In my work, I spend a lot of time thinking about how people move from feeling stuck to feeling in control of their lives and careers. That lens is what drew me to Big Trust: Rewire Self-Doubt, Find Your Confidence, and Fuel Success. I first heard Dr. Shadé Zahrai on a...
The other day, I came across a quote that really resonated: “It is never too early or too late to care for the well-being of the soul.” - Epicurus Our soul. What is it? This quote got me thinking deeply about this question. When we reference our soul, we are talking...
Last night I got sick. It came on quickly around 6pm and by 8 I was in bed. This got me thinking about how our energy (and plans) can be thrown off in a minute. In many ways this happens every day. Some days we are full of energy and others we wish we could just sit...
When we think about our lives, we may think about our feelings. How we feel about our relationships. Our job. Our home. Our health. Or any other area of our life. Often, we are hard on ourselves. We feel things aren’t where we want them to be. We feel bored,...
The other day, I heard the term “intellectual humility”. This was unfamiliar to me, so I went in search of information. The quick realization was that there was a LOT published. Intellectual humility is the space between stubbornness and gullibility. We engage this...
Anxious is an interesting word. There are two meanings that are quite different. Anxious can mean “uneasiness of mind” = worried. Anxious can also mean “earnestly wishing” = eager. Worried is dreading while eager is anticipating. My Story Historically, I’ve tended to...
This is a question we don’t ask ourselves very often. Especially once our adult life begins. We start defining ourselves by education, school, work, and family. Yet, under the surface, all these answers are just titles. They don’t really tell anyone anything about us....
In 2022, Occupational Scientist Ann Wilcock wrote a paper that suggested: “We are all in a constant loop of being, doing, and becoming.” Her work also including a 4th element – belonging, that was explored further here. The framework suggests that health stems from...
Have you read The Let Them Theory by Mel Robins? I read it about a year ago and continue to think about the beginning of the book – her story. She talked about her path and how she came to write this book as well as her prior books. What struck me is the succinct...
I had the opportunity to be part of an author talk with Dan Coyle, author of the newly published book Flourish: The Art of Building Meaning and Fulfillment. I reviewed the book a couple weeks ago and found the questions and conversations in the book talk to be equally...
Over the years, I’ve realized the importance of naming what I’m feeling. I have used the feelings wheel to dig into the specific emotions. However, what I didn’t realize was that feelings can lead to states of mind. A feeling happens in the moment while a state of...
Last week, I wrote about 7-year cycles and my experiences with them. The background of this idea ranges from philosophical to biological. The beauty of the cycles is that it suggests life is not one long beginning, middle, and end. Rather, we have multiple cycles of...
For 15 years, my personal email signature has ended with a simple three-word line: Live. Work. Play. I liked the simplicity. It felt balanced. Me. But recently, I’ve started to wonder if I was missing something deeper. We often treat these as separate parts of life....
There’s an idea that life moves in seven-year cycles adding rhythm to our lives. Across history, people have noticed that roughly every seven years, something shifts. Identity. Priorities. Direction. Relationships. Energy. It’s not scientific certainty, but a lens to...
The book Big Trust by Dr. Shadé Zahrai introduces the "Four A’s" framework: Acceptance, Agency, Autonomy, and Adaptability. A description of each is below. Acceptance: Embracing current realities Agency: Recognizing our power to influence Autonomy: Cultivating...
Throughout our lives, we all face forks in the road. Moments when we have a decision to make. One path vs. another. During these moments, those around us often have opinions. Go this way. It would be awesome. The decision is clear. However, that often isn’t the case....
Each year we have goals we want to achieve. At work, we often think about goals that are in the hands of other people. A promotion, a raise, a job change, etc. With these goals, we don’t control the outcome. I think a better question for the year is if we need to...
Each year, I pick a word that articulates my hopes and goals. My word for 2025 was “stabilize”. There are a lot of reasons why this made sense for January me. There were a lot of areas of life that this word can inspire. Stabilizing meant providing a foundation. A...
I’ve chosen a word of the year every year since 2015. What started as inspiration has evolved over time into something a bit different. Today, I treat my word like a personal operating system. An operating system runs quietly in the background. Shaping priorities,...
When we look back on how our life unfolded in 2025, there are many things we might consider. Accomplishments. Relationships. Our career. Hobbies. Things that went well. And things that could have been better. The events that changed the course of the plans we had in...
I’ve found that looking back on the year (or forward) in general ways can feel a bit flat. What went well? What could have gone better? These questions work, but they can lack depth and insight. I like considering different types of questions to provide a different...