Have you ever noticed that getting from ‘here’ to ‘there’ is NEVER a straight line? It’s a messy, uncomfortable unravelling of everything we thought we knew. We talk about transformation as if it were a decision. It’s one bold choice (I’ll start a new business, I’ll get a divorce, I’ll get back on my feet...

How Marketing Turned Frugality into a Trend Have you noticed? The more things change, the more things stay the same. Except …. NOW they come with a catchy name and a marketing campaign. Eons ago, my husband and I had a tiny wedding. Twenty-five people. We didn’t know 200 people, our families weren’t large, and...

The month of November is always special for me because it’s the time when hunting and fishing activities typically slow down. I know this because I scheduled my wedding around the hunting excursions of family and friends. It’s always very quiet in the third week of November. Our wedding feast was very dull and reflected...

“The market demands higher returns.”   You’ve heard it. Maybe you’ve said it. My journey in the C-suite spanned 30 years, and not once did the market come knocking on my door.   But you know who did? Private equity firms with term sheets. Activist investors with 2% stakes and PowerPoint decks. But never the stock...

It’s early Sunday morning. November 2nd. Coffee in hand. Still buzzing. Last night, the World Series ended in heartbreak for the Blue Jays. I’m not even a huge baseball fan, but I watched every pitch of that game. And this morning, I can’t stop thinking about what I saw. Not the stats. Not the plays....

Are you a chocolate lover like me? When I was in my early twenties, I went on a European travel adventure with my boyfriend and decided to sample chocolate in every country we visited. Then one of my jobs involved extensive international travel, so I continued the taste testing and can proudly tell you I...

Have you ever thought about the underlying reason behind why we get mad? Why that white hot flame explodes? The ONLY reason we ever get mad is because we have lost control of the situation. And the truth is, we humans want, love, and need control. Of course we do. It’s hardwired into us. We’ve...

How Corporate Marketing Shaped the Climate Crisis I’ve been investigating the misinformation surrounding climate change and sustainability, and I’ve found that it often originates from the same source as many other falsehoods. The relentless pursuit of massive corporate profits. Let me tell you a story that will probably make you angry. You know the term...

I’ve been thinking about the state of the world these days. Aren’t we all? And right now, something we could use more of is resilience. Too many people tell me I have resilience in spades. That’s what it might look like on the outside. Inside is a different story. My secret? You don’t build resilience...

I had a friendly dust-up this week with an old colleague about a term that, at least to me, feels like fingernails on chalkboards. Servant Leadership. Y’know that lovely, friendly term that means NO leadership! It’s the catchphrase that gets thrown around as if it’s the gold standard we should all aspire to. Here’s what...