If you’re like me, when you arrive upon this time of year, you’re a bit surprised. The year feels like it zipped by, and we were just ringing in the last New Year. This is one reason I do a year-end reflection each year.  And I encourage you to do the same because without reflection you’ll miss some really big opportunities. According to Harvard Business School, reflection results in learning more effectively, which increases productivity and builds one’s confidence in achieving a goal. Without taking the time to reflect on the last 12 months, you’ll also lose important moments to

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is customary during this time to express thanks and gratitude. It’s supposed to be the season of love and happiness. But in reality, too often it’s the season of guilt, due to unmet expectations. Evolutionary psychologists argue that guilt is supposed to help you navigate the social world and maintain interpersonal relationships. It’s supposed to help moderate your behavior and make sure that you don’t hurt, embarrass, destabilize, or dehumanize yourself or others. The reality is, guilt has turned into something much more toxic than a tool to get along, especially for women. I have a

When I was little, my mother used to tell me, “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” In my teenage years, she declared, “You’d be perfect if you didn’t have a mouth.” My mother meant well. She was trying to raise a daughter that would be easily accepted into society —someone to be seen (and even better, seen as pretty) but not heard (unless saying something pleasant). And in many ways, it worked. As a balance, I also had a dash of my father’s rebelliousness, which resulted in heartache for my mother and me.

So, you want to feel cool as a cucumber under pressure, confident and poised when speaking in front of your senior leadership team (or any group), and project subject-matter expertise. This is what it means to have ‘Executive Presence’, which is essentially the ability to inspire confidence in those around you. When you have it, your team says, “I want to follow her!” Your peers trust you and think, “She’s the go-to person!” And your leaders think, “She’s definitely the next up and coming leader.” They might even think you can take their job, but in a good way. Executive

You were fired. Maybe you deserved it and maybe you didn’t. Regardless of the circumstances, it’s a horrible feeling. And you are not alone. Even if leaving the job is a huge blessing in disguise (and it often is, so congratulations!), there is a mixed bag of emotions that can range from relief (good riddance!), to fear, embarrassment, anger, anxiety, and maybe pure exhaustion. All of these feelings are normal, even if they all show up at the same time. To successfully navigate this experience, your emotional state takes priority. As part of that, you may be wondering, “What the