Thinking about changing jobs? My advice: unless you're working in a toxic environment, don't ditch your day job (just yet)!

One of the women shared that 2023 was a year of slowing down and practicing gentleness with herself. And because she gave herself this time, she entered 2024 feeling re-energized and with radical clarity about her next chapter.

Which do you think is more important as a leader — WHAT you achieve or HOW you get there? Throughout my career, I’ve found that while achieving goals and hitting metrics is undoubtedly important, the way we go about it — the 'how' we do it — may be even more important. The ‘how’ defines your team's culture and creates a space that people feel proud to be a part of.

Lately, so many people have been asking me if a book should be a part of their next chapter. My answer is always YES! If—and this is a big if—their idea is actually a book. And if it's not a book, that's totally ok. Maybe it's a podcast, or a Substack, or even a business. What really matters is that you know where you're going, and why. Because here's the thing: good ideas come and go, but book ideas are obsessions that just don't go away.

Why do so many women still subconsciously sabotage their own success by not speaking up? For one thing, women who do speak assertively are (unfortunately) often perceived as being overly aggressive or pushy — a double standard that makes it difficult for women to know how to voice their opinions without polarizing themselves from their peers. This goes back to a tendency to want to please others. Taking a stand will inevitably alienate someone — or so we assume — so instead we play it safe, act as people pleasers, and keep quiet.

I’ve been thinking a lot about mentorship lately and it struck me that being a good mentee actually takes just as much effort as being a good mentor! It's a two-way street, and both sides need to put in the work for the relationship to be successful.

Loving your career is hard to do if you’re not creating real value at work. Yet it’s easy to get consumed in our daily work and mile-long to-do lists. It happens to me all the time. And I often need to remind myself to stop and ask, “Is the work I’m doing creating real value for the company?” And by value, I mean the kind of value that is visible and people talk about. The kind of value that makes me proud and confident.

We all have an upper-limit problem that gets in the way of achieving our full potential. One of the ways that this manifests itself is through worry. Picture this: you’re feeling great about a project you just completed, the sun’s out, and you’re strolling along, feeling happy. And then suddenly, you start worrying about your daughter and whether she is making friends at school, and then it spirals into whether she will be lonely for the rest of her life. Sound familiar?

If you’re looking for tangible things that you can do right now to level up your career, Simone E. Morris offers 52 of them in her book 52 Tips For Owning Your Career. I’ve gotten to know Simone through LiveGirl, an incredible organization that builds confident, inclusive leaders. Simone is the real deal. A sought-after career coach, speaker, and podcaster, she gave me permission to excerpt a few of my favorite tips from her book. Check them out below, and let me know what you think!

Have you ever received feedback from a mentor that unlocked new opportunities or significantly changed your career trajectory?

I’ve been fortunate to have a handful of these experiences throughout my career.

If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll know that sometimes I write about big mindset shifts while other times I explore smaller practices that can be integrated into your daily life. Today I’m shining a light on the tiniest of practices – my five-minute morning ritual, which I’m leaning on more than ever to help me feel grounded.

Do you avoid conflict? I definitely do! It’s something I’m working on. Alicia Dunams has a book on this topic: How to Talk to Your Enemies: 101 + Ways to Turn Hostility Into Peace, and she is on a mission to get this book to every member of Congress.

the power of connecting and how it can totally transform your career and business (no matter how large or small). I totally get how tough it can be to find the time to meet new people, build relationships, and truly make meaningful connections, especially when we're swamped with work. If you struggle with this, too, I’d like to share an excerpt from my speech in the hopes of inspiring you to dedicate even a small portion of your week to connecting with others.

I want to talk about a topic we've all struggled with at some point—procrastination. We've all been there, putting off tasks and dreams, waiting for the “perfect” moment to take action. But guess what? The perfect moment rarely arrives, and we end up stuck in a cycle of inertia.

Last year I had the opportunity to participate in a panel discussion at the WIN Summit, a women's leadership conference that focuses on negotiation skills. We covered a lot of ground during the session, but one thing that really stood out to me was the importance of empathy in achieving a win-win outcome.

We all talk about work a lot, but we don’t often take the time to truly reflect on what makes us happy and what doesn’t. Yes, you may complain about demanding clients or unreasonable expectations and, on the flip side, bask in the glory of a complimentary email or the joy of working with brilliant coworkers. Still, it’s too easy to lose focus on the big picture when you’re mired in the everyday details of your job.

Last year I did a fireside chat with Tone Networks on setting boundaries. The conversation is still relevant today, and it’s something I need to remind myself of often. It’s no surprise that many of us struggle with boundaries (now more than ever). I wanted to share some of my favorite highlights from the conversation, with the hope that one (or two!) nuggets will be helpful to you in some way. 💞

When I was working on my first book, it struck me that there are many similarities between building a business and successfully publishing a nonfiction book: strong product/market fit, competitive differentiation, and a clear “why you/why now?” to name a few.

No matter how brilliant and impressive you are in one-on-one discussions, not speaking up in meetings hurts your chances of succeeding professionally, and of being seen at all. The next time you’re in a meeting agonizing over raising your hand or simply inserting yourself into a conversation, stop and ask yourself, Why not? If you own that what you have to say is important and you’re speaking from your heart, you will be amazing.

When I was working on my first book, it struck me that there are many similarities between building a business and successfully publishing a nonfiction book: strong product/market fit, competitive differentiation, and a clear “why you/why now?” to name a few.