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Insights & Inspiration.
Love & Leadership.

Reflections on the Mirrors That Heal Us

I’m in a season of deep reflection. Not the kind that just analyzes the past, but that allows old feelings to finally rise to the surface after years of being…

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Anchored in the Safety of Home

An anchor stabilizes a boat so that it doesn’t drift. But our personal anchors do the same for our souls. As I closed out my keynote before the Wisconsin Municipal…

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The Beauty of Bad Times

It was a bad time. As I sit in what may be the most boring airport in America—and I mean no disrespect, Green Bay, but come on. There are no…

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A Tale of Two Triggers

Triggers are interesting. Something that once bothered you terribly can eventually lose its sting! You do some inner work, gain a little perspective, and one day realize that the thing…

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Keep Watering. You’re Worth It.

Have you ever reached a point in life where everything just feels dry? Like your dreams are on life support, your hope is running on fumes, and part of you…

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Getting Unstuck (And Other Hidden Treasures)

I’m the kind of person who likes things neat and orderly. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a clean freak. There’s a difference. My mother, God bless her, was a…

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When Fear Comes Along for the Journey

I’ve spent a lot of time writing about waiting, which is fraught with its own set of fears. About believing when nothing seems to be happening. About remaining resilient in…

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The Little Indignities of Living Single

When I was a young single woman, I always had roommates. At one point, my little townhome in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, had a revolving door of women in various stages…

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When the Best Response is to Just Breathe

I was excited to speak at an event right here in San Diego. The client told me it was a women’s leadership gathering, and signed copies of my book, The…

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Copy of A Kindness that Changed Me Forever Instagram Post 45

A Kindness You’ll Never Forget

I listened, captivated, to an April 2026 episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast featuring Scott Galloway. He has plenty of opinions about current events, business, the future, and,…

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Rejection, Love, and a Mother of a Day

Discretion advised: this one is a little darker than my usual posts. But if you stay with me until the end, there’s a lesson in it. Because God knows—even on…

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The Irresistible Must

Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.” I believe that’s true. And I believe we get to choose. When I’ve found myself in seasons…

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The Other Side of Uncomfortable

For several years, I had a Sunday morning ritual of saying a prayer, dipping my hand into a bag of words, and asking for what I needed most in the…

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Closer to Yes

When I speak to groups of municipal or county clerks, the audience is almost always 95% women. And I love that. I tailor every talk to the room I’m in,…

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gentle smiling woman in stocking hat - frederika

Throw Yourself Into Life: What My Friend Frederika Taught Me

It feels like divine intervention that Frederika Brookfield and I ever became upstairs–downstairs neighbors. At first glance, we couldn’t have seemed more different. The first time I met her, she…

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Grace for the Grinch

I’m known for being sunshine and rainbows wherever I go. I’m the girl who adds a spicy song to the gym playlist to get the whole room pumped up. I…

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Slathered with Love: Of Life and Raisin Bread

Don’t think for one minute that this post will detail my culinary prowess. Not a chance. I am amazed at people that can just “whip something up” and actually cook…

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Do Something Kind for Your Future Self

How are you taking care of your future self? For me, it often begins with little kindnesses that make me smile before the day even starts. Like waking up to…

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lift arrow direction sign on concrete pillar

Elevator Evangelism

Recently, I had a crunchy $5,000 lesson in imperfection. While exiting the parking garage at Lifetime Fitness—a garage I’ve probably pulled out of a thousand times—I misjudged the narrow exit…

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photo tropical landscape with pink evening sky through plane window

When Joy Finds You Along the Way

They say that expectation is the root of all heartache. And while Shakespeare may have said it differently, the sentiment rings true—especially in a world where we’ve been conditioned to…

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Sacrifice vs. Surrender: The Hardest Lesson for a Make-it-Happen Woman

I’ve always been a “make it happen” kind of person. If there’s a goal in front of me, I move toward it. If there’s a problem in the way, I…

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Failing to Pieces vs. Resting in Peace

Drama doesn’t always arrive in the form of a frenemy who knows exactly how to push your buttons, or that coworker who coughs and sneezes directly into the shared airspace…

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Brenda Viola on Train wearing a brimmed hat

There’s Always Another Train

You Snooze, You Lose The phrase “you snooze, you lose” has never been more profound than the moment I watched my Amtrak train to New York City whisk away… without…

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