Communication Tips: Swimsuit Edition Swimsuit shopping. Ugh. Finding the right suit can be such a chore. I usually look for one that covers my wobbly bits, but that also suits (ha!) my personality—you know… fun, classy, and bold enough to attract attention...
Don’t Be “Nice” I used to think of myself as a nice person. I don’t anymore. In fact, if people refer to me as nice, I cringe. It was a passage in Gavin de Becker’s book, The Gift of Fear, that first changed my opinion of this word: We must learn and then teach our...
The Art of Conversation: 4 Skills to Master At first, I thought it was just me. After spending an evening with friends and never once being asked a question, or sharing some news and receiving nothing but a “thumbs up” sign in response, or receiving multiple email...
Being Yourself Isn’t Enough Do you ever feel misunderstood? Like people don’t see or “get” the real you? Overlooked, perhaps? Maybe you are hardworking or intelligent or compassionate or clever… How many people actually see you that way? I remember one time a...
The Clothes Make the Man …Or Do They? I took my two daughters to Oregon Ballet Theater’s performance of The Nutcracker earlier this month. We dressed up in fancy clothes, had brunch at an upscale restaurant, then headed to the auditorium for their first ever...
Lessons Learned from 3 Big Mistakes I’ve Made I’ve had a lot of training and practice in communication. But my best teachers have often been my mistakes. I’ve screwed up many, many times… and those screw-ups have caused me pain. But they have also led to learning some...