March 2026 This can be a strange time of year - literally. The end of Winter. The expectations of Spring. The "spring forward" of clocks that creates time warps as states and countries shift on different days or not at all. The realization that a quarter of the year is already done. (Really, 2026?!) It's not just time that toys with our emotions. As quick examples: Current events - political, economic, and more. The growing coverage of AI with its many dominoes of impact. Even the weather:...
4 months ago • 2 min read
February 2026 A few days ago, I had the pleasure of sharing one of my favorite books, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse, by Charles Mackesy. I've shared it with many of you in the past. It still speaks so deeply to my heart. For those less familiar with it, this beautiful book is a story about navigating life - with the four companions sharing questions and insights, beauty and cake, and ultimately cultivating healing for each being along the journey. With the group this week, I...
5 months ago • 2 min read
October 2025 When do we let ourselves be surprised…instead of “being the expert”? As we grow into adulthood, so often there is a desire or pressure to be the expert. Having taught high school for many years, I am acutely aware of the transition in teens when they feel that pressure. Many fear to be seen as naive or ignorant. In professional spaces, that fear often continues. But isn’t life a journey of constant learning? Surprise is part of that learning - it’s essential to moving us from...
9 months ago • 2 min read
A special invitation... “Play is where we practice. Play is where we take risks, listen deeply, and create new ideas. If that’s not leadership, what is?” (a quote by me! In interview with Jessica Wright) The Illustrating Leadership Summit: For Rising Leaders Ready to Unlock Their Confidence, Stop the Hustle, and Lead with Clarity. I’ve thought about leadership since early in my life. In high school my leadership steps were with the Colorguard, and included advocating for budget with the...
10 months ago • 1 min read
April 2025 Earlier this week I had a last minute trip added to my schedule. Yup - that's the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. To join an all-day meeting in San Francisco, I had to take an early morning flight. We'd just gotten back from a trip so I prioritized laundry, got my bag (mostly) packed the night before, scheduled a Lyft for 4:55am, set my alarm for even earlier, and tried to get to bed early. For whatever reason, my alarm didn't sound. The bell announcing my Lyft driver was on...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
February 2025 I'm counting this as February, since I've been thinking of this all month - it just took me a while to get it to you. Consider it a piece of old-fashioned mail that could get delayed in passage. : ) Early in the month, after a rain, when I took the dog out for a walk, I found myself fascinated by the leaves on the ground (as well as the many tiny stones in the sidewalk itself, which I had never paid much attention to). Remarkable, right? I had plenty of time to look since the...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
December 1, 2024 Breath of Grace The other day, as we walked back from the park, I glanced up in the sky and saw this… Gorgeous, right? It was such a beautiful and unexpected joy, I had to stop and take a couple photos. Surprise is one of those delightful emotions for which we can choose to create space. Had I not looked up, been willing to pause, or even gone out for a walk before the sun set, I would never have seen this amazing sky. It wasn’t that I was looking for a surprise, but rather...
over 1 year ago • 1 min read
September 26, 2024 Breath of Grace A couple weeks ago, I shared two gifts to my community in relation to play: Play Portrait workshops held a couple weeks ago, and Permission to Play (packages go in the mail soon!) The Play Portrait workshops brought such rich reflections around joys and obligations, growth, and questions still to be considered. They also brought doodles and a little laughter. That’s one of the amazing things about “play” - it is far from frivolous. Rather, it can be the...
almost 2 years ago • 1 min read
September 22, 2024 Breath of Grace How do you listen to other people’s stories? For a few years, we went annually to the Ojai Storytelling Conference. Across 2-3 days, we’d attend performances of amazing storytellers - some telling a story with guitar or percussion setting the mood or accentuating the tone, others using only their voice to wrap you up in another world. Each one had developed a beautiful way of bringing you into the world they created with their words. Have you ever listened...
almost 2 years ago • 2 min read