My journal prompt this morning was to write about a teacher and how I saw them as a child, then write about them as "the student of life I am today." So I wrote about Mrs. M. She was my French teacher. I thought she was chic, but she was also demanding of her students and quite intimidating. She pushed us to do difficult things, the hardest being the dreaded one-minute monologue she assigned quite regularly.

I worry that we obsess over the idea of being original and how important it is. We imagine artists, writers, and creative directors locked away in châteaux in the Cotswolds or the Berkshires in Massachusetts conceiving brilliant ideas never before seen or heard by another human.

I’ve been running a personal experiment lately. It has to do with trusting myself, and it comes with some risk, but if I start in lower-consequence situations, like small meetings or quick decisions, I can gradually build my confidence to handle higher-stakes situations.

This week, I broke two of my own rules in the same “classroom” on the same afternoon. I've spent the past two weeks working with Their Story is Our Story, an organization that elevates refugee voices through education, advocacy, and storytelling.

I just returned from vacation in Italy, and in the months leading up to my trip, I had attempted to teach myself Italian. I arrived thinking I had more skills than I actually had.

The CEO confidently strode into the boardroom … pause right there. What was the image you created in your mind as you read that sentence? What did the CEO look like? Was it a man? Or a woman?

Are you having difficulty getting your message out in the world?I don’t think you’re talking enough about the core problem you solve. Clearly explaining it can lead your audience to greater understanding and, therefore, more motivated to support your work.

In a red carpet interview at the Oscars, Tig Notaro introduced the documentary Come See Me in a Good Light in memory of poet Andrea Gibson.

Recent events have me pondering a question: Why is it so hard to apologize? 

Since the start of the year, I've been writing the content for my new website and it has been bending my brain. Telling my story through my practice is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.

If you had to choose three to five unforgettable moments in your life, what would they be? I’m looking for a moment, so instead of “your wedding,” what was a moment at your wedding that stands out? 

On Zoom with my web designer yesterday (working on my spanking-new site coming soon!), she told me a story about storytelling.

Last month, I wrote about the idea of celebrating ourselves - finding internal validation rather than seeking external, and how it changes the way we show up. It got a lot of response from many of you (thanks for sharing your reflections with me.

It’s that time of year, my year-end traditional piece of content. Like your favorite holiday movie, you (hopefully) don’t get sick of it, and, similar to that movie (again, hopefully), it’s a new experience each time - you get something out of it you didn’t last year. 

Since we're in the season of reflection (and lots of sugar), I’m writing in to report back on an experiment that started on my birthday in May. 

I have a dozen or so stories in my personal library that I draw from for my keynote speeches. I choose which stories I’ll include based on relevance to the audience (nonprofit, corporate leadership, or a women’s conference).

It's been a long time since I worked in a corporate environment as an employee. I had some good experiences—interesting projects here and there, fun holiday parties, good connections with colleagues—but here are the more prominent memories:

"Fast and free buses." That's what people call out to NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani when they see him on the street.

There are two kinds of people: those who lead the energy and those who reflect the energy in the room. Which are you? Here’s a test if you aren’t sure:

I finished my keynote and relaxed into the audience Q&A that the organizers asked me to do. An audience member in the back raised his hand and asked, "Who is a CEO I particularly admire for their storytelling skills?"