I had a professor in college say, “Sometimes you have to go away to get close.” I don’t even remember the context. He was Welsh, and known for being so engaged in his teaching of British and Russian history that you didn’t want to sit in the front row, because he’d surely spit on you…

We tend to get a little confused about anger, and how to express–or not express–it. While delivering a workshop recently for a group of healthcare leaders, a participant asked my business partner and me, “Is it ever okay to be angry in the workplace?” This led to a rather spicy conversation which led us completely…

“Moooooommmmmyyyyyyy!” my daughter, Sierra, 6, shouts from the opposing end of our one-story rambler as she prepares for school–having already devoured her overly sweetened oatmeal (we’ll work on that habit later). 1,2,3, I count, holding my breath as I wait…No answer from Mommy, I tell myself (intentionally, because as I tell the kids, “I’m not…

Two and a half years ago while high on hot dogs at a minor league baseball game with a large group of friends and our kids, a girlfriend challenged me to sign up for a half marathon. It seemed like a great idea at the time (despite the fact that I’d never run more than…

Last night, my six-year-old, Sierra, and I were having “Mommy time.” Usually, we read a book about mice or foxes, but last night, she wanted to play dolls. We headed to her over-sized dollhouse (frugal me thought it could be a bookshelf later), and I picked up the first doll I could find–which was a…

I’ve been an entrepreneur for almost as long as I’ve been filing my own taxes. When I was 23 years old and practically forced into starting an advertising business, my friends looked at me like I was a goddess. I could work whenever the mood struck, drink pitch black coffee in my orange fleece pajamas,…

My business partner and I once experienced a “win” we weren’t sure would ever come. We had complete buy-in from our potential client, wrote a slam dunk proposal, and heard nothing but great feedback from his team. In fact, we had a pending schedule for the whole roll-out. Then, we heard nothing. Then, we heard…

Have you ever noticed how early on in a romantic relationship, your partner can do no wrong, and seems to be “just like you.” He may be a Harley-riding, hog-raising, gun activist while you reside in a vegetarian hippie commune raising soybeans and making hemp underwear, but somehow you rationalize that you’ve never met anyone…