In the last article, we named the map. The one you keep hoping will arrive before you'll let yourself move. Clarity. Permission. A sign. Proof that it will all turn out okay. We saw that the full map rarely comes, and that waiting has a cost of its own. So you did what any thoughtful person would do. You started thinking. You made the lists. You checked them twice. You asked the people you trust. You turned the whole thing over again on the drive home. You have been so responsible about this...
about 1 month ago • 11 min read
There's a moment that happens before the work starts. Maybe you know it. You're struggling to get started. The work matters to you. And somehow that seems to make it even harder to begin. You carry a low hum of dread. You open another tab. You decide now is probably a good time to clear your inbox. Here's the part that surprises people when I say it out loud. The work you struggle most to begin is almost never someone else's work. You answer the email. You make the deadline. You show up for...
about 2 months ago • 11 min read
When I wrote about thresholds in my last article, Standing in the Doorway, I talked about hesitation. The hesitation is human. There is very likely nothing broken in you. That's true. It helps. And on its own, it will not move your feet. Because you're still standing there. If the problem isn't you, then something else is holding that door. And when people slow down long enough to look at what's actually in their hands, most of them find the same thing. Not fear, exactly. Not laziness. A...
about 2 months ago • 12 min read
You know the thing you want. That's what makes this so strange. You can picture it. You've turned it over more times than you'd admit. And still, when the moment comes to move toward it, you stop. You stand there, looking at the door, quietly wondering what's wrong with you that you haven't walked through it yet. Let me tell you what I think is happening. And I want to say it early, so you can set something down right at the start. I don't think the problem is you. The room, the doorway, and...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Nine years ago today, I held a brand new coaching certificate in my hands. I remember thinking, "I did it." At the time, I thought I was celebrating completion. The end of the journey. One big "Yay, I did it!" moment. Looking back now, I smile because I see that day very differently. I had no idea I was standing at the beginning of everything that would come next. Nine years and more than 4,500 coaching conversations later, I've come to believe that what I thought was a finish line was really...
2 months ago • 1 min read
Normally, this week I'd be packing for Bonnaroo. Instead, I'm sitting at home watching my husband head off to Tennessee while I stay put. For those who don't know, Bonnaroo is a music festival that we've been going to since 2014. Over the years, it's become much more than a music festival for me. I always describe it as an adult summer camp with a really good soundtrack. It's one of those places where I return to myself. Every year, it gives me space to recharge, reconnect, and renew. There...
3 months ago • 2 min read