Changing your story and getting unstuck
Reposting an old podcast interview that explores my personal career journey. Lots of helpful tips if you're feeling stuck in your life or career and struggling to let go of your internal story.
Field Notes for Outsiders
Why you struggle with growth... and what to do about it
Personal growth isn't as quick or easy as some want you to believe. Here's a realistic three-step loop—reset expectations, take focused action, review and refine—to support realistic, sustainable growth.
The reading trap (and how to escape it)
Smart, self-aware people often stay stuck—not because they don’t know enough, but because they haven’t been shown how to apply what they know.
Rewrite your story, change your life (Innova.buzz podcast)
I recently had the opportunity to be a guest on the Innova.buzz podcast with Jürgen Strauss. We talked about the relationship between failure and success, the importance of tuning into yourself, and about mind mapping as tool for creativity and clarity, among other things (like Jürgen's super-cool
When more actually is better
I’m generally a quality over quantity person, but there is an exception: if you want to create things that are creative, powerful, and impactful, the best way to get there appears to be by creating more things ... as opposed to focusing on creating only great things, which is a
What is failure, anyway?
What if failure isn’t the problem—but how you define it is? A small shift in how you measure success might change more than you expect.
The 'Uncle Ben' rule
Whether or not you're a Marvel / Spider Man fan, you might know this quote: With great power comes great responsibility. (If you don't, it's something Peter Parker's uncle Ben says to him that becomes a core value for him in his role
Grammar Abuse
I’m well aware that I’m an abuser of certain forms of punctuation, especially hyphens, ellipses, and parentheses, not to mention putting periods in the wrong place relative to quotation marks and parentheses. I’ve also been known to put paragraph breaks in places that would make English teachers
How to actually enjoy the holidays
Struggling with holiday stress or people-pleasing overload? Learn 4 simple ways to protect your energy, set boundaries, and create a more meaningful holiday season.
The Productivity Death Spiral
“I’m exhausted, but I have to go in this weekend to catch up on my charts,” said my client, an ER doctor, sounding dismayed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” I said in response. “But, how am I ever going to catch up if I don’
Never there
Here's something I've heard from a lot of clients over the years: “I just want to get to a point where this doesn’t happen anymore.” Most recently, I heard it from a client struggling with recurring lapses in staying on top of certain parts of
It's not about luck
Luck is important, yes, but it may not be in the way you think it is.
Why we don't let go ... even when we should
I was fortunate enough to spend a large portion of my childhood living in Santa Cruz (dude!) While I never learned to surf, I did have a skateboard. And a dog. She was a big Lab / German Shepherd / Husky mix that I’d oh-so-uncreatively named “Buppy” (the name my uncle
Design a life that fits – 3 lessons from Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright’s bold design shows 3 ways to set boundaries, plan ahead, and get support—helping people-pleasers build a life that truly fits.
Door Number Three
Ever found yourself in that place where you’ve got two choices, and both of them, well, suck? Maybe it's "stay in the soul-crushing job" or "blow up my entire financial security." Maybe it's "keep being the accommodating one" or
What if the answer isn't 'more'?
It feels good to be wanted, doesn’t it? (That’s your brain’s reward system at work, btw.) But, if you’ve ever found yourself overwhelmed, drained, or simply stretched too thin, you already know that ‘yes’ has a price tag—one we often don’t recognize until we
Un-planning
For some of us, spontaneity isn’t freeing — it’s destabilizing. The idea of doing something unplanned can stir anxiety, resistance, or even quiet panic. Predictability feels safer. But, over time, it can start to feel like its own kind of confinement. I'm pretty familiar with this particular
Are you getting stuck in 'conscious incompetence'?
Not fun ... yet. (Photo by Jonas Denil / Unsplash)
Make more mistakes
Pixar doesn’t get it right the first time. In fact, they count on getting it wrong — early, often, and in the open. One of the things that makes their creative culture so powerful is that they expect mistakes, talk about them openly, and treat them as part of the
What if your story is wrong?
Don't believe everything you think.