Where Are We In This Story?

Time to read: 1 min, 16 seconds

Singing vigil in Minneapolis last weekend

Before I say anything about current events in Minnesota, here are a few important things for you to know.

• I am not a political pundit. Although I read extensively and listen to many experts, politics is not my area of expertise. Other people do this work well.
• I don't have answers. If I did, I'd be a political pundit. :-)
• My lens is personal responsibility, ownership, humans, and process. I help humans become more effective humans. To me, effective means connected, responsible, honest, transparent and kind (that is a short list).
• I believe in the possibility of world peace... if we humans would just get out of our own and each other's way. That's why I do this work.
• I have a lot to say. It's gonna take a few weeks.

I appreciate all of you who reached back to last week's newsletter with notes of solidarity, expressions of overwhelm, and questions. I'm going to take things in bite-sized pieces. Here is what I want to say today:

We are not at the end of this story.

We are still in the middle. We are in the middle of events in Minnesota, our nation, this administration, world history, and human existence. Part of (perhaps a big part) of this administration's current actions are to create despair and powerlessness. Or to create overwhelm so you can't pay attention to one.more.thing.

When it all feels like too much, overwhelm and despair follow. This is true in politics, work, and family life.

This is not the end. The story is being written every day by humans who stand sentry outside schools to protect students, drive their neighbors to work, protest brutality and aggression, and show up in their daily lives to tend, care, love, and spread joy. You are not powerless. You always have agency. No action, prayer, or connection is too small.

I've said this many times over the years of writing this newsletter. You matter. The energy you bring to your life and work matters. What you do matters. And all of this matters even more now.

Email me anytime. Many of you learned last week that I reply to every email, and sometimes you get a big download to your serious question. I'm always happy to hear from you.

Love to you!

Taking A Beat

Time to read: 15 seconds

An amazing quote and beautiful art at Rancho La Puerta in Mexico

I was teaching out of the country last week and came home to the tragedies that are unfolding in Minnesota.

Many people have asked me to share some wisdom. I'm still processing and thinking about what to say that hasn't already been said eloquently by many others.

I paused the final newsletter in the series about your career and will come back to it later. And I am listening and thinking and considering what to say in this moment in time.

I'll be back with more next week. As always, please email me and tell me how you are feeling and what questions you have. I always love to hear from you.

Who You Are Matters In Your Career

Time to read: 1 min 25 seconds

My son, growing his career

Welcome back after the holidays! I hope you are adjusting back to "real life" smoothly and easily.

We're continuing our "How to Grow Your Career" series into 2026.

You are a whole person. Who you are at work and at home is (surprise) THE SAME!

That doesn't mean you bring all your personal stuff into the office or bore people at parties with your vast technical knowledge.

It means growing your career has as much to do with who you are and how you show up as it does with what you do. Of course, to be successful in any career, you need training and skills. You want your financial planner and surgeon to know what they're doing.

And, very few people get away with being jerks. People want to hire, work with, and support kind, thoughtful people. Promotions happen because people have great relationships and reputations, along with their skills.

The good news for you is that you can develop yourself no matter where you are and what you do. Developing more patience at the giant family vacation = more patience with your team. Being resilient and calm in the face of aging parents makes you resilient in the face of corporate reorganization.

Your entire life is a playground for your development, and that development supports you at home and in your career!

If you know someone who could use a solid dose of career advice, they can sign up here.

If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. You'll see your question in an upcoming newsletter.

I hope this helps!

Should You Work In Your Passion?

Time to read: 1 min, 3 seconds

People tell me, "I want to work in my passion," or "I'm not passionate about my current job."

Oh dear. Finding your passion and working in it for the rest of your life is a lot of pressure.

Young professionals feel like they must find their passion and then turn it into work. My opinion? Passion is bunk.

That said, everyone has passions…many, many of them. Those are the things you enjoy, get lost doing, and love to think and talk about. A friend of mine likes to say, "You might have a passion for kitten snuggling, and that isn't going to make a career." I have a passion for making charm bracelets, and that isn't going to pay college tuition.

It's high pressure to expect to feel passionate about your job. Some people do. Others love their job and don't feel passionate about it. Still others enjoy their job well enough and satisfy their passions outside work.

It's ok for a job to simply be a job, something that supports your life and works in total.

Relieve yourself of the pressure to work in your passion. That's a recipe for being dissatisfied with what is, and maybe what is looks pretty great once you release that pressure value.

If you know someone who could use a solid dose of career advice, please forward this newsletter to them. They can sign up here.

If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. You'll see your question in an upcoming newsletter.

I hope this helps!

How To Plan Your Career

Time to read: 1 min, 5 seconds

The title of this newsletter is misleading. Here's the punchline...

Careers are not planned.

A caveat: A few careers are planned. If you want to be a doctor, there is a plan. Although even within a prescribed path like medicine, there are left turns when you discover you hate orthopedics and love pain management, or you move to New Mexico for a residency and stay.

Careers are nourished.

A plan implies that you know and control your next steps, and then are frustrated when you don't know the next step, the promotion doesn't come, or you don't like your boss.

Instead, focus on building your skills, growing your leadership, developing yourself, talking with people about things you care about, and seeking mentors. Do amazing work where you are now. Watch the environment. Seek opportunity in times of change.

Always till the soil of your career. That enables opportunities to grow. Those opportunities will emerge, sometimes out of nowhere, and step by step, your career advances in wonderful and surprising ways.

If you know someone who could use a solid dose of career advice, sign up here.

If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. You'll see your question in an upcoming newsletter.

Next week, I'll give you my take on working in your passion.

How To Advance Your Career

Time to read: 45 seconds

Our puppy's litter when they were itty bitty.

Last year, I joined the Alumni Board of the College of Communication at Ohio University, where I completed my PhD. One of my dreams was to work with larger groups of young people, so when this opportunity came up, it was a clear YES!

For two semesters, I've had the chance to do career workshops with classes of juniors and seniors. The students are STRESSED OUT about their future, and my goal is to calm their fears and teach them to trust the process of their career and lives.

I thought you might also enjoy the content about trusting the process of your career and life. So for the next few weeks, I'll share one nugget at a time to help you advance your career, change jobs, refresh your attitude about your current job, and just generally feel calmer.

If you know someone who could use a solid dose of career advice, please forward this newsletter to them. They can join us here.

If you have specific career questions you'd like me to address, email me and tell me all about it. I want this newsletter to be relevant to you!

Your Amazing Ordinary Life

Time to read: 19 seconds

Birthday candles!

My birthday was a couple of weeks ago,and all day, people texted to ask if I was doing something special. My answer was no. I had a wonderful ordinary day.

I led two corporate workshops. I walked my dogs. My kids called. I was hungry for pasta, so my husband and I went out for Italian food. I talked to clients. I folded laundry. Honestly, it was the best birthday ever.

I love living an ordinary life. When I was younger, I felt the pressure to change the world...to solve poverty or war. Every day, I see extraordinary ordinary people doing extraordinary things in their ordinary lives.

There is something wonderful about the day-to-day act of living. Take a look around your life. What is extraordinary about your ordinary life?