I’d been absent from the air waves for a couple months. Why? Mainly because of one key decision in 2018: to take the Portland Underground Graduate School class, Financial Freedom 101 (FF101).FF101 blew so many things out of the water for us in terms of what we “thought” we had to do in order to retire. It taught us things about money and time that we just can't "unsee" now. We realized we have options to "buy our time back" sooner but only if we make some different choices. Choice … [Read more...]
August 13, 2017 By Leave a Comment
DIY: Live the Life You Love with a Career Map The job market has been HOT the last year or so and yet many people feel edgy, like we are living in uncertain times. Maybe it's the summer heat or the crazy politics in Washington. who knows! Whatever the reason, there is one thing you can do NOW to take charge and feel confident about your future. Build your own career map. Let's begin with two simple truths... 1) Only You Can Own Your Career. No one can do it for you, nor should … [Read more...]
July 10, 2016 By Leave a Comment
Raise your hand if this has never happened to you: you see a picture of someone from high school online and think, “Wow, what happened to Bob*? He looks like an old dude now!” Maybe this says a lot about my age, some deep-seated shallowness, or an inability to feel social shame. I’m hopeful it says more about perception. Perception is our way of understanding or interpreting something. It's our mental impression and the stories we make up about the way things are. It gets a lot of … [Read more...]
January 25, 2016 By Leave a Comment
I talk to people I don’t know - a lot. You know how some old people just randomly talk to people? Yep, it’s like that only different. Maybe that’s not so weird here in Portland but it sure seems quirky after living in California for many years. Back there it went like this: get into your own little pod (okay, Mini Cooper, Tesla or whatever) and zoom from place to place until you eventually pull back into the “airlock” of your garage and quickly slip inside. When this came off … [Read more...]
June 15, 2015 By Leave a Comment
What would you do if you had 200,000 more dollars to spend this year? I know what I would do. I’d buy that little house we saw in Mexico last week - the one with the rooftop Jacuzzi. And, I’m pretty sure that’s not just the tequila talking. $200,000 is one of those funny amounts. It’s not BIG money; most people couldn’t retire on it. And maybe it’s not a lot when you are talking rooftop Jacuzzi. But, it’s A LOT of money in just about any other circumstance! And … [Read more...]
May 12, 2015 By Leave a Comment
What’s the one thing all superheroes seem to have in common? They go from being average, vulnerable, and maybe even a little nerdy, to being superheroes in a matter of seconds. The next time you need to make a quick change in your team, wouldn’t it be great if you could step into a phone booth and step out a few minutes later with everything in place? Or, start getting better results in minutes or days instead of months? I've asked the Superheroes of Change Management and they weighed … [Read more...]
April 12, 2015 By 1 Comment
What's the before and after shot for your team? Lately I've been working with teams going through tough stuff: conflict, confusion, misunderstanding, things not getting done, you name it. I wish I had before and after shots of the teams I work with – you know, like the ones you see in magazines when someone or something gets a makeover? Since I don't have photos (and wouldn't share them even if I did), here’s my take on what's in and what's out when it comes to helping your team with a … [Read more...]
January 15, 2015 By 4 Comments
Warning – this blog post contains mild swearing and strong emotion. Tread lightly. This morning, my husband headed downstairs first when we got up to see if our cat was still alive. Fortunately, she was. She’s fourteen and while not young in cat years, she’s spent the last 13 years making sure not to wear out any of her parts. If you’d asked me a week ago whether I thought we might lose her this week, there’s no way I’d have said yes. She had a small, in-home accident (the worst … [Read more...]
November 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment
10 Brief Minutes in the coffee shop. There is a man with giant mushroom caps spread out on the table in front of him. Moments later, a baby with blond, curly hair reaches out to his Dad who pulls a small toy from his work jacket. The baby grins and grabs for it. I speak briefly to the man with the mushrooms because I’m curious and he seems sane enough. I don’t speak to the baby and yet I have a vivid image of him smiling in my mind. These are ordinary moments, and yet they stay with … [Read more...]
September 12, 2014 By Leave a Comment
One million air miles, two continents and at least 14 places called “home,” 7 schools, 5 careers, and 1.2 million emails. This is the story of my life, up until now. If someone shared these stats with me and I didn’t know who they belonged to, I’d have said, “Now there’s someone who has no idea what she wants to do and can’t settle down.” And yet, if you ask just about anyone who knows me, they’d say I’m one of the most decisive and stable people they know (or at least I … [Read more...]