Humanity: Reflections from a Grieving Mother and Executive Coach
I’m writing this on January 25, 2026. Tomorrow marks 15 years since my first-born son, Connor “Peanut,” passed away in his sleep. January 26, 2011. There is no cause of death – SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood). When I first began writing this article, I had just started watching HBO’s hospital drama series […]
Courageous Challenge
(Author’s note: I am a coach of leaders and executives. As a result, this article speaks directly to individuals who hold positions of influence within their companies. People who, in stepping into a leadership role, have signed on to exhibit leadership of high integrity and moral courage. However, the message and sentiment is applicable to […]
Fear vs. Love: What Drives You?
“You didn’t want to make things perfect. You just hated things the way they were.” – Rocket Raccoon, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Last weekend, I rewatched Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3—for the tenth time, if I’m being honest. I adore the Marvel Universe for three big reasons: It’s fun and […]
How Strong Is Your Leadership Tent?
“What is my value as a leader? How do I know if I’m adding value if I’m not in the day-to-day work?” These are consistent, persistent questions I hear from the leaders and executives I coach. And one of my favorite questions to ask in response is, “Have you asked your team? Your clients […]
Why It’s Critical to Develop Good Leaders (Yes, Now!)
The majority of my professional life has been spent deeply invested in some aspect of leadership development. Whether it be talent strategy, succession planning, high potential development, leadership consulting or executive coaching, there has been one fixed point – developing strong, value-based leaders. It inspired the named of my coaching company, True North. I […]
Fix Your Focus, Stop The Spin
Flood the zone. Shock. Awe. Overwhelm. Information overload. These are all terms I’ve heard used recently to describe the general climate of the world – particularly the United States – over the last month. The mood that’s been created can be quite dizzying, if you allow yourself to get caught in the spin. Because […]
Intention
Recently, as I was wrapping up a coaching engagement with a senior leader, we discussed his biggest takeaways from executive coaching. After some thought, he shared it was, without a doubt, learning to “be intentional.” He expanded that it was intentionality in all areas of his life, not just work. To understand how interconnected all […]
Honor Your Grief During the Holidays
As an executive coach, I try not to offer my advice too often. I make an exception when it comes to grief. Why? Because I have more personal experience in this space than I would like, and have learned a lot of good, hard lessons along the journey. Also, because traditional Western societies are terrible […]
Curate Kindness to Cultivate Compassion
“Neurologists suggest that each time you choose not to act on your anger, you’re rewiring your brain to become calmer and more compassionate.” Here in the United States, we finally crossed the finish line after a very divisive election season. No matter how you feel about the results, it is time to breathe a […]
If Not Now, Then When? If Not You, Then Who?
The above questions have been rolling around in my head non-stop for the last two weeks, ever since an image of wall graffiti with these same questions caught my attention. It moved me to my core. “Why is this so powerful?” I wondered, until the following day when I heard myself ask these same questions […]