In our work lives, we sometimes find ourselves in a kind of wilderness. Perhaps we don’t know why we’re still doing what we’re doing, or we’re just exhausted with it, or more potently – we just can’t care anymore and have no more f***s to give. This can be because of an untenable work situation or culture, a bad boss, an accumulation of compromises we’ve made that topple of their own weight, or a blinding realization that we are really not making a difference.   In my recruit

"Where do you find your people?" is a question I hear a lot. As someone who has been offering writing workshops, coaching, and consulting for many years, I find that the people who sign up come from directions I could never predict. In the last year, I've worked with a woman who was a student of mine over 20 years ago, a doctor who treated my sinus infections about ten years ago, and a woman who I joked with as we watched our kids perform in high school band concerts way-back

Sorting through my sister’s garage recently, I stumbled across something I recognized immediately – my mother’s leather portfolio full of maps, all still nestled in there. It’s burgundy, with the scrapes and scratches of time, and zippered pockets full of maps – city maps, state maps, national park maps. And inside it still smells like our old house, and her. My mother taught elementary school briefly before she began having children, and I remember her telling me that she re

As the last 25 years of my life have been largely focused on people’s relationships with their work, I’ve always held a special place in my heart for Labor Day. It was established in the late 1800s in recognition of the struggles for workers’ rights, and while those legitimate struggles continue into the present day, the growth of labor unions and the middle class in the 20th century allowed many of us the privilege of thinking of our labor in terms of what it means to us. In

There's a whole lot of travel going on this summer, perhaps some even involving you and a slew of planes, trains, and automobiles. Yet for many of us, such travel is rarely about stopping out of the whirl of motion to catch up with yourself. Particularly when it comes to getting clearer about your life's work playing out in real time, many of us need a true retreat to step back, listen to what we're truly called to at this time, and discover the next best path to take. That's

As spring approaches, there’s a natural uptick in energy for many folks. This can be so much fun to have the sensation of a fresh start! And yet, some of my coaching clients have recently told me they just feel stalled out and can’t seem to get their motors started. During the second year of the pandemic, there was a feeling most of us had, a pervasive sense of joylessness and inertia. Adam Grant published an article in The New York Times that named that feeling for us as “l

Several years ago, I played rhythm guitar with a wonderful local rockabilly band, Miss Major and Her Minor Mood Swings. We built a nice fan base, won a local battle-of-the-bands, and one holiday season we got to open a show for Wanda Jackson, an icon known as “the Queen of Rockabilly.” As we were setting up for our sound check at Knucklehead’s, I strapped on my ’67 Telecaster, plugged in, and began to tune up. A couple of young men were sitting near the stage, and one stage-w

My dad was the pure embodiment of “I work, therefore I am.” Far from being a Type A, he brought pure joy to work, and he equally enjoyed...

I’m surprised at how often I hear this. Since 2002 I’ve been coaching people in career development and job search, and there’s been a considerable uptick in the frequency of this sentiment in the past two years. My daily involvement as a coach with how people wrestle with these issues is exactly why I was so excited to say “yes!” when Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg invited me to co-lead Your Right Livelihood with her. To guide people in an experience of finding and developing their

When my mother was diagnosed with fast-moving macular degeneration in her 80s, she knew she might not have her vision much longer. Mom was never interested in using a computer, as my dad was, but her life was full of books, magazines, and newspapers. She was the most well-informed person any of us in our family ever knew, an advisor and campaign treasurer for our U.S. Congressional Representative, a local and regional leader in the League of Women Voters, and a participant in

At some point in our lives, many of us arrive at a reckoning. The scenarios are different, but some version of a question can show up: What happened to that thing I used to love to do? My friend Catherine and my client Tina have both returned to painting after decades in commercial graphic design and teaching. Their paths and creative personalities are wildly different, but both heard “the voice” at a certain point, first quiet and then loud and persistent. Catherine's desire

As spring approaches, there’s a natural uptick in energy for many folks. This can be so much fun to have the sensation of a fresh start!...

As a coach, I’ve learned close-up-and-personal that people have very different relationships with planning. This becomes apparent in everything from how we shop for groceries, to how we plan a vacation, to how we tackle a big project or a change we want to make. In working with people on finding their right work, or possibly aiming for a specific job – and really, anything they want to accomplish – I’ve seen patterns and styles of behavior that are pretty darn clear. So I’ve

"Where do I even begin?" is a question that occupies many of us when considering our next act or how to leap or pivot into the work of our heart. Have a listen to this mini podcast (just 5 minutes), and please pass this onto anyone else who might be interested in figuring out the what of the what, how to get started, or what to focus on when so many possibilities call.

Toward the end of my ad agency career, I had an experience that was a classic turning point, one that allowed me for the first time to realize I could set my own priorities. In a relatively small shop, I’d gained a reputation as a “fixer,” able to take an account with a difficult client, stabilize it, and sometimes even grow it. This wasn’t always much fun, but it did provide a certain satisfaction, and I gained both people skills and extra business and marketing skills. So,

I had a gorgeous friend during my college years, and she even had a colorful name – Hester. She was a woman of bold and impetuous action, the one of our crew who proposed the wildest adventures, and then proceeded to launch herself into them. I was in awe of how Hester purposefully reached for what she really wanted. She seemed at home on the planet, willing to just decide and go. In contrast, I was more cautious and sometimes a non-starter. Always an information-gatherer by

Nothing like making a plan, especially when it comes to your livelihood, to make God (or anyone for that matter) laugh. So let's talk about surprising diversions that took us exactly where we needed to be. We'll share transitions and transformations we've experienced or witnessed in our clients. Come listen to how Kathryn became an accidental advertiser, and from there, surprised her way into coaching career transitions and development, uniting hundreds of people with their n