(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Lately it feels like our dreams and goals are getting sidelined by the headlines. We’ve been frozen in a game of COVID freeze tag…Omicron freeze tag…pick-the-next-variant freeze tag for almost two years. I can’t turn around without someone telling me how I should feel based on the breaking news of the moment. Collectively we’ve been holding our breath for the “other” shoe to drop; meanwhile, while we turn blue…time is ticking away.

Today, I want to remind you that you have a choice to grow and evolve. You can forge ahead and design a year that feeds your soul, challenges your intellect and taps the shoulder of your curiosity…OR you can simply repeat.

Last Saturday, I hosted our second annual Reinvention Summit. Women (and a few good men) from across the country tuned in to kick off 2022 and get serious about what’s next. To recap, I wanted to share a few key takeaways that might help...

(First appeared in WRAL Techwire.)

Amy Sherald, the artist who painted Michelle Obama’s Smithsonian portrait said, “It comes down to painting the work I want to see exist in the world.”

Friends, we are less than 48 hours from the start of a new year and I want to remind you that the brush is in your hand. If 2021 was not everything you imagined, think of January 1^st as a factory reset. If you built momentum last year and are closer to reaching an important milestone, January 1^st might be the home stretch. Either way, in two days we start with a blank canvas. Now is the time to create what you want to see exist in the world.  

Last week, I encouraged you to embrace your wanderlust and offered seven steps to help you set up for a breakthrough year. This week, let’s go deeper and address the possibility that when you allow your mind to wander, you might get stuck or feel a little lost.

THIS. IS. NORMAL.

And you’re in good...

Editor’s note: Triangle entrepreneur and thought leader Jes Averhart, CEO of Jes & Co and host of the “Reinvention Road Trip,” joins WRAL TechWire today as a regular contributor. She will be exploring a variety of topics with an emphasis on reinvention in these trying times of COVID. Her columns appear on Thursdays.

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RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – “You’ll never influence the world by being just like it!” — (An Anonymous but Very Wise Person)

 Greetings from Boone, NC! For the last seven years, my family has made an annual pilgrimage over the holidays to Western North Carolina. We stake claim to a cabin, play cards, puzzle, and watch holiday movies in front of a fireplace. As my mom and son get older, it’s a tradition that has become sacred to me. I slow down. I’m present. 

 Inevitably, on the morning of the second day, coffee in hand, phone out of reach, and a cabin still asleep, my mind...

Below you'll find my first article in my new weekly column in WRAL Techwire. Enjoy!

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK – Hello TechWire!! I’m thrilled to be on this platform with you. Six years ago, I was introduced to the Triangle Tech Community by way of the American Underground where I co-founded Black Wall Street Homecoming, a nonprofit created to address the funding gap for founders of color. Since then, I’ve watched the Triangle emerge as one of the fastest growing markets in the country for entrepreneurs and tech companies and am honored to join the many voices that speak to you each week.

As CEO of Jes & Co and creator of 28 Days of Reinvention, I hope this weekly column provides the insight about reinvention required to help you confidently determine your next right steps.

Why? Well, we’re in a bit of a crisis it seems. These days, it feels like we’re having trouble tapping into our mojo. We’ve replaced the...

I’m pretty sure this drives my team crazy but I usually wait until Friday morning to write this. I have a hard time landing the plane on my thoughts until I absolutely have to. So Happy Friday, Friends! 

Here goes. Since COVID hit, I can unequivocally say that I’ve been chasing rest and not moving from the center of it.  

Earlier this week during an episode of the Just Podcast, my buddy Rob Shields and guest Terrance Ruth got on the topic of rest.  Rob is reading a book called the Ruthless Elimination of Hurry and the question he dropped, rocked me a little.

Are you leading and living from a place of rest or are you working all day to get the chance to rest?

For years I’ve called BS on chasing balance (that ain’t a real thing). Now I'm wondering if instead, we shouldn’t aim to love, play and work from a place of rest.

What would it look like to not be in a hurry - for just...

I don’t know about you but I live for the Fall. I always have. This season naturally perks me up with the promise of comfy sweaters, cozy cups of coffee on brisk days and a timeout on the humidity - my hair is grateful. Growing up in the Midwest, the Fall meant after-school cheerleading practice to get ready for Friday night football games and watching the Big Ten (when there were actually 10) with my grandpa on Saturday afternoons.  Go Buckeyes!

Whatever your relationship with Fall, I think it’s the best example of how to embrace change. These next few months are a gentle reminder that change is both beautiful and complex. Here are a few ideas to help you embrace it.

Nurture your social connections.

• Call your people and organize a brunch or an outing
• Join that book club you’ve been eyeing
• Schedule a weekly walk routine with a friend

Check your stress.

• Increase your sleep and/or take naps
• Keep your screen time low
• Get lost in your thoughts on...

Tre heads back to FAU for Fall semester tomorrow. So yesterday when he wanted me to watch a YouTube video of bodybuilding legend and eight-time Mr. Olympia winner, Ronnie Coleman, I didn't ask questions.  While Tre was locked in on Coleman's freakish strength, I was locked in on something he kept repeating. 

“Everybody wants to be a bodybuilder,

but nobody wants to lift no heavy-ass weights.”

When the video ended I said, “I could play this word game all day.”

“Everybody wants to be an entrepreneur but no one wants to take the risk.” 

“Everyone wants to be fit but no one wants to start moving.

“Everyone wants to be an author but nobody wants to write 75,000 words.” 

“Everybody wants to be in love but nobody wants to work on themselves.” 

Here's what's been on my mind in the last 24 hrs.  Breakthroughs happen everyday; but they don't happen by...

Nell Derick Debevoise | Forbes Senior Contributor

Jes Averhart is a leadership expert and host of the Reinvention Road Trip Podcast and Virtual Summit. We talked about one of her foundational concepts for successful leadership in any role: the Say:Do ratio.

Nell Derick Debevoise: What is the Say:Do ratio?

Jes Averhart: It's simple. Do you do what you say you’re going to do? The Say:Do Ratio serves as a guide to an honest answer. We allude to it all the time in expressions like, “Talk is cheap,” “I'll believe it when I see it!” Or “All talk, no action.”

Trust of other people is at an all-time low in the US.

 PEW RESEARCH CENTER

The minute someone says something and doesn't do it, it can set off a negative chain reaction among the people on the other side of the deal. The Say:Do ratio is a useful expression and North Star for accountability. Once you know the term, you’ll see how...