Today: What to do about the elephant in the room. In 1814, Ivan Krylov wrote The Inquisitive Man, which tells the story of a man who visited a museum and noticed many things but not the elephant.

Listen to the blog here. Many of my conversations with leaders right now look something like this:  I’ve been thinking about how our work is needed now more than ever. We must be OK, do what we can, and do good work. To that end, I will write about these conversations, particularly how stories help […]

Listen to the blog here. Whenever I travel for work, I look up who else I know or want to know in that city and invite them for a coffee. It’s a great way to build relationships and make the most of a trip. A CEO I had briefly met a year before accepted my […]

Listen to the blog here. Last week I was a guest on the Student Affairs Now podcast talking about the importance of storytelling in higher education. You can listen here. Also, welcome if you are new subscribers who heard the episode!  How are the plans and resolutions you made at the New Year going? Not as […]

Listen to the blog here. The passenger restraint malfunction alert lit up on my dashboard. Is it just me, or is there always a sensor not happy? When did our cars become so sensitive, anyway? Instead of taking it to the dealer as the alert advised, I Googled how to fix it. I learned if […]

What is this year about for you? On January 6th, my running friends talked about and shared the One Word they came up with for their year; one of my friends had already forgotten about hers.

Listen to the blog here. I’ve taken to following astrology this year. I picked it up when I needed hope, and it helped direct my energy and thoughts in a useful place. Is it science? Can it be truly clairvoyant? Probably not. A quick Google search on Astrology as a science will reveal that it […]

I’ve been speaking in front of groups for about 15 years, and it never fails: I’m always nervous beforehand. If nervousness were a spectrum of energy, the feeling might range from a fluttery discussion with the butterflies to making up excuses to cancel.

“If you are depressed you are living in the past.

If you are anxious you are living in the future.

If you are at peace you are living in the present.”

― Lao Tzu

I went for a solo run in the woods. It’s the only way I can quiet my mind. I bumped into people I know. It’s a small town, and I’m not the only one who finds comfort in the trees.