I Want That July 16, 2011I had lunch with a colleague recently. He asked me what kind of issues I’m working on with my coaching clients. I told him* about a favorite client who emails me at 5 a.m. every morning. This particular client’s life flows better if he gets up early, goes to the gym, and then heads to work. He beats himself up if he doesn’t follow this schedule. And heads down a spiral of self loathing. So it’s important he gets up…
The Best Thing About Mommy July 15, 2011I found a treasure as I was sorting through my kids’ school work. Tucked among a pile of papers was a note from my daughter. In her careful handwriting, my 5-year-old had written, “The best thing about Mommy is that she quit her job.” That’s a keeper.
It Was Never Locked July 14, 2011A friend recently sought my help as a coach. She was feeling trapped and miserable in her job and her life. We talked through her options. I asked questions. I listened for the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” and “have tos.” That was all. She told me later that she had a vision as she was falling asleep that night. She saw herself in a jail cell, surrounded by iron bars. I came into her vision and opened the door. “It was…
Housework: Housewife :: Email: Middle Manager July 13, 2011Housework is my guilty secret. I find it deeply satisfying keeping my house in order. A clean house feels reassuring. But I’ve been thinking about the balance between keeping my house clean and getting anything else done. Housework is a lot like email was in my corporate jobs. Never ending. You could spend all your time on it. Never get to the strategic, high priority, hard stuff, and wonder what you did with your day. With your life. For a…
Old Excuses July 12, 2011I bumped into a favorite coaching client of mine yesterday. He exclaimed, “Guess where I’ve been!” I hadn’t a clue. I was feeling a little down, a little self defeated. My last day with Amazon is today and maybe I was feeling a little shaky about what I was walking away from. My client said, “I just got back from the gym!” He looked so happy, so sparkling. Gorgeous. And my clouds lifted. This client and I had talked during…
Following My Dream July 9, 2011I started writing this blog after I made the decision to walk away from my career in corporate America. This was not a decision I made lightly: I had invested a great deal into that career. But it was time to focus on my coaching practice. And I wanted to spend more time with my small children. It was time to live my life more closely aligned with my values. I started this blog to chronicle that transition. My hope is…
Rattlesnake Premonition May 31, 2011I went for a trail run in rattlesnake country and almost died. A friend and I ran through the meadow at the top of this photo and up into the valley beyond. This is way out in Eastern Washington. Where it’s hot and sunny, if you can imagine. We saw a dead rattlesnake on the road as we were jogging to the trail. That should have been a clue. Forty minutes in, we got to a good turnaround spot with…
Accountability May 25, 2011I’ve been thinking about accountability. I have three coaching clients who talk to me about their weight. Possibly with some help from me, they are making significant changes in their lives. Awesome changes to their habits and self image and priorities. I then go home and eat (organic!) oreos and feel fat. I hadn’t talked about it with anyone (like my own coach, for instance) because I didn’t want to be accountable to anyone else. I know how accountability works:…
A Favorite Day May 25, 2011I had a birthday this week. Birthdays used to be more exciting somehow. But well-wishers hoped that I would do something special. So I decided to make it a favorite day. Highlights included writing in my favorite café, running with my daughter on her bike in the sunshine, and making pancakes with the kids for dinner. Lowlights included freezing my ass off at the playground and getting the kids to clean the playroom. It was the best day ever. The…
The Dungeon of Spit May 24, 2011“Oh we don’t need stakes. It’s not going to rain.” Rookie mistake. The sound of rain pattering on the tent is a lovely sound; the sound of rain pattering inside the tent not so much. We went on our first camping trip of the summer last weekend. I’ve always wanted to go to the Dungeness Spit, a 300-foot wide spit of sand, logs and birds stretching five miles out into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. My 5-year-old thought it…
