REAL Confidence: Why Admitting We’re Struggling Might Be the Most Confident Thing We Ever Do
We live in a world that praises strength. We celebrate composure, grit, and perseverance, the ability to keep it together no matter what is happening beneath the surface. But sometimes, I think the world confuses strength with silence. Maybe you have felt that too. You smile through exhaustion, you say “I’m fine” when your throat […]
Picking a Day to Move Forward
We’re in New York City this week for medical appointments. Olivia had a colonoscopy yesterday, and the results weren’t what we hoped for. After three years in remission, her Crohn’s disease is active again. Those words are hard to say out loud. Three years. Three years of stability, of finding a rhythm that worked, of […]
5 Things You Can Do Right Now to Build Confidence by Taking Action
We often think confidence is something we’re born with or something that magically appears once we’ve achieved enough. But real confidence isn’t built by waiting until we feel ready—it’s built by doing. By taking small, intentional steps that show us what we’re capable of. When we take action, we start proving to ourselves that we […]
What Happens When You Finally Put Your Phone Away
When’s the last time you had a meal without looking at your phone? Putting your phone away might lead to a real connection with those around you. It’s a simple question, but one that stayed with me during our recent trip to England and Wales. My husband and I spent a week traveling—first to Birmingham […]
The Confidence We Find in Connection
There are nights when the couch feels like the best option in the world. Blanket. A glass of wine. Netflix. Zero effort. Moments like these challenge my confidence in connection with others. That was me not too long ago. A friend had invited a few couples over to her house, and I had said yes, […]
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 […]