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Overcome Overwhelm: It’s all Just Practice

You know that feeling—that tightness in your chest, the rush of adrenaline, the heat creeping up your neck. Your heart pounds. Your stomach turns. It’s that moment when something big is on the line.

Maybe it’s a high-stakes conversation with your boss. A job interview. A tough negotiation. An audition. A difficult talk you’ve been putting off. Whatever it is, your body reacts before your mind can catch up.

Funny thing is, that feeling? It’s the same whether you’re terrified of failing or thrilled with anticipation. The butterflies before a nerve-wracking presentation aren’t so different from the ones you get before stepping on stage to perform or meeting someone who makes your heart race.

Why? Because deep down, you care.

Find Your Eiffel Tower: A Lesson in Perseverance and Bold Choices

Years ago, I was a 20-year-old art student standing in a chaotic train station in Rome, desperate to see Paris. My friend and I strategized as best we could—there was a train strike, and the route to Paris was blocked. The furthest we could get was Milan, and from there… who knew? Frustrated, my friend threw in the towel and headed back to our apartment.
But I couldn’t let it go. Paris was calling.
Armed with $200, blind hope, and zero backup plan, I boarded a train to Milan.

After a whirlwind trip, every hunger pang, every aching blister, and every moment of uncertainty was worth it.

Find Your Eiffel Tower.

3 Ways to Direct Your Energy to Get What You Want

If you want to get ahead in your career, stop protecting your energy.

Gasp! Clutch your pearls! But we must protect our energy! I’m going to challenge this. Stay with me, new-agey mindful peeps. Breathe.

In recent years, we have been told to protect our energy. Social media clung to this notion with fervor and sold us (women especially) all kinds of products in the name of “self-care”. Excuse me while I secretly buy another miracle face mask from the Dead Sea of Immortal Fairy Tears.

But in all seriousness, after an era of exhausted working mothers, young women entering the workforce are being careful not to fall into the traps of previous generations.

Pumping Up Your Tires

Mornings are getting colder here in Virginia. I even noticed some frost on the grass. Just last week when I started my car, the familiar low-pressure tire symbol appeared on my dashboard. As the air gets colder, our tires need a little extra air. This was no big deal. I planned to go to my nearest gas station and add a few pounds to the tires.

At the first gas station, the air pump was out of order. No big deal, I’d visit the Wawa near my kids’ school after the morning drop-off. The air pump is free at Wawa. When I got there, there was a long line of cars waiting for free air. No big deal. My tires weren’t flat, it was just a result of the colder air. I could ride on them a little longer. I would find another gas station.

Next, I visited the gas station near my office, confident that every gas station has an air pump. I was wrong. Strike three.

At this point, frustration would be a natural reaction. I simply could not find a place to pump up my tires. However, I found it quite amusing.

Do You Deserve a Raise?

It’s that time of year! It’s time for bonuses and annual raises. There’s lots of advice flying around about how to negotiate your next raise or promotion. I’m going to share with you a slightly different take on how to approach the most wonderful time of the year.
When I was younger I followed the common advice about raises and listed all of my accomplishments and extra effort that I put in throughout the year. I kept a log of my workload and demonstrated to my boss how I was exceeding expectations. But this didn’t work. I received a pat on the back and the standard cost-of-living raise. The truth was, my employer was never intending to give me anything more than that, no matter how good I was at my job. The reason was twofold.

How Do You Know It’s a Strip Club?

An awkward conversation with my 15-year-old

I was driving my daughter to ballet one afternoon and took a different route than usual. We drove by a plain, beige building with a single black awning over the front door with block letters that read The Kat. The lack of descriptors on the building piqued my teenage daughter’s interest.

She asked innocently, “What’s The Kat?” I cringed because I knew exactly what it was.

Spiders Under Your Bed…and other things that prevent you from being braver

It was 5:50am. I listened to the yoga instructor’s soft voice coming through my iPhone as I laid my forehead onto the sweaty mat. I’m not a great yogi, but I enjoy a nice morning routine in solitude with my yoga app. I had done this routine dozens of times in my bedroom before the kids woke up. With my forehead on the mat, I looked to my right towards my bed. Then I saw it. There was a shadow that looked like a large spider under my bed. I continued to follow the instruction and rose up into the next pose. But on the flow back down to my forehead, I saw it again. This time I stopped listening to the yoga instructor. I jumped up! I hate spiders. Especially free-roaming giant spiders in my house and under my bed.

We all have creepy crawly shadows of spiders under our beds. In reality, these menacing creatures are old beliefs collecting dust…

Empowering Women to Take Ownership of Their Careers

It had been less than one month since I’d started a new position with a new company. It didn’t take long for me to realize it was a poor fit. My expectations of the position did not align with the expectations of the owner. Our leadership styles clashed. Big time. So, after less than 3 weeks, I requested a meeting with Darrell. I sat across from him at his desk both nervous and excited for a change.

Even though I was angry with Darrell and the way he’d interacted with me, I had to take ownership of my decisions.

BLog

Overcome Overwhelm: It’s all Just Practice

Find Your Eiffel Tower: A Lesson in Perseverance and Bold Choices

3 Ways to Direct Your Energy to Get What You Want

Pumping Up Your Tires

Do You Deserve a Raise?

How Do You Know It’s a Strip Club?

Spiders Under Your Bed…and other things that prevent you from being braver

Empowering Women to Take Ownership of Their Careers

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