Dessert First: Part Four (of Six) Part One: New view, new you: The power of a workation Part Two: Dessert first: Putting fun before function Part Three: How to build a strong community In my first book, Too Busy to be Happy, I focused on what can happen to us mentally when we let certain … Continued

Dessert First: Part Three (of Six) Part One: New view, new you: The power of a workation Part Two: Dessert first: Putting fun before function By now, you probably know that I spent 12 weeks in Greece this year with 22 other families. It was a life-changing experience, and part of that was thanks to … Continued

Dessert First: Part Two (of Six) Read Part One: New view, new you: The power of a workation What would happen if we turned our days inside out? Or upside down? If you read Part One of my series on living abroad, you’ll know that I’ve coined the way life felt in Greece as “Dessert-First … Continued

Dessert First: Part One (of Six) This past April, I took a leap of faith. Or rather, a leap of fortune. I packed up my family and my business, Leader in Motion, and traveled almost 5,000 miles to Syros, Greece. For a little background, my husband is Greek and I’m American—and we’ve lived away from … Continued

You can tell a lot about a boss from how they react when you give your notice of resignation. I’d argue it says even more than when you start a new role. While saying goodbye to your top talent is never easy, I’ve noticed time and time again that standout leaders have the ability to … Continued

Is there anything worse than having to beg for recognition? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve run into this issue with coaching clients and within organizations. It comes in many forms: Star performers who aren’t being compensated fairly or who deserve a pay increase but haven’t gotten one; employees who are clearly ready … Continued

Ever had that awkward moment when someone lets you know that you have broccoli between your teeth? It’s not the most comfortable experience–and for a moment, you’re likely going to feel very embarrassed–but deep down, you know they did you a huge favor.  This is a perfect metaphor for a critical concept in leadership: giving … Continued

As someone who’s spent the better part of her career on coaching and leadership training, you know that effective leadership is important to me. I know what a difference high-quality leadership can make when it comes to a business’s overall success. So a few weeks ago, when one of my clients approached me with challenges … Continued

If you’ve been paying attention to the Best Boss Ever podcast, you know that there are a few topics that come up regularly–and one of them is confidence. So often, when talking to guests about their “best boss ever,” we end up touching on the way that boss enhanced my guests’ confidence. This is just … Continued

As many of you know, I’ve been hard at work on my second book and it’s brought up a lot of memories. It’s also made me take a hard look at what brought me to this place in my career, and why I’ve had such a strong focus on creating more “best bosses” as part … Continued

We so often hear that life is all about balance, and while in many ways that’s true, I think the term work-life balance has led us astray. Because at the end of the day, it isn’t really about “balance”—it’s not always going to be 50/50 when it comes to work and personal life. It’s not … Continued

It seems no matter what we do, stress is an inevitable part of life. And this is especially true when it comes to work. Whether you’re stressing about finances, promotions, deadlines or a difficult colleague, there always seems to be something in the workplace that adds to our woes.  And sometimes, that difficult colleague is … Continued

It’s a good question, isn’t it?  Status is one of those things that we don’t actively think about, but it’s ingrained in our society and more specifically, corporate culture.  By nature, when you get the bigger title, the bigger job, the higher salary, the better office, there is an assumption that you’ve now elevated your … Continued

In episode 55 of my podcast, Best Boss Ever, Jon Cogan shared his experience with his “worst boss ever”—a leader who epitomized the antithesis of ideal leadership qualities. This particular boss was notorious for deflecting blame and hoarding credit, a behavior pattern that demoralized the team and eroded trust. It highlighted the frustration and disillusionment … Continued

In today’s fast-paced, ever-evolving world, thinking of leadership as a one-stop destination is like expecting your smartphone to never need an update—it’s pretty unrealistic. For years, I’ve been asking leaders to think of leadership as a practice, much like a legal practice or a yoga practice; one that’s focused on growth and adaptation rather than … Continued

In today’s world, your personal brand is more important than ever. I talk about this a lot with high-potential leaders, because how you’re seen by those around you greatly influences the way people respond to you. It’s a piece of the leadership puzzle that we don’t often think about, but it’s so important to your … Continued

The world is changing. The days of employees spending 30+ years at one company are over. And the same way employees are showing less and less loyalty to their employer, employers are showing less and less loyalty to their employees. “Mass layoffs” is a term heard ‘round the world, and it seems to be affecting … Continued

For better or for worse, you likely attribute a number of traits to one (or both!) of your parents. The way you look, the way you talk, and the way you think can all be traced back to your genetic makeup and formative experiences in childhood.  But there’s one area of your adult life that … Continued

Can you be a leader if you “officially” have nobody to lead? That’s a question that’s come up quite a few times recently. For example, I’m a solopreneur. While I have a number of adjacent businesses and contractors I work with to execute various areas of my business, I don’t have a team that directly … Continued

I’ve been traveling a lot for work lately, and last week, I had the privilege of staying in a gorgeous hotel. However, when I woke up for my day of meetings, I realized there was no hot water. I tried and tried again, finally giving up and resigning myself to an ice-cold shower. (So much … Continued

When you write a book called Too Busy to be Happy, it’s only natural for clients to ask about said busyness. How can they reserve more emotional real estate for their personal lives? How can they get ahead professionally without consistently giving up their free time? Is it necessary to always go “above and beyond” … Continued

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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