I recently took on a client who is focused on changing not just her job, but career field as well. She’s used her past two sessions strategizing for interview techniques.   One of the techniques I gave her involves the word “because.”   As odd as this tip might appear, it does impact the tone of a conversation. […]

Mick Short Do you recognize that name?   No?  Well, it’s the name of the man of my dreams.   Seriously.   I’m going to tell you a story that is so odd I’ve wrestled with whether I should even share it in any kind of public arena. I’ve decided, though, that it is too weird not to share. […]

In 1982 John Naisbett published his prescient “Megatrends,” in which he predicted ten seismic societal shifts by millennium’s start. Perhaps his most enduring prediction is what he called “high tech/high touch.”  He maintained that as society became more technologized, we would feel an ever-greater need to connect through real-time, sensory experiences. And so it is today. […]

Today is only one day in all the days that will ever be. But what will happen in all the other days that ever come can depend on what you do today. Ernest Hemingway Earlier this month I met up at a Starbucks with Peter (names changed), a former UCLA student of mine. As we were […]

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation  is not to utter words, but to live by them. John F. Kennedy Last Thanksgiving I went to friends’ home for dessert. John’s (names changed) parents were at the table when I arrived. I’ve known them for many years and while they’re more socially […]

The courage to be vulnerable is not about winning or losing, it’s about the courage to show up when you can’t predict or control the outcome. Brenee Brown Over the summer I helped a friend of mine who is Director of College Counseling at a private high school here in Los Angeles. Stephanie (names changed) hosted a […]

Discover something new every day. James Still I recently visited a store in Toluca Lake that I frequent. Julian (names changed) is the associate who’s been helping me for almost a decade. He knows I write and teach and coach and he excitedly told me that he had a story that might interest me.   It did, so […]

What is your relationship to life?  I’m not sure there is a bigger question than this. It bears repeating: 
 What – is – your relationship to life? Eckhart Tolle A couple of weeks ago I met with my client Hailey (names changed), who is responsible for mentoring several people at her financial firm. She talked with […]

You have to stop setting yourself on fire trying to keep everyone else warm. Anonymous Last month I gave a workshop at UCLA where Lucy (names changed), one of the participants, shared that she’s frustrated with a co-worker who consistently criticizes her work while attempting to micro-manage her. Adding to the frustration is that the co-worker is […]

Business, like life, is about how you make people feel. It’s that simple, and it’s that hard. Danny Meyer, “Setting the Table” When I was growing-up in the Bronx, my mother wouldn’t allow my brother and me to go trick-or-treating. She claimed it was begging and if we wanted candy, we should ask her. And, […]