Why I Wrote REAL Confidence (and What I Hope It Gives You)
For a long time, I thought I was the only one. The only one who second-guessed her choices. The only one who replayed conversations in her head at night, wondering if she said the wrong thing. The only one who looked around at other women and thought, They’ve figured it out. They belong here. I’m […]
The Hardest Speech I’ve Ever Given
I’ve given a lot of speeches in my life. Keynotes to corporate leaders. Workshops for women’s groups. TEDx talks under bright lights with cameras rolling. I’ve stood on stages in front of thousands of strangers without my heart skipping a beat. But the most stressed I have ever been about giving a speech wasn’t at […]
The Power of Women, Together
I wish I could bottle the feeling of being in that room, experiencing the Power of Women firsthand. Imagine one hundred women gathered together, side by side, leaning in as each voice filled the space with honesty. Some shared their wins, others shared their struggles, but what struck me most was this: they did not […]
Why Failure Is the Best Teacher You Didn’t Ask For
Nobody likes to fail. Let’s just say that upfront. Whether it’s tripping over your shoelace in front of a crowd, bombing a presentation you practiced for weeks, or realizing the big idea you stayed up all night working on is not actually that brilliant, it never feels good. But here’s the thing: somewhere between learning […]
Letting Go: Watching My Fifth Child Head Off to College
Nineteen years ago, my oldest son Jacob and I traveled to South Korea to bring home a baby boy. He was just four months old, bundled up and wide-eyed, and the moment I held him, I knew my life had changed forever. Like each of my children, his arrival did not just fill a space […]
The Real Estate in Your Mind: Reclaiming the Space That Shapes You
What’s taking up space in your mind right now? No, really. If your thoughts were tenants, who’s paying rent—and who’s squatting in the corner, draining your energy and refusing to leave? It’s easy to overlook what we’re carrying. We power through the day, responding to emails, solving problems, supporting everyone else. And somewhere in the […]
Kitchen Table Leadership: Why Modeling Matters More Than Managing–and You Don’t Need a Title to Lead
We’ve been sold a narrow definition of leadership, but modeling matters in defining its true essence. We picture the CEO at the head of the boardroom table. The person who commands attention, delivers bullet points with polish, and holds the corner office key. We imagine leadership as loud, official, maybe even a little intimidating. But […]
The Things We Take for Granted
The Overlooked Everyday: We often take for granted the simple things in life. We don’t mean to do it. But we all take things for granted. People, routines, little freedoms we don’t even notice until they’re gone. And most of the time, it’s not because we’re careless or ungrateful. It’s because life moves fast, and […]
What Shoulder Surgery Taught Me About Slowing Down (and Peeing on My Socks)
A week ago, I had shoulder surgery. It wasn’t planned. It wasn’t on my vision board. And it definitely wasn’t how I thought I’d be spending the summer undergoing this surgical procedure. The injury happened during cleanup after Hurricane Helene—a quick movement, a sharp pain, and then that slow, creeping realization: something wasn’t right. I […]
What Happens When You Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
Emma’s Brave ChoiceLast fall, my oldest daughter Emma made a bold decision: she stepped out of her comfort zone, packed up her life and moved to Cardiff, Wales to pursue her master’s degree in art conservation. Now, this wasn’t just a new school in a new city. It was a new country. A new culture. […]