It’s Thanksgiving, the official kick-off to the holiday season. It can be joyful, worrisome, or overwhelming. You get to decide. Just remember that perfectionism and struggle are optional. It all depends on where you put your focus. Here are a few survival tips for...

My friends and I often talk about how much weight we need to lose, what we once were like, and what we were once able to do. It leaves me feeling less than whole. It's as if I've declined in ways I didn't want to and might never return. What if, just for today, you...

Labor Day originated in the labor union movement, which advocated for better working conditions, fair wages, and improved labor laws during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The holiday demands that hard work be recognized as the asset that it is. It reminds me...

When you are frightened by a challenge, your ego is your best friend. It encourages you to stay stuck. It sends out all kinds of warning flares such as “better not. You might fail.” Or “You’ve got it good right where you are. Why stir things up?” Or “People aren’t...

Been noticing lately that everywhere I go, there is music playing, often loudly. My husband noted that on the golf course, more and more personal carts are tricked out with Wi-Fi sound bars. The golf course! Are we going the way of Rodney Dangerfield? It is especilly...

Ever heard of The Oversoul? I discovered it when studying the transpersonal chakras. I had heard of it before but only recently delved into it. Last week, I discussed the Akashic Library, a Spiritual collection of all past, present, and future thoughts,...

I always thought that the permanent record idea was made up by the nuns, designed to keep us all in line by reminding us that God is always watching and knows what we’re up to. A Big Brother state invented by nuns. It had a lot of connotations of guilt and shame...

Truer words were never spoken. I have had a crash course in the transpersonal chakras, which I have shared in my last five posts. In short, they take us from engaging with the deepest and most profound Earth energies all the way to the Divine. As if to further my...

The exact number of chakras varies depending on who you talk to. They are along our spines, in our hands and feet, between our heart and throat chakras, along various meridians. The most commonly discussed are the seven main chakras. For the past four weeks, I...

The more enlightened I feel, the more I find the wisdom deep from within. Lifting my third eye to the heavens brings me back to some mysterious place inside and, on occasion, familiar. That is the Universal Gateway. I have struggled to fully appreciate this...

All the recent revelations about aliens in the news seem funny to me. Aliens on Earth are nothing new. Ask any pilot, astronaut, or nighttime truck driver. They have seen them and been unable to talk about it—the few who do often receive ridicule. Beyond witnessing...

This week, I continue to share what I am learning about the transpersonal (external) chakras, those that align with the seven main chakras and are located outside the physical body. Learning about the seven main chakras (root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat,...

Lately, I've been curious about the other chakras. The transpersonal chakras located outside of our bodies and flow through our core, connecting us beyond our bodies' wisdom.In my book, I talk extensively about the seven main chakras that run from the...

If ever I wondered whether anyone reads my emails, I no longer do. Thank you to everyone who asked me where I've been and whether I will return soon. It touched me deeply. I was just out of gas and going in directions that weren't true to me. At one point, I started...

I want to believe I am woke, but I know I’m not. At best, I am waking. I am a “Karen” trying hard to understand others lived experiences. I prefer to say that I am waking. It acknowledges my intentions while also acknowledging that I – any of us – will ever...

I have to be honest with you. I’m not just feeling it today. I sat down to write my weekly blog post, and everything felt forced. It’s been a great week, especially celebrating my birthday with so many new friends and a few family members. There’s nothing to complain...

I’m starting to hear this everywhere. “I see you.” Its very simplicity is powerful. It wasn’t that long ago that I felt invisible. Not because I was ignored but because so many people were confused or uncomfortable with who I was becoming. Rather than lean...

Mark and I love our new home… for the most part. It is everything we wanted… and a wee bit more. It's not what was said that gives me pause. It's what wasn't said. Things not in the brochure include things like recurring 40-mile-per-hour wind gusts that send...

I am writing this on Opening Day for major league baseball. Every year, my hopes are HIGH that the Mariners will go ALL THE WAY! That feeling of hope and possibility greatly boosts my psyche, ushering in the promise of sunshine, warmth, and...

Is it mandatory for things to get worse before they get better? Like all hypothetical questions, the answer is "it depends." For example, if you want to clean a closet, you must haul out all the junk that has been gathering for years. What was taking up a few shelves...

My aunt loved to be miserable. The world was a dangerous place filled with potholes that could trip you up at every turn. Some sure-fire ways to stay miserable are to recall every slight regularly, take every red light as a personal offense, decide what others who do...

I hope you have had the opportunity to watch Ted Lasso. It is the story of a US football coach down on his luck who is recruited to coach a football team in England. The twist is twofold: Lasso doesn’t know a thing about “soccer” which is good because he gets hired...

I am enjoying a course I’ve been taking for the past month—lots of new things to learn and old things to relearn. The course is about learning to observe subtle changes and how to integrate them into every area of my life. The integration is where I sometimes get...

Lately, I have had several conversations with different people experiencing extreme disappointment.I get it. I’ve experienced disappointment, too. What I’ve learned is that it results from unmet expectations.That’s when the shoulds and oughts surface.            ...

-Me My husband is constantly interrupting me. He is under the misguided impression that if I'm talking, I must be trying to communicate with him. Sometimes that is true. But only sometimes. Not usually. Okay, most of my day, I am talking to myself. It is not my goal...

The other day, I was working on defining my intentions for a class I am taking. I wrote it without going through the recommended process. Then I read the recommended process and followed it. I soon realized my intention was superficial, like believing I looked like...

We recently purchased a new washer and dryer. Maybe not be the most exciting purchase, but they look modern and perform well. There’s an added benefit I hadn’t anticipated. They play a happy little tune when the washer or dryer has completed a cycle. Our old machines...

I’m sure my grandmother didn’t coin this phrase, “There are none so blind…” but she was my introduction to it. And she sure had a way of using it to make a point. She would say it while cleaning my brother’s glasses or listening to the six o’clock news. There are none...

I had a few responses to last week’s posting about “the time is now” to work toward your dream.One woman reader replied, “But the question is how to move towards what we want or feel we need without being (or being perceived as being) selfish.”It is a fair question...

I had a few responses to last week’s posting about “the time is now” to work toward your dream.One woman reader replied, “But the question is how to move towards what we want or feel we need without being (or being perceived as being) selfish.”It is a fair question...

Whatever you think you want to do, whatever you believe is your higher calling, the time to act is now.My clients have shared a million reasons why they must wait. It almost always involves accommodating others. This is a notion I challenge by suggesting all the...

I recently heard an interesting story about two cats.The first cat was kind, loving, and the picture of domestic pethood. She loved being a part of the home and gave as much love as she received.The second cat, introduced into the household several years later as part...

Yes, we need to set goals and lay out some plans for the coming year. Not necessarily resolutions, but some focus is always helpful.It helps, too, to reflect on the year’s end. More than how you did against goals, reflecting can reveal some lessons you didn’t know you...

Wishing you a very merry holiday season! 2022 was filled with sad goodbyes and new beginnings. 2023 holds so many wonderful possibilities and I am grateful for the opportunity to share them with you. Our big move to another state was overall very successful. Yet like...

Even the most exciting, planned-for, anticipated transitions are hard. We have been planning our move from Washington to Nevada for almost a year. Last week, the day finally came. And now, I find myself needing a system for even the simplest tasks. It will take time....

The best part about boundaries is that they tell me who my people are and who they are not.If someone has boundaries that I don’t appreciate, it is a sure sign that they know their limits. How great is that?It is not my job to like them, only to respect them. If their...

Personally, I am a Phillies fan. Regardless, I love stories like this. During the 2020 baseball shutdown, Cristian Javier was playing in a field in the Dominican Republic, to keep building on his skills and never letting his dream fade. COVID provided no excuses....

My Myers Briggs confirms that details are not my strong suit. I love the big picture, happy to delegate the rest. As we prepare to move to Nevada, there is so much planning before, during, and after, from packing and unpacking to finding a doctor to finding a decent...

Change is coming in a big way! We have sold our home of 23 years, a bittersweet celebration. We love our home, but it is too much space for two people — time for another young family to enjoy. As we say goodbye, I am filled with gratitude for what was, what is, and...

I first heard this idea of surrendering to make progress during a workout. I could not merely will myself to get to the next level without injury unless I surrendered to my current fitness level. I want to use the 25lb weights yet the 12lb weights are still a...

When starting my career, I felt with every promotion that I was indeed on my way up, up, up. It was a fabulous feeling. Then the inevitable happened. The path became curved, forked, and at times dipped below where I thought it would lead. I felt like a failure. I...

Where do you put your two most precious resources of time and money? Starting any plan with a clear dream or vision provides valuable information for directing your resources for the best possible outcomes.A vision isn't set in lead. It can have flexibility or change...

Everyone has heard about the importance of doing a gut check when deciding.  There’s a reason for this. The number of nerves is unparalleled anywhere else in the body, so much so it is called the “second brain.” It contains up to five times as many neurons as the...

Are you trying to make the best of a bad situation by ignoring what’s really happening and acting as if the little changes will make the situation different? I worked with an organization that signified to the outside world it had lost its sense of direction by...

When you’re in the midst of a crisis, it’s nearly impossible to summons common sense. Some crises pop up in a moment while some are a long slog deeper into a bad situation. When I was eight months pregnant, I developed placenta previa, a condition that can kill both...

What does this expression mean to you: It is what it is? I have always interpreted it as a rather healthy response to accepting a situation, but lately, I have found people using it as an excuse. Sometimes, "it" is the wise acceptance of a circumstance you cannot...

If you are responsible for launching humans into outer space, then please think as much as humanly possible about what will make this endeavor successful. Think, think, and think some more. If, however, you are in the middle of a crisis, please spend less time...

In The Celestine Prophecy, James Redfield outlines the four control dramas: The IntimidatorThe InterrogatorThe AloofThe Woe is Me  Whatever your control drama is, you no doubt learned it early on in life, and it’s still your first response under stress. The names...

...Or more protein powder in my shake, or more of something external to enhance my slow performance on my Peloton bike. Then I heard myself. I was looking for an external fix to something that meant today I would be a little slower and perform at a different pace, in...

You are not responsible for others’ issues unless you agree to it. I have a client making huge decisions about the care of a loved one. This person is barraged by another family member’s opinions and outright anger even though they do not...

You and I know there's no such thing as an overnight sensation, right? There are the occasional flashes in the pan, but a true “sensation” is discovered after much trial and error, sweat and toil, and downright persistence on the part of the individual. The good news...

Driving a familiar route can give a sense of knowing an area. After all, you see it all the time.Strange, though, how you notice new things when you walk the same route. People and places you’ve only driven by take on more details and distinguishing features.That’s...

How often is the success of our work judged by being efficient? It is scheduled, measurable, and productive. Perpetual momentum. Effective, however, is challenging to schedule. It requires time for relationships, collaborations, and thoughtful consideration of...

The American spirit of independence is deeply ingrained in our society. We take it to mean that as adults, we can pay our way in life. We call all the shots. Lately, I’ve heard independence and freedom used interchangeably, but there is a difference. None of us are...

My heart breaks every time I work with a client who experienced childhood trauma. Forever, they wonder how they could have prevented some of the most upsetting and violent things from happening. You couldn’t. That sense of powerlessness follows you and makes you...

We had a fun getaway last week. Mark and I stayed at a resort in Palm Desert. It wasn't a high-end place but good enough for getting away from Seattle's unceasing rain. It was such a relief that we didn't even mind too much that temperatures were 15 degrees above...

I was entering the expressway the other day and the first thing I saw was a sign that warned, “rough road.” I chuckled, wondering how helpful it would be if life would more boldly label what’s ahead from time to time. “Smooth Sailing Ahead”“Next Exit for...

The house painters arrived. Their job is to return our home to neutral colors allowing prospective buyers to envision themselves living there. Their job is to erase us. Our bedroom is/was red with gold and black accents. We loved it. We don’t count anymore. As the...

The married widow. It’s not a typo nor an oxymoron. My friend and I have an ironic take on her situation. She is married to someone with Alzheimer’s disease. She is both married and alone all at the same time. Her husband now resides in memory care much to her relief...

I didn’t know it at the time. I thought I was funny. But I wasn’t. I was mean. I want to take a moment to apologize to my teenage friends, Cindy, Amy, Sue, et al., for the times I was an absolute ass. I had a wicked smart tongue. The thing I’ve learned about being...

As my husband and I prepare our house for market, I keep receiving these wake-up calls that I still need to pay attention to this place as if we still lived here – because we do! Damn, I still need to clean the bathroom, pay the bills and participate in daily living....

I recently spoke with a client who had a rough year. He felt like walking away from a challenging situation, not of his making but still landing in his lap. Yet, something told him that there was valuable learning here and to hang in there a bit longer. He was glad he...

That is precisely how I feel when I begin with a new client – that an adventure is about to happen. When working with me, your adventure will include what can sometimes feel like scary introspection followed by positive, life-changing outcomes. Barriers indeed serve...

Buddha teaches us that when we rely on others’ approval, we give away our personal power. Whenever we feel that need for our spouse, boss, children, or parents to validate us, we instantly hand over our power, waiting for their decision on our self-worth. We tend to...

How do you tackle a gnarly situation? My husband and I have an ongoing (friendly) discussion about how to release a snarl, a tangle, whether it is in my hair, a muscle spasm, or a necklace chain. His approach is to go right to the center and wrestle with the knot,...

Reading The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson was a game-changer for me. Here is the bottom line:           Every Decision Moves You Closer to or Further from Your Goal If your goal is to save money, going out to lunch every day takes away from that...

Every so often, I find some of the most quotable quotes from the Peloton instructors who encourage me through such crazy workouts as a 30-minute Tabata, huge stationary bike climbs, and strength training. True, it is voluntary, so I could just not participate. But...

In some ways, intuition and psychic abilities are closely related. Being psychic means divining messages about others and situations.Being intuitive is listening to the messages that lie in that space of the still small voice within. Some people are psychic but not...

I was at a psychic fair offering readings this past weekend. It was amazing how many of the people I read for needed two very similar messages: Draw good boundariesBe more selfish When both of these are ignored, victims are created. Those are the people who can’t move...

There’s a fun exercise used in hypnotherapy to provide clarity and calm. It’s called creating a safe space and here’s how it works. This space is of your own creation and lives in your mind and heart. It can be real or imaginary, perhaps someplace you know or...

You and I cannot solve this problem, BUT we can make a difference. Here are some thoughts about how. Demonstrate compassion toward each other. Acts of kindness matter. The collective energy we put out into the world plays a role in spreading hope.Demonstrate...

I always laughed at Olive Oyl, Popeye’s sweetheart and Swee’Pea’s mom. Olive Oyl walked blindly along busy streets, ignoring the danger, accidentally riding to the tops of elevators on dangerous construction sites, and gently landing back on the sidewalk thanks to a...

My husband and I are talking about downsizing and moving to someplace with a lower cost of living.For every location we consider, we find plusses and minuses. I mean, where else do you find the beauty of the Pacific Northwest without the high cost of living?We ask...

The Washington Post printed this article last week, and boy did it call out our society to a T. Bottom line: we Americans put a very high value on being productive over all else. The husband writes to “Dear Carolyn,” a syndicated advice columnist. He is upset that his...

Listening to meditation music, closing my eyes, feeling myself lift. It gives me a new perspective, feeling lighter physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually. In this state, all things are possible, calm, and safe. Like magic. I need only to close my eyes and...

My husband, Mark, and I have had go-arounds for the past 34 years about systems, those everyday habits that save time and energy and offset forgetfulness. As an engineer, Mark is driven by systems and organization. It is not a perfect practice on his part, but it is a...

Ever get a call out of the blue that says, “I know your week is all planned, you’re feeling productive, but reality has something else in mind for you?” Most of us can recall times like these without much trouble. Fortunately for me, my 2022 guiding words are “Embrace...

On New Year’s Day, my friend said she never makes resolutions. They are just another opportunity to disappoint herself. Brava! I don't make them either. I suggested that she try affirmations instead and here's the difference. Resolutions tend to be written in the...

I love this article! The author and I both work with executives to tap into their intuition with greater understanding, accuracy, and confidence. We understand that your intuition is the single greatest resource designed to serve you. Here are a few highlights Your...

At the beginning of every year, I take three steps: I review my vision making updates or changes as needed.This vision is for all of my life, of which my job or career is only a piece.I choose my words to guide me. For 2022, I choose “Embrace the And…”Then, I review...

If there is one thing I have learned in the past two years, it is to “embrace the and.” That is why I have chosen these simple words to be my guide for 2022. They remind me to remain flexible, agile, open to new possibilities at every turn. What will be your guiding...

This is one of my favorite Christmas stories and I want to share it with you. World War I and the Christmas Truce* Starting on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops fighting in World War I sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain...

I am convinced that I am solar-powered. And here I find myself living in the Pacific Northwest, where gray flannel skies rule for far too much of the year.Yup, I sleep far too long with these dark days. Being a morning person, it can be quite disruptive. Sans the...

I’ve come to believe that we want free stuff, but we don’t trust free offers.                “What’s the catch?”                “No such thing as a free lunch.”Sometimes, free is free.It’s a gift. An opportunity to try something new. An invitation to join.Every other...

The season of giving and receiving is upon us. Are you a gracious giver and receiver? To be truly generous and thankful, we must learn to do both, or it is not true generosity. For many, this time of giving thanks is a joyous occasion. For others, it is a little too...

The Predictive Index recently posted their 2021 report on CEO benchmarking, and they talk about what it means to shift to remote teams. The number one result was working well as a team. "51% of CEOs cited “working well remotely” as a top hurdle.Companies may be...

It’s time to proudly acknowledge that something about you that makes you truly you. For me, it was outing my intuition and psychic medium talents. Many people didn’t quite know what to do with that, but that’s okay. The ones that did show up almost immediately, and...

I hear this a lot. But I also hear great resistance when I suggest that one work with their passions. “I don’t want what I love to become a job.” Wow! What a way to stay stuck! I have heard this same sentiment from far too many of my clients. Let me try this another...

How many of us carry damaging stories around we believe to be true?The correct answer is all of us.My latest reminder was with my 89-year-old mother who stopped taking my calls because early this summer I insisted she move to assisted living.It was very upsetting...

Every time I got a promotion, I felt the confidence for all of five minutes before the next level of anxiety set in. The stakes were higher, and even more, people would look to me to make good decisions. “What if I fail?” Can you relate? Some people call it imposter...

You’ve heard people throw around the term “mercury retrograde,” and maybe you even know that it means things can go haywire. But what is it really? Simply put, Mercury Retrograde is an optical illusion. A time when Mercury looks as if it is moving backward. Its effect...

Some things get overwhelming, and you may or may not know why. A simple or obvious thing becomes bigger or harder to deal with, seemingly more complex the more you try to deal with it. When this happens for you, I recommend “sacralizing” the situation. Let me explain....

My husband and I set off on a three-week road trip through the southwest.On two occasions, we have made the risky decision to ignore our GPS and gone a slightly different route. Both times, we were correct in doing so and saved as much as ten to twenty minutes of...

Actually, I help you solve your problems, and then I help you stop creating more problems. “How,” you say?  Most problems come from bad decisions, and problems get in the way of achieving your goals. With my process, I show you how to make better decisions using...

There’s one visual that keeps coming to mind when I think about this year so far. A yoyo. More specifically, what it means to be at the end of the string. Some things have taken me by surprise, while other things didn’t go as I had hoped. This whole year has felt like...

Ever found yourself thinking you’re not original or unique enough? A client explained that every time he thought of something he really wanted to do, someone else had already thought of it, so he couldn’t do it. That is when I shared with him this secret that I...

“Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a decision is made, nothing happens.... Decision is the courageous facing of issues, knowing that if they are not faced, problems will remain forever unanswered.” Wilferd Peterson What decisions are you putting off? ...

Do you find that you lean more toward heart or head when making decisions. With a child you might lean more towards heart but at work more towards head but let’s think about that.A heart-full decision is guided by how a decision makes you feel be it good or scared or...

The past few months, it has been a struggle for my elderly mother to accept that she needs assisted living to stay safe. She’s not having any of it. Every day she is combative and adamant and all kinds of cranky. It has been exhausting and sad. Being my mother’s...

“By definition, the courageous conversation is the one you’re not having now. By definition, the courageous conversation is the one you don’t want to have, and by definition is the one you hope isn’t true, and there’s another one you can have in its stead.” - David...

This week I had the pleasure of talking with nonprofit executives from across the country on The American Nonprofit Show. We talked about how to get “unstuck,” something so many of my clients ask for help with. (You can listen to the broadcast...

Last week, my mother approached the reality of leaving her longtime home for assisted living the way the prisoner steps around the puddle on the way to the guillotine. She was still in her home, still alive, still living in the now. A few days before the move, Mom...

I heard an employment expert say that COVID ushered in “The Era of Mass Resignation.” Working from home, people got in touch with work-life balance in a whole new way. Many realized that work was not the most important thing in their life. Maybe, after removing all...

My mom is a master of strategy. It has served her well in most areas of her life. Until now. Not wanting to move to assisted living, mom devised what she felt was a winning strategy that required everyone else to change their situation to help care for her at home so...

Below is a link to a great article about biases when diagnosing women's health. It makes the case that what medicine accepts as "normal" is often based on symptoms as would likely be displayed by a trim white male.This doesn’t just happen in medicine. Sometimes we...

I read in a horoscope today. I won’t tell which sign it was attributed to because, well, that’s not the point. The point is that it is a good reminder for all of us. Here it is: “Belief is the code that programs the mind. Once a thing is believed, the perceived world...

Sometimes, things happen in our lives that are beyond our control. The loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, breakups, injury. All sorts of things. The adjustment period can be very long and difficult depending on the level of trauma and our willingness to work...

Have you hit a barrier in your career or personal life?Sometimes barriers are big walls that are hard to see your way over or around. Other times they are so small and yet they pose the same level of threat.I had a client who went through life always feeling like he...

When the Boeing 737-max crashed, they took much of Boeing with them. They also took their long-standing reputation for building with integrity and safety as leading values. Boeing is the clearest demonstration of the downside of the ROI-based approach to business....

Coach overload? Me, too.

But what else could I call my strategy and skill-building sessions with executives and leaders about improved decision-making processes?

While I still consult and facilitate and offer nonprofit and individual services, I also coach executives from all sectors about the role and value of intuition in the workplace.

I love this article, from the February 2021 FastCo magazine. While the word intuition is never used, it is indeed a great demonstration of what it means to stop, observe the bigger picture, allow for greater input, and then move forward.

In this article Todd McKinnon, CEO of Okta, shares five approaches to decision making. You may say, “I already do that,” to which I say, “bravo!” For others it may sound like the luxury of time to which I say, “you cannot afford the time loss resulting from a bad decision.”

If you would like some coaching on making the best decisions possible, I’m here for you.

Good news! You don't need to sit in the quiet for an hour to access your intuition. Here are three quick tips for getting in touch with your intuition:3 Breath      2 Notice   1 FeelWhen you stop to take a breath, you bring much-needed oxygen to the thought process....

Yeah, I know. We’re all expecting lots of “happy” this and “merry” that. Some days just don’t align with that feeling. Except for last night. Last night my husband and I built a gingerbread house together. It didn’t take long and it didn’t look like the picture on the...

How many hearts and minds across the country and around the world would Martin Luther King, Jr. have captured if he proclaimed, “I have a plan!” 😴 No! Instead, he offered people a dream 😍 of what could be better and engaged them in realizing that dream. He spoke of...