is in slowing down? What … Read more

I was in a tiny, rural diner yesterday. Next to my table were a man and woman, maybe in their 60s. The table was at right angles to mine, so I could see the woman’s face, and hear her clearly. Here is what she said: I am so lonely. You travel so much, and I … Read more

When you have to do something you don’t want to do, how do you talk to yourself about it? “I guess I’ll get it over with.” “This isn’t fair.” “I’ll probably screw this up.” “There are a million reasons I shouldn’t have to do this.” “What am I going to get out of this?” “I’m … Read more