It was 2005, and life was bleak. I was 20 (I’m 32 now) and working in a bank as a teller, going to school in the early mornings, at night, and online. My employer was fine, and the job was OK. I justified my dissatisfaction with my work because my employer reimbursed my tuition. On […]
When I was pregnant with my oldest child, my husband and I took nightly walks. One evening, when I was about six months pregnant, we did a big loop around our north end Boise neighborhood. The streets in that part of town are lined with big trees; the neighborhoods are a mix of diverse structures—new […]
Imagine standing in a room of 100 people. You look around, taking in the sights: people mill about, dressed in their business best. You see two individuals in an in-depth conversation about talent management; a group of three is talking about a recent company merger. You look toward the back of the room, where several […]
Ah, October. The month when writers all around the country ready their pens and keyboards to write a first draft of their books during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and National Nonfiction Writing Month (NaNonFiWriMo), which takes place from November 1–30 each year. The goal? Write a 50,000-word book in 30 days. Don’t break stride […]
Anyone who knows me even slightly well knows I’m a podcast fanatic. I listen to one or two episodes every day, and my subscriptions span business development to crime dramas. Why do I love podcasts so much? Efficiency, for one. I can listen while I’m running, getting ready for the day, or driving to point […]
Sunday late morning, I went for a run in the Boise foothills. The path is familiar: an 8-mile loop with a short, steep climb. I felt awful on Sunday—headache, tired, the works. I had planned to do at least 11 miles that morning but decided to cut it short with less elevation. Still, in spite […]
You’ve been dreaming of doing that thing for a while now. You want to do something big: write a book, change careers, launch a business, share a message, become a speaker, make art, move to a new city, train for a marathon, or whatever it is your heart is calling you to accomplish. I’ve been […]
This week, I’m pleased to welcome brand expert Justin Foster, co-founder of Root + River. Over the past six plus years, Justin has become a friend and trusted brand advisor as I’ve grown and shifted my business. (Fun fact: an early discussion we had spawned ideation for what would later become my TEDx talk on […]
It was 2007. I was a 21-year-old who had done lots of exotic travel—you know, California, Oregon, Mexico, Canada. Far-off, distant lands, right? To be fair, I wanted to travel. I wanted to get out and experience the world . . . or at least take two-week guided tours through parts unknown. My version of […]
It’s here! My TEDx talk has been published. I’m thrilled to share it with you. If you’ve been following my journey, you know this talk has been a long time in the making. I’ve written about how to get selected for a TEDx talk and what it’s like to prepare for and give a TEDx […]