Are you at the end of yet another week where you worked more hours than you wanted to, you’re feeling exhausted, and realizing that you haven't taken a moment for yourself?

TGIF, right?!

And maybe you’re excited for the weekend, but also feeling like you have little energy for much else and already worrying about the work you think you *should* do on your personal time to catch up.

Deep down, you know this pace isn't sustainable. And you want to be more balanced and present in your life.

But you don't know what you could possibly take off your plate or how to still be effective at work if you were to slow down the pace or keep boundaries.

People assume that you must put in the long hours to be successful, but the truth is that you simply cannot be the best leader (or parent) you can be when you're feeling exhausted and spread thin.

Even if you are already recognized as a high performer, I guarantee you are not operating at your highest level and you will eventually hit a...

Last weekend, I ran an organized race for the first time since 2017. My training didn’t quite go as planned for a 10km race and, leading up to the day, I hadn’t run more than 30 minutes at a time.

In the days before the event, it was tempting to let the negative thoughts seep in. "I didn’t train enough", "I can't do this", "I'll be too slow." “I should drop out”.

And it was even more tempting to let those unhelpful thoughts take over during the race. To just throw in the towel and start walking when the tiredness set in (which was pretty early on ).

But here’s the thing. Our mind will go where we take it. And what we focus on, we create more of. And so I harnessed that power.

I intentionally focused my mind and attention on empowering affirmations. "I am a runner", "I can do this". “It’s only X more kilometers and then done”. And one I heard recently at a women's day conference: “Winners never quit, and quitters never...

Sometimes we just don't know what we don't know.

We had a big, sudden thunderstorm on Saturday night in the city. It crazy POURED in a short amount of time.

Which meant we spent our Saturday night sopping up water in the basement!

It came from under the walls and up through the floor.

I rolled up the carpet, shop vacced the water and spent a few hours rotating towels.

And my husband was out of town to add to the fun . I was exhausted!

But thankfully, the rain didn’t last long.

Anytime it is heavy rain, we get some water in the basement, but this was the worst it's been.

The next morning I was talking to our neighbor telling him about my night. He asked why our sump pumps were not working.

“Sump pumps?!” I replied. “We don’t have any!”.

He informed me that the owners before us had three sump pumps! And we learned that they had removed them!

We had NO idea. And have lived in the house for 16 years.

I didn’t even know that sump pumps in the...

Do you secretly wish that you would be more confident in yourself?

To speak up in meetings and not let the anxious feelings keep you from saying what's really on your mind.

To feel good about your decisions and spend less time overthinking or second-guessing yourself.

To come across as a leader who knows what they are doing instead of feeling like you’re putting on an act.

“Was this good enough? Did I say the right thing? What if I can't do this?”

These questions run through your mind until you receive feedback that you are hitting the mark.

And this constant battle in your mind is the big secret that you don’t want to tell anyone because . . .

You think you need to look like you have it together.

The truth is NO ONE feels 100% confident all of the time or has it all together - you are not alone.

In fact, most people wonder if they know what the heck they are doing at times (me included!)

In order to have real confidence in ourselves, we have to understand...

What this means is to be in integrity with what you say and model the behaviors you want to see in others.

You don't want your team working themselves into the ground? Don't do it yourself.

You want people to remain optimistic? You remain optimistic.

You want your team to share how they are struggling? You share.

You want your team to take care of themselves? You take care of yourself.

You want people to be patient and understanding? You be patient and understanding.

You want people to listen to you? You listen to them.

You want people to show caring and compassion? You show caring and compassion.

You want your kids to stop yelling? You stop yelling.

You want people to put their phones down and be present? You know what to do!

It always goes both ways, whether it's with your team, your family or anyone around you.

Walking my talk is a huge reason I have been able to remain calm, present and balanced these past few years, even when life is feeling chaotic or messy.

When you walk your...

Taking time away from the daily stressors at work allows you focus on other important areas of your life such as being present with your family and space to recharge.

And during the workday, it’s important to limit distractions when you are focusing on a task or conversation so that you can accomplish what you set out to do.

But what do you do when you can’t seem to turn your mind off, leaving you feeling scattered and constantly bouncing from one thought to the next?

When you can’t help thinking about that big presentation coming up or the conversation you had yesterday with your manager that didn’t go very well.

Or when you are in a meeting, and even though you look like you’re listening to what others have to say, you are really thinking about something else.

Or when you are tucking your kids into bed at night, and you are thinking about all your to-dos for tomorrow.

Instead of being present in the moment -- more than just physically there.

We can...

In a recent coaching session with a client, we explored her values and what success looks like for her, not just at work but in her life.

One of her values is ‘balance’. I asked her, "What does that mean to you?" (Because words mean different things to different people).

She told me that, for her, the essence of balance is being okay with the "and." And she shared many examples.

After the session, I thought, “Wow, what if we all gave more space for the ‘AND’?”.

As we navigate through life, we often face situations that seem to demand a choice between one thing or another.

The power of "and" lies in its ability to create a sense of harmony and flexibility between two seemingly conflicting perspectives and choices.

It allows space for both.

For instance, instead of choosing between being scared OR confident, we can acknowledge our fear AND embrace our confidence, knowing that we can handle the situation.

By doing so, we recognize the complexity of our...

Do you often lose patience with the people you care about the most?

I certainly have.

When I am more impatient with my husband and kids – not being kind, losing my cool or yelling – I have learned it’s a cue for me that there is too much on my plate.

Which is a rare occurrence now. But, a few years ago, it was an everyday thing.

This is the famous "duck blanket” story in our house . . .

Back when Carter was four years old (he is 14 now), there was a period where bedtime was a real battle.

One night, in particular, when my husband was out of town, I was exhausted from the work day and I still had a few hours of work to do that evening.

And Carter would not stay in bed.

We went back and forth for hours, it felt like. I would tell him to stay in his room. He would keep coming out.

I desperately wanted him to get to bed so I could get to work.
We were yelling at each other, and it turned into a battle of wills.

Back and forth.

As a last-ditch attempt, I...

When people think about work-life balance, they often think about time. But what about the ripple effect that happens when you're out of balance, such as your impatience with others?

I am not talking about everyday minor frustrations where you can still keep your cool (for the most part). We all get annoyed, frustrated, and impatient at times – we are human, after all.

I am talking about the level at which you are feeling impatient or frustrated and how you react to it.

Are people "driving you crazy"? Do you stop being kind to others when the pressure is on? Or do you often yell at your kids when rushing out the door in the morning or at the end of a long day even though you don't mean to?

Are you reacting to those everyday frustrations in a way that isn't aligned with your values and the person you want to be, and it is making things worse?

If this sounds familiar to you, know this first and foremost . . .

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOU!

All the stress, frustration and...

You are the captain of your boat.
 
Life is full of events and situations beyond our control. People demand more than we can give, loved ones face illness, and responsibilities pile up.

It can be hard, messy, and overwhelming.
 
But remember, YOU are in charge of how you show up in your life.
 
You can wait for things to improve. Or make your situation worse.

Or take the helm and navigate your days with intention, aligning your actions with your values and what really matters to you.

You have a choice.
 
Think about this for a moment.
 
When the weather gets stormy, what direction do you steer your boat?

Do you get further away from what's important to you or move in the direction you want to go?
 
Are your actions consistent with your values and what truly matters to you? Where are they not?
 
Understanding your values and what's important to you helps you find direction and make tougher choices.

It’s like your compass, showing you the direction to...