If you’re reading this, it means you made it through the wildness of December ‘22, and are now at January’s door … thinking about what is possible with this new year. So often we think about professional goal and intention-setting in terms of revenue generated … new connections forged … new habit loops of various sorts. But there’s an area of growth that doesn’t get nearly enough credit—

Hi Friend, The other day, I was in conversation with a few humans, and a moment came in which I felt the VERY strong urge to offer my opinion. It turns out I love offering my opinion. I love knowing that I have something to offer... that there is some benefit to aging … I know things. But just as I began to open my mouth, I sensed that my urge to opine might be (at least in this particular moment) counterproductive. It might be just another manifestation of my need to control. My need to be right. My need to feel useful.

Hi Friend, On a recent Sunday, I felt depleted. Emotionally drained. Energetically desiccated. So, in an effort to nourish my spirit, I decided to take a break in the back yard with my husband Sal. We sat together in silence, watching birds dart from tree to tree. I could feel my spirit reanimating. I could feel my authentic self rising up from the ashes of my hustling and bustling. All of a sudden, Sal says to me, “Did Maddy remember to get that gift for whatshername? You guys have to leave in 30 minutes …” His words were like an electric shock to my system. My heart rate doubled and my impulse was to launch myself out of that chair, huff my way to the staircase where I would scream at my child asking if she’d handled her gift getting business.

Hi Friend, I recently gave my Show Stopping Storytelling Skills workshop to a team in San Francisco. Good storytelling requires a storytelling mindset — one that allows us to believe that even our most mundane days are full of stories. The guy that you flipped off on the freeway? Story. The way your teenager sneered at your advice for going viral on TikTok? Story. That moment you remembered to truly listen and not just offer advice? Story.