Remember when you were a kid and you were convinced there was a monster under your bed? You did that full Olympic long-jump from the doorway into your bed because absolutely NOT.

Well... I’m 50. And it turns out… the monster is still real. It just doesn’t live under my bed anymore. It lives in my head.

Meet: The Mind Clutter Monster.

And whew... I had to deal with him this past Sunday. Here’s what happened.

I was about to kick off 28 Days of Reinvention.

Now... 28 Days is my baby. I love it. And the women in this cohort are exceptional!

And yet… I felt off. Heavy and blah.

So naturally, my brain did what all our brains do.

Is it the weather?
Is it because the sun hasn’t been out?
Is it because I hadn’t moved all day?
Is it perimenopause?

I was spinning trying to figure out what on earth was the cause of my meh-ness. 

So... I went for a walk. That helped a little.

And the kickoff call with the cohort lit me up.  Of COURSE. It always does.

Afterwards, I went downstairs, sat on D...

Remember when you were a kid and you were convinced there was a monster under your bed? You did that full Olympic long-jump from the doorway into your bed because absolutely NOT.

Well... I’m 50. And it turns out… the monster is still real. It just doesn’t live under my bed anymore. It lives in my head.

Meet: The Mind Clutter Monster.

And whew... I had to deal with him this past Sunday. Here’s what happened.

I was about to kick off 28 Days of Reinvention.

Now... 28 Days is my baby. I love it. And the women in this cohort are exceptional!

And yet… I felt off. Heavy and blah.

So naturally, my brain did what all our brains do.

Is it the weather?
Is it because the sun hasn’t been out?
Is it because I hadn’t moved all day?
Is it perimenopause?

I was spinning trying to figure out what on earth was the cause of my meh-ness. 

So... I went for a walk. That helped a little.

And the kickoff call with the cohort lit me up.  Of COURSE. It always does.

Afterwards, I went downstairs, sat on D...

Hey friend,

Lately, I’ve been thinking about what it means to lead in two directions at once—to build something steady and familiar while also stretching toward what’s next.

There’s actually a name for that: ambidextrous leadership (I unpack it here.)

It’s the ability to run your business today while preparing for tomorrow. 

It’s not just a clever metaphor... it’s a skill that every modern leader needs.

The Present and the Future

Ambidextrous leadership is the ability to balance two seemingly opposing responsibilities:

• Operational excellence—keeping the business running smoothly day-to-day
• Innovation and exploration—adapting to emerging tech, new ideas and future opportunities 

In plain terms: it’s the art of working IN the business and ON the business at the same time.

If you focus only on what’s working now, you risk being left behind when the world shifts. At the same time... if you chase every shiny new idea, you can lose the foundation you’ve worked so hard to build....

So.... we were going to write about something else, but in our Tuesday team meeting, my amazing team member Rachel and I realized that we've both been auditing our expenses (thanks, quarterly tax filing deadline!). After a tangent about if pest control service is worth it (uh... obviously, YES!), we both agreed that we needed to resurrect our clean out your junk drawer edition. (You know... the one that made you toss out all those twist ties, allen wrenches and random cords). But this year... with a twist.

Because your DIGITAL junk drawer... there's a real cost to neglecting that baby!

Want to know what I'm wading through?

• The 112 screenshots named “Screenshot (45).png.”
• My inbox full of junk emails I swore I’d unsubscribe from “someday.”
• The zillion SUBSCRIPTIONS I forgot I signed up for (Lensa, Britbox, Disney+, anti-virus this, anti-virus that... some I didn't even know what they were... ACK!!!!)

And don’t even get me started on my phone. The rogue apps. The 4,000 photos o...

Last week I caught myself doing something I HATE to see others do... I apologized for being "too much."

The person I was with didn’t miss a beat. They looked me dead in the eye and said: “Girl, talk yo’ sh*t.”

I've been hearing that one phrase playing in the background on repeat. It's my new soundtrack.

Let's get into this. We put ourselves in a box... don't we? I should be bold, but not TOO bold. I should be vibrant and smart and innovative... but not TOO MUCH. 

We're so afraid of crossing that line (whatever that is), going too far, stepping on toes (or egos)... we'll apologize for being bold, bright and brilliant.

But here’s the thing: If YOU don’t let yourself shine bright, who will?

This isn’t about bragging. It’s about visibility. It’s about giving people the gift of seeing you fully—your skills, your creativity, your impact. If you don’t show people what you’re capable of, how will they ever know?

So here’s my challenge this week:

• The next time you’re tempted to say “i...

I’ve been thinking about a moment from The Bear... yes, the show that hits close to home for anyone who's ever tried to do something with excellence while under pressure.

There’s this scene where Richie is polishing forks. He's going through the motions as quickly as he can, just checking the box. Garrett sees it and stops him. Not gently. And then he highlights a secret ingredient that we rarely talk about. 

Take a minute to watch the clip before you read any more.

Go ahead… watch it. I’ll wait for you.

Okay, so now that you've watched the clip, you know that polishing the forks isn’t about silverware. It’s about three things: personal standards, SELF RESPECT and clarity about your unique contributions. 

Polishing the forks is a reminder that excellence lives in the details. When you model care in the small things, you set the tone for pride, consistency and trust.

I've been finding ways to slip this into my keynotes and workshops because we all have “fork moments.” Things that ...

Last week, we clearly DID step on toes... many of you told me so. We used a hiking analogy to make the point that delegation isn't a dirty word.

You’re hiking with your people—but somehow you’re the only one carrying the load. Seriously???

Now.... I know it's tempting to start handing out trail mix and assigning roles, but before you do, I want you to take a minute to look around.

Who’s actually rocking with you?

And—maybe more importantly—why are they even there? (Uh, oh... Did I step on your toes again?)

It's okay.... I got you. Let's do a little inventory. Let's start with your team. Who are you traveling with?

(Important side note: today we're talking about the work environment. Next week, we'll get into what to do if it's your friend, cousin or partner... tricksy stuff, I know.)

Now that you’ve got some names and faces in mind, ask yourself:

• Are they showing up when it counts?
• Are they learning, growing, pulling their weight?
• Or are they just along for the ride?

And...

Let’s start here: I’m about to step on some toes. Yours, mine, and probably a few folks who aren't even on this list. But we’ve gotta talk about this.

There’s a moment that sneaks up on so many of us—when you're standing in the kitchen, or on a Zoom call, or staring down your to-do list—and the quiet resentment starts to bubble.

"Why am I the one who always has to handle this?"

"Why does everything fall on me?"

We’re overwhelmed. Angry. 

But here’s the truth: it’s our own fault. 

Why?

Well... somewhere along the way, we got the message that being overwhelmed was just part of the deal. That carrying the weight of the world was noble.

Let’s call it what it actually is: ego.

Sometimes (not always, but often enough) the root reason why we don’t EVEN THINK of delegating is a little thing called self-importance.

Yep, I said it. 

And here’s what it looks like. We think:

• No one else can do it like I can.

• If I don’t do it, it won’t get done right.

• They need me.

So...

Hey friend… can we get honest for a minute?

Sometimes, when I talk about reinvention—about setting a new course, taking the reins, choosing a better life—I can feel it land. I see the lightbulb flicker. I see the nod. I see the hope in your eyes.

I hear the whisper: “Yes. I want that.”

But other times? I see something else entirely.
I see people go still.
I see blank stares, forced smiles, a quiet retreat inward.
And what I sense behind that silence is this:

I don’t even know where to begin.

I get it.

Because when you’ve been carrying too much for too long…
When your energy is stretched thin and your nervous system is fried…
When life has handed you more than your fair share of pain, disappointment, or betrayal…

Dreaming can feel like a luxury you can’t afford.

Sometimes the idea of “reinvention” feels like a cruel joke when you’re still just trying to get through the day without falling apart.

And in those moments, it’s easy to default into survival mode.

We start circling the wa...

So…. you know I’m the first one to cheer you on when it comes to setting bold goals, dreaming big, and reinventing your life. I’m all about it. Always have been.

But lately, I’ve been thinking about something that doesn’t get talked about enough.

What happens when dreaming becomes dodging?

Let me explain.

We all know how good it feels to chase something new. That fresh start energy? The adrenaline of a big idea? That little burst of “I’m doing something with my life!” It’s real. It’s addictive. And if you’re not careful—it becomes the only thing you chase.

I’ve got a name for this. I call it dopamine junkie mode.

It’s when you leap from dream to dream, goal to goal, without ever slowing down long enough to fully land. You move the goalposts before you’ve even touched down in the end zone. You skip the part where you rest, reflect, and actually feel what you’ve accomplished.

And you know what? I get it. There’s a certain high that comes with being “in motion.” It feels productive...