For as long as I can remember I dreamt of having a location independent business. I am a wanderlust at heart. I come by it honestly--my father has the same itch to travel and experience other cultures as do most of my siblings. My first experience with travel was when I graduated from college and purchased a one-way ticket to Europe. At the time my brother was studying printmaking in Italy, and my sister was teaching English in Hungary. After a few months of traveling around Europe and visiting them, my friend and I set up a home base in Prague where we lived for the next year and a half or so, taking the occasional trip including the time we hitchhiked from Prague to Barcelona. 

I learned that one of my happy places is on the road. I also learned that travel provides an educational experience that is second to none. Perhaps it is this free spirit in me that pushes me towards entrepreneurship and the laptop lifestyle that would allow me to adventure as much as my heart desires....

I did the Pandemic Pivot. This is different from the Shelter Shuffle. The shelter shuffle is some fun my family and I had during lockdown, where I choreographed a dance and forced everyone to participate so that we could film and post for the enjoyment of our friends and family (ok, mostly my mom). 

The Pandemic Pivot is a transformative change born from the Covid 19 crisis. Not all that came from this time was negative. There were a number of silver linings - more time with the family, less traffic, more creative solutions that made life work for business and family, and time to step back and reflect on what is important. 

Because I had been laid off and my other (new) business of choreographing dances for quinceañeras was on hold due to lockdown, I took the opportunity to do something that I had wanted to do for as long as I could remember. I got certified in life and career coaching. Before taking that plunge, I had already been doing a lot of work on myself just...

You might not know exactly what it looks like yet, but you do know beyond the shadow of a doubt that you want to start a business. For whatever reason, or maybe for a thousand reasons, you have always had the desire to go into business for yourself. Whether it is that you don’t fit into the corporate mold or that you want the flexibility to design your own days, you have your sites set on being a business owner. 

Let me make this clear from the very beginning:  Getting started is the absolute hardest part. It’s no wonder you haven’t done it yet. It is daunting, overwhelming, and just plain scary to start a business. 

What if you choose the wrong thing?

What if you fail?

What if your idea sucks?

What if...fill in the blank. I know you’ve got a million more.

The truth is, you will never know the answer to any of those what ifs. 

There is no answer.

It doesn’t exist. 

“What if” is something that may or may not...

Today I want to talk to you about 3 Tips to help you reduce stress and anxiety and just get you through the day. Especially now as the world is reopening; Covid restrictions are becoming a thing of the past. Schedules are starting to fill up, the streets are starting to fill up with traffic - all of these things are stressful and bring more stress and anxiety into our lives.

There are a few things that I do on a daily basis that might help you so I wanted to pass those along:

1. Get It Out of Your Head - Whatever it is your stressing about. The other day I was talking to a client about being stressed about all of the things that she has to do as a mom, getting kids here and there, stuff for work - just constant pressure and constant stress, so get it out of your head.  Like I said, schedules are filling up again. I had the luxury, for over a year, of not using a calendar because we were all home all the time. But I had to get it back out because now we are scheduling things,...

Think back on your life for just a second.

 Think about all of the things in your past that have provided you with the most growth.

 I guarantee it wasn't those times that you just went along with your normal day. And, listen, I know we need some normal days in life in order to stay sane but, if you're looking for growth, that is not where you'll find it.

You'll find growth in the trips you take. That time you went to Turkey and were faced, for really the first time ever, with people who went about life drastically differently than you did.

You'll find growth in the obvious places, like school and courses you take to further your education.

You'll find growth learning new skills, reading new books, and meeting new people.

You'll even find growth where it's not comfortable, like the unexpected loss of a loved one or an illness. 

It's the uncomfortable part of growth that I want to talk about, and I don't necessarily mean that it always comes out of unfortunate...

Could it be true? Is the end actually in sight? With the vaccination roll-out moving right along and numbers, for the most part, trending in the right direction, many states are starting to fully open the economy. Before we know it, we will all be back to business as usual. Of course, it won’t be the old “usual.” It will be a new normal, which is partly why this is all so confusing. 

Many have been back to work for some time. Others never stopped working, especially health care and essential workers, but soon everyone who is returning back to in-person work will be back in the office, for better or for worse. Some companies might continue offering remote opportunities, and I hope that many have learned new, and in some cases, better ways to find creative solutions that benefit both the company and the employees. If nothing else, we have become experts in shifting and adapting to new circumstances, so remember that and bring that new skill with you as you...

I remember turning forty (I’m forty seven now) and thinking that my thirties had been about getting my family together. I hoped that my forties were going to be about getting my career together.

My oldest was born when I was thirty, my second at 35, and my third at 40. Literally the entire decade was dedicated to child rearing and keeping the family together through lots of unexpected twists and turns. That included a sudden but necessary move out of the country, having to start over again multiple times in terms of career, and lots of financial struggle. By forty my family unit felt solid. We just hadn’t found solid ground to stand on. I was excited to see what my forties might bring.

I had also been watching the whole fabulous forties movement that Oprah and other celebrities had started when they turned forty. And it had been awhile so by now fifty is the new forty, right? Meaning I was feeling pretty young and optimistic about the whole thing, and I was definitely...

To be completely transparent I am writing this just after having binge watched The Queen's Gambit (which was excellent btw), and I'm writing about clearing distractions and obstacles so that you can get down to business and meet your goals. Funny, right? Maybe I haven't totally mastered the subject. But meet me where I am, and I'll meet you where you are, deal? 

It is the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the middle of a pandemic, and we are basically in lockdown again. So a day of laziness was kind of called for. Allowing yourself to take a moment to do those things is not the problem. Allowing those moments to overtake your life, is. 

After a short errand I walked back into the house and saw my unmade bed with the remote control and the TV was still silently streaming Netflix previews. It all looked so tempting, but I really wanted to get some work done and anyway, the series was over so I couldn't hang out with Beth and the gang anymore even if I wanted to. I thought about...

You are swimming in the ocean and you look towards the horizon to see what the next wave looks like. 

Oh shit.

That wave is BIG!

You immediately get that wave of panic running through your body and you start to think of your options. You sense danger so your first instinct is to run away. But trying to swim towards shore at this moment would mean that you get caught in the break, thrown about, and washed up onto shore. Um, no. Been there, done that. 

On this particular day I was at Twin Lakes beach in Santa Cruz. It’s a great swimming spot and I was with my parents, siblings, and our kids. What an awesome day full of family, sun, and surf. You really can’t beat that.

It doesn’t happen that often. We all live in separate places (my sister moved to Siberia!) so a day like this is golden. I am one of five kids and four of us (plus our parents and kids) were at the beach that day.

My older brother and sister and I were in the water enjoying the last hurrah...