Blog
Worst Graduation Speeches Ever
Last week I told you about the wild spectrum of emotions that ricocheted throughout my body during my son's college graduation. But what I didn't tell you was how much it triggered my own "I need to be perfect" younger-self trauma. Did you think you had to have it all figured...
Traveling this summer? Here’s how to manage the inevitable disruptions
With the exception of the pandemic, I’ve consistently logged somewhere between 150,000-175,000 miles each year for the past ten years. I spoke at a US Army Base in Japan, rode a camel across the dunes of Arabian desert, danced the night away in Cartagena, and am one of about 2000...
Oy, Such Naches
Four years ago I left half of my heart in Texas. This weekend, I sat in the stands at Rice University, watched him graduate from college. The ceremony took place in the same stadium where, more than sixty years ago, President John F. Kennedy stood before the nation and said: “We choose to...
Make Room
You know how back in March I told you that you could make your own luck? Circling back today and telling you a story of how I just did that, and how you can, too. Sitting in the Nashville airport last December after an Impact Eleven speaker training event, Sheri Jacobs looked at me and...
Did You Miss It?
Life is... lifing. Per usual, I'm trying to shove ten pounds of life into my five pound bag, and sometimes something drops. I just saw a great instagram post about this, actually, from the tarmac, as I sat for hours on my delayed flight that I thought I so cleverly...
Stop Being So Defensive
There’s a certain kind of panic that creeps in when you’re about to walk into a moment that feels just slightly—okay, wildly—bigger than your confidence. A job interview after years out of the market.A presentation to a room full of people who could change your life.A keynote with a mic...
Leaving It All On The Field
Last week I got a standing ovation. But, it wasn't for me.It was for my client.Here's what happend:One of my favorite things to do from stage is to thank a company for the work that they have done by telling them a story of how they have personally impacted my...
Do It So You Can Dream It
I spent this past weekend running the famed Cherry Blossom 10 Miler, through the monuments and mayhem of Washington DC. I was lucky to get this bib because the event is done only by lottery, and it sells out almost immediately. But, I got the bib because a keynote speaker...
You Can Have It All (and here’s how to start today)
When I was 25 years old, I went to a bar to meet my best friend Jina. Madam's Organ (in Adam's Morgan) was halfway between our two apartments and, thanks to her special relationship with the bartender (ahem), we never paid for drinks and he looked the other way when...
I Skipped The Selfie But Not The Lesson
Last week I had the great privilege of guest lecturing in Dr. Bret Simmons' business management class at the University of Nevada. At one point, I asked the students how many of them had mentors; a paltry few hands went up. Then I asked how many of them had champions; every one...
Against All Odds…I Did It Anyway
This picture is the culmination of thirteen years of effort.This picture is the fruition of a plan interrupted by life.This picture is the lemon of a body forced into submission. Did I bring all five of my other major medals all the way to Tokyo to take this picture? Yes....
What can you learn in the pain cave?
Life's been a little harried lately. January and February are a busy season for sales kick off meetings (SKOs), and I've been doing a lot of them. Between Transunion, IBM, Charter Oak Financial/Mass Mutual -- I've been on my toes. Like my newsletters, I customize every talk. So, it's been... a...