When you’re part of the minority at work, it can feel that you have to continually code-switch to get ahead. Code-switching may be a necessity to adapt to the majority way of working in order to be recognized and rewarded. The term originally comes from a linguistics perspective of having…

It was Boxing Day, a day for family, but the swell and tide made it perfect conditions to surf a secret spot along the Pacific coast south of San Francisco. I hadn’t been able to make the last outing and had been envious of my friends’ stories of the long…

Aka… how I threw out habits from a decade of keynote speaking in preparation for my second TEDx talk “The woman on the stage is weaving wonder, not witchcraft. But her skills are as potent as any sorcery.” —Chris Anderson, TED Curator, “TED Talks: The Official TED Guide to Public…

This piece is excerpted from my book, Make Space to Lead. The first time that I was fired, my “amazing leader who could hold it all together” façade was shattered. From 2006–2013, I worked for consulting firms that supported other companies. My last consulting job was for a Seattle-based development…

With homage to a Cherokee legend of the black wolf and the white wolf We often think about big goals—to take the company public, to get a C-suite title, to keynote at the leading industry conference. These are important. They are big sweeping visions that shape the direction of our…

Take a moment and think back to the last big event in your life. It might have been leading an important presentation, sharing big ideas on a conference stage, running a workshop, or holding space for a vision-setting planning session. It might have been making a toast at a wedding…

How do you know if you’re experiencing an extreme, unsustainable level of burnout, stress, and stuckness or if it’s simply an unavoidable part of modern professional life? It can be hard to tell and I’m sharing some questions that might help you figure it out. I’m also sharing experiments &…

The best manager I ever had gave me this feedback in my performance review: “The theme of occasional unnecessary drama is one that came through in your feedback that resonates... You have an amazing resilience that I’ve seen in action. Using this to provide stability to situations will help you…

Do you often wish that you could have a seat at the leadership table and listen to or be a part of the important conversations? That you’re missing out on something crucial because you’re lacking that seat. It reminds me of the Hamilton song where Aaron Burr craves being in…