Reader Did you know happiness isn't a feeling but a state of being? My youngest is about to step into adulthood, and despite my best intentions, I'm screwing it all up. 🤦♀️ Last weekend, for the second time, I saw Dr. Arthur Brooks present this pivotal idea: If happiness is a feeling, then it comes and goes. It is ethereal. Happy feelings are evidence of happiness, not the whole thing. Being in a state of happiness results from the presence of these core elements in your life: enjoyment,...
11 days ago • 3 min read
Reader, how do you feel when you walk into the airport, it isn't even 5 AM, and TSA looks like this? TSA in the middle of March It is college spring break, a major cruise ship is leaving Miami, and I am headed to Miami Beach for my favorite annual conference (the World Happiness Summit, aka WoHaSu). My flight is sold out, and boarding begins at 5:41. It is 4:45 a.m., and I'm joining a line that is so long I cannot even see the entrance to the TSA area. I have all the WTF feelings: 🫨...
16 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, I brought people to tears. They were in a meeting with me at work, and I made them cry. 🫢 Seriously, the leader of the organization had to leave the room to get tissues. At this point, I bet you want to know what I said that was so upsetting.😬 I actually didn't say anything. I asked them to say something. 😲 Last week, I facilitated over 40 members of an organization through a series of conversations inviting them to examine their purpose, disappointment, missteps, contributions,...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Reader, if I were a superstitious person, I would have already given up. Instead, I'm choosing the 'let them' strategy. 🧘♀️ I am a morning coffee person. From 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., you'll find me sipping steaming hot coffee from my favorite insulated cup, which I received for delivering the keynote address at the National Association for Press Women conference last year. I love this mug because the coffee stays hot for hours and has a flip-top that seals tightly. So imagine my surprise last...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Reader, I'm over here trying to look like the cool cow girl, only I just stepped in a big pile of manure while the cameras were rolling. 🤦♀️ Last week, episode 9 of 'the story i'm telling myself' didn't happen because my guest didn't show. A couple of minor bumps had caused episodes to start late, but this was the first time I had been a complete no-show. At two minutes past the start time, I texted and emailed. Crickets. As three minutes became four, I started thinking about what I would do....
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Reader, have you ever lost your sh*t at someone? Last week, my seventeen-year-old broke up with her boyfriend the day before Valentine's. I found her in her bedroom, so sad and upset. I thought it was typical teenage relationship drama, but it was so much more. I said, "I'm so sorry. It can be so hard to end a relationship, and the timing sucks." My daughter said, "You don't understand. It is all my fault. I am so mean. I was so mean to him. I caused this. I felt so anxious and unhappy and...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Reader, do you ever take a bite so big it threatens to choke you? A couple of weeks ago, I told you I launched 'the story i'm telling myself' video podcast (VOD) as a leap of faith that I could build it as I did it and that everything would be fine. That has mostly been true. I'm figuring out the flows and establishing processes that help me navigate the huge workload without requiring me to think about what to do for any given episode. I resisted this idea because I knew it would generate a...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Reader, uh oh! I'm really dating myself with this reference. 😂 Do you remember this cartoon? Mr. Magoo Mr. Magoo had horrible vision, which caused confusion and mishaps all around him while he remained oblivious to his plight or impact. This week, I made a huge business decision to sign with a new marketing and media company. I am super excited to elevate my message and outreach, a goal I've been pursuing since 2021 when I wrote Show Up Positive. During our first meeting, I was asked a series...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Reader, which would you choose? I have to start with a huge thank you! Within an hour of last week's email drop, I was rifling through the top drawer of my vanity, and my Aunt Dorothy's ring dropped into the palm of my hand. 🤯💖 I was joyful and immediately felt this resulted from all the good energy you sent me. Finding this ring at that moment seemed like a fortuitous sign, leading to the story I'm sharing today. One big decision I made at the end of last year was to put my creative energies...
2 months ago • 3 min read