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The Whipp is a variety of things — it's the whipped cream on top of your hot chocolate. It's that delicious layer of foam on top of your latte. It’s also my Wednesday newsletter, where I'll share wisdom, humour and insights for professional peeps.

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The Whipp

I feel blessed to have worked with thousands (yes, thousands) of amazing professionals and I’ve been thinking about how to connect more. Which is why I chose to create The Whipp — my newsletter. You’ll get nuggets of wisdom, a couple of laughs and insights (like the ones below) right in your inbox.

The power of an ‘aha moment’

Whether you’ve been a Whipp subscriber for years or are new to our community, there’s a good chance you’ve heard me talk about the power of an “aha moment.” Those moments of sudden realization, when a challenge we were facing finally makes sense, are priceless. Something finally clicks and a new insight shifts our perspective. … Continued

When feedback is a setback…

No matter where you sit in the corporate hierarchy, there is one experience that is universal: Feedback. Feedback is critical as it provides valuable insights, uncovers blind spots, and helps professionals improve their skills and performance.  And while everyone has been (or still is) on the receiving end of feedback, you may also be responsible … Continued

How loving your people helps deliver their best

Until we meet again, Mr. P. Last week, I got the sad news that my beloved high school choir teacher passed away. Now you may not think that this news could (or should) rattle someone who’s been out of high school for more than 20 years. But it has. And that’s because Mr. P was … Continued

Woman speaking in front of large auditorium

How to save hours when preparing for a presentation

Do you get nervous before a big presentation? If you’re like me, you do–but as someone who’s also built a career on coaching large groups of people, I’ve had to get real comfortable with that anxiety. In fact, I had to figure out a way to reduce it.  Recently, I was asked to speak in … Continued

Professional woman looking bored in a meeting

More meetings that matter

If you work in any sort of professional  environment, you’ve likely experienced “meeting culture.” It’s one of the worst practices we’ve picked up–one that was likely exacerbated during the pandemic when meetings were the only form of (virtual) connection with colleagues. But now that that whole thing is behind us, I believe it’s high time … Continued

The five-minute rule

Five minutes. Three hundred seconds. That’s how long you have to make sure your voice is heard in group meetings. It’s what I’ve nicknamed the five-minute rule. But before we get into it, let me explain where it came from. I have quite a few clients who I would classify as extremely introverted. These are … Continued

The great expectations gap

How many questions do you think you ask in a day? Between my clients, my kids, and my husband, there’s no doubt that I ask hundreds. And sometimes, I believe we ask questions without really considering the possible responses. Let me give you an example: We’re having some work done to our house, and we’re … Continued

3D glasses sitting on a white keyboard on a white desk.

Let’s see leadership in 3D

I spend a lot of time thinking (and talking!) about the best bosses ever. Not only is it the concept behind my podcast, but it’s also one of the most popular programs my company, Leader in Motion, runs with our corporate clients. Why? Because employees don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. For a … Continued

Tipping the scales on worthiness

Has something ever rattled your confidence? Because you’re human, the answer is likely yes. But the real question is whether that “something” was rationally or irrationally linked to your insecurities.   I woke up one morning (ironically it was International Women’s Day) and marched into the bathroom and stepped on the scale. I glance at the … Continued

Who was your role model when it came to having fun?

In my last blog Can making more money make you feel poorer?, I challenged all of us to consider the relationship between making more money and being time-poor. Interestingly, I had several people reach out to comment on this topic. It turned into a meaty conversation with a client the other day. Jane, her name changed … Continued

Can making more money make you feel poorer?

What does it mean to be wealthy vs. poor? As most of us grow up and develop, there’s usually one answer modeled for all of us: Money. While it’s true that acquiring money is a form of wealth that correlates to success for so many of us. In this week’s piece, I challenge us to … Continued

The benefits of an icy cold plunge into discomfort

A week ago, I had a very interesting experience.  I decided to sneak away from the office on a Wednesday afternoon and play hooky with a great friend of mine. We went to this gorgeous outdoor Scandinavian spa with hot and cold pools, a steam room, a sauna, and the usual promise of blissful escapism. … Continued

The Mechanics of Motivation

Last week, I read a quote that reminded me why I quit career coaching almost as fast as I started career coaching:  “If you wait until you’re motivated, you’ve already lost.”   The piece goes on to highlight some examples, like “Surgeons don’t always feel like doing surgery. Teachers don’t always feel like teaching. Parents don’t always … Continued

Sometimes we already have what we are looking for

What if you already had exactly what you were looking for? When most of us think about the new year, we think about what we want compared to what we have. We want more success, prosperous relationships, money, travel, quality time with family, or more JOY!  More joy, right? Who doesn’t want more joy? But as … Continued

Do we need mirrors?

“Why can’t I just do this stuff at home” is what I thought after an obscene amount of jumping jacks and skipping rope. Last week, I was in a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout class at 6:30 am. Now, to get there, I had to shovel my car out of seemingly endless snow, which, to … Continued

The double “Lean In” Conundrum

I am starting to see a new trend of burnout in both professional men and women. And no one is talking about it.  Women are delaying motherhood and investing heavily in their careers: Professional and relational landscapes for men and women, specifically couples, have changed in the past few decades. As a result, so have … Continued

Performance review musings

For most professionals, this is the time of the year when they receive career-defining feedback to set the tone, expectations, and goals for the following year. In my career, I have received good and not-so-good performance reviews. However, over the years, I have experienced and heard of some that suggest performance reviews are unnecessarily ineffective … Continued

Petrified to present?

Which of these two people do you recognize?  One: the breezy, charismatic speaker, the one who makes audiences want to lean in and learn, the person who captivates and excites.  The other one: dry, shy, possibly withdrawn. This is the one who reads their presentation word for word, clears their throat 18 times in as … Continued

Tough decisions about indecision

In most professions, you’re paid, depended upon, and expected to make decisions. You’re required to know the risks, consider the facts, and deliberate between options.   Sometimes – you make it look easy. And if you’ve been in leadership for more than a moment, some of what others may consider the most challenging decisions to make … Continued

Is there a connection between business and the wild?

Is there a connection between business and the wild? There is. Consider that the wilderness environment – like business – can be unforgiving, challenging, dynamic, unpredictable, perplexing, and vast.  In the wild, just as in business, we must be able to conserve our energy and state of mind, take the lead from the rising and … Continued

How one moment of deep embarrassment helped me say yes to life

On International Women’s Day, I headed out with three incredible women I know to a local business event. It felt great to get out with friends after weeks of omicron keeping most people home.  As I caught up with one friend, she shared her excitement as she was planning a retreat in Costa Rica in … Continued

Don’t give me assignments

When I think of leadership, I think of how much a great boss can make the work experience fantastic and even give your personal life a lift. By contrast, a lousy boss can make life feel miserable.  Even for myself, I think of one of the first bosses I had when I was an intern … Continued

How to dial up more fun this summer

Last summer I was listening to another podcast by Glennon Doyle and had another ah-ha moment worth sharing. Before diving into the meat, let me start by explaining my values from a young age. I remember believing I could be anything I wanted to be when I grew up (thanks, mom). I also remember thinking … Continued

Can I ask you a strange question?

Last week, my husband and I visited a new local food shop in our area. We were standing there looking at the menu when the man behind the counter said, “Excuse me, sir, can I ask you a strange question?”  Both of us were a bit startled. My husband agreed, and the man proceeded to … Continued

Making time to feel something is doing something…

Friday, after my morning shower, I walked out of the bathroom to my husband standing in the doorway waiting for me. Although he rarely cries, his eyes looked full of pain. He said, “did you hear…. baby… text… did you…” Although he never got the words out, my brain started to slowly knit the pieces … Continued

Wild

A lesson in leadership from the wild

Leadership in the wild is very different from the leadership we see or experience in corporate life.   After my podcast interview with Jeff Barrett, the Founder of Blue Mountain Wild school, I was giddy. I was excited because it made me think of leadership differently and with a fresh perspective. Let’s consider the stark contrast … Continued

Is this a feeling or an opinion… and why it matters.

You call a friend on the phone to ask how they are doing, and they say, “Uh, Oh, I’m so busy…..,” They identify with being stressed and busy. But I always wonder if under the veil of “I’m so busy,” they are trying to communicate how they are feeling. Early in my career, I can … Continued

Do you get paid for your time or your value?

I recently had a challenging but thought-provoking experience with an interior designer. I had this renovation project I wanted to do, and I quickly realized I lack creative thinking around interior design. So, I found a referral for an interior designer. Shortly after I paid the retainer, I began getting invoiced by the hour or … Continued

3 Types of Runners and how they get work done differently

I recently spoke with a client who shared a challenge she had with her VP. From her perspective, it seemed like he lacked a sense of urgency at the right time. He leads a team of leaders who are all managing multiple complex projects that, in the end, are interdependent for the final product to … Continued

A fresh approach to making big life and career decisions

I’m coaching a client who has reached an excellent level of success in his career. And he called me to sit down and talk through his decision-making process around what he wants to do next. Some of his thoughts:   “Hey, you know, if I, if I work really hard, I could potentially take on this … Continued

“Mommy, I’m sad.”

“Mommy, I’m sad.” Me: “Honey, why do you feel sad?” Him: “Just because… I just can’t make my body feel happy.”  This was a conversation I had with my son Xander numerous times over the past 24 months. The pandemic began just as he turned two years old. It seemed that within just a few … Continued

What do you do when you can’t handle the life you’ve created and you just wish you had more time.

From the outside, your life looks successful. But inside you’re overwhelmed and exhausted. The harder you try to juggle it all, the more burned out you feel, and your attempts to manage it all are not working.

Everyone has a finite amount of emotional real estate to process decisions, change, drama, baggage, and relationships. Too Busy to Be Happy reveals how you can make conscious choices about what you allow to occupy it, and how to defend those choices against the inherent impulse to do it all. With eight practical tools for dealing with the challenges you encounter every day, Christine Laperriere teaches you how to reclaim and boost your energy and work-life wisdom.

It is possible to be successful and sane – to be busy and happy. Too Busy to Be Happy shows you how.

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Want to build a strong team in your company?

At Leader In Motion, author Christine Laperriere takes a fresh approach to engage with your leaders to transform productivity, improve culture, and retain talent across your organization. She delivers a proven, implementation-based methodology that helps your leaders raise their game and improve their personal performance to ultimately drive positive change across your organization.

Learn more at Leader In Motion