As the Van Trapp kids (yes, I know they are Austrian) famously sang, There’s a sad sort of clanging from the clock in the hallAnd the bells in the steeple tooAnd up in the nursery an absurd little birdIs popping out to say “cuckoo” The time for goodbye has come. So I’ll do it as […]
A few weeks ago I did a series on my Personal Core Values. I use the values of Grace, Joy, Agency, and Belonging to guide my decision make in life. My favorite Principal Engineer asked me if I also have values that I use in a professional setting that help guide me as a leader. […]
Joy is a decision, a really brave one, about how you are going to respond to life. Wess Stafford For about 7 months in 2016, I lost my joy. It was like a light switch was turned off inside my heart and no matter what I did, I could not think or feel my way […]
Antonyms: aloofness, distancing, alienation, antipathy, coolness, opposition Dr. Brené Brown has said, “Fitting in is about assessing a situation and becoming who you need to be to be accepted. Belonging, on the other hand, doesn’t require us to change who we are; it requires us to be who we are.” At 46, I no longer […]
Definition: The feeling of being in control of my own actions and the consequences those actions have on my life. Personal Agency is the ability to make sense of or minimize the noise in your life, think things through clearly, and then advocate for yourself. As a core value I believe that all of us […]
Synonyms: goodwill, generosity, kindness, favour, regard For those of us raised in religious homes, grace is a word that is loaded. It is tied to the very nature of God. It is an act of love. It cannot be earned. It is the ultimate act of kindness. For others, grace may bring to mind smooth […]
WHY DO CORE VALUES MATTER? This is not a post about company, corporate, team, or organizational values. Anyone who has worked with me knows that I believe in having a set of values that govern how we lead and behave day to day in our work life as team. But this is something different. This […]
I have to admit that when the concept of “Quiet Quitting” hit the mainstream, I considered it a way that younger generations (I’m firmly Gen X) were naming their entitlement. If you’ve not heard this term, first get someone to lift the rock you are living under, and then watch this little clip from TikTok. […]
A little over 6 weeks ago I left my job at a Berlin startup. Here’s a breakdown of how I’ve spent my inbetween time… Getting a lot of sleep…I had no idea how tired I was Having coffee, lunch, drinks, dinner with people that I like that ask me…focus on “people that I like” Reading…lots […]
Made a playlist called “August Fresh Start” Charged new Tarot Cards Started a new journal (thank you Francesca) Stood outside in the rain (haven’t done that in years!) Made my favorite tea in my favorite tea cup (not sure why it took this day to make that happen…but it did!) Joined a 31 Day Meditation […]