The Most Likely Way You’ll Take Back Your Time
Having a baby has changed the way I make choices. Time with Baby Girl McGraw is such a big YES for me that it puts every other decision into sharper focus. “Do I want to take on this project?” turns into, “Do I want to trade an hour with our long-awaited little one? Do I want to source childcare for this time? Is it worth it to me?” I’m hooked on the fierce clarity. But the challenge, of course, is to translate thought into action – to LIVE from that place of integrity. Is this something you struggle with, dear ...
Read More
If only you knew (what it’s really like to write)
Over a dozen of you wrote to me last week to share how much the missive meant to you. Thank you. As I read message after message, I shook my head and thought, “Wow. If only they knew.” Then I realized that perhaps it’s right that you DO know. The morning I wrote that missive, I did not bounce out of bed with a smile. Like so many other parents in this COVID time, my husband and I have been caring for our baby for 2 months without outside help, while both running our businesses. We’re thankful to have that ...
Read More
There is a way, and you will find it.
Have you ever had a strong sense that there was something you were meant to do … but then second-guessed that knowing, because you couldn’t see how it would work? Ever spent time in silence, getting clear on what you yearn for … and then felt a vicious wave of doubt knock you down? I get it. I see it in my own life, and in my work with private coaching clients. Often we pretend that the problem is not knowing what we want … when the truth is that we DO know, we just don’t see a way forward. ...
Read More
All the things we need to drop (and one that remains)
Do you remember the 1998 movie You’ve Got Mail, when Joe Fox and Kathleen Kelly were both so darn PSYCHED to read their email? For all their differences, the characters had this in common: They loved logging onto AOL, hearing those dulcet dial-up tones and the voice saying, “You’ve Got Mail!” And after they deleted the spam, typically they only had ONE real email waiting for them. I woke up with that image in my mind the other day: An near-empty inbox. Just one message that really meant something. …
Read More
So I Wrote You a Fairy Tale (For Real)
I started writing a book back in 2015. After about a million rewrites, I’m very happy to share that You Don’t Owe Anyone will be published by Broadleaf Books a year from yesterday, on April 20, 2021. It’s a book about what happens when you decide to free yourself from the weight of expectations, both internal and external. It’s one woman’s story of trying so very hard to be perfect, then learning to trust herself instead. It’s a modern twist on divine grace; You Don’t Owe Anyone is what happens when you realize that you have no relational debt to ...
Read More
Manage Your Mind and Make Progress: A 5 Day Challenge!
Welcome to our new 5 day challenge video series, Manage Your Mind & Make Progress: Break Through the Negative Thought Patterns That Hold You Back. In this series, you’ll learn: The #1 reason why you haven’t been able to shift your negative thought patterns up until now A proven escape hatch from the pain of negative thoughts How to retrain your brain and stop procrastinating What to do when managing your mind just isn’t working! How to stand in your power and choose wisely Thank you to everyone who submitted their painful thoughts; press play and learn how to handle ...
Read More
How to Break Through Negative Thought Patterns
Can I get real with you right now? I did something crazy this summer. (It’s kind of embarrassing, but it’s coming up as a story that needs to be told. I’ve learned over the years to pay attention to this feeling, to put aside my ego and be of service.) Here’s what happened. After the epic labor and birth of our baby – which I have compared to being in a street fight with my own body – I needed surgery. Afterward, the nurse offered me a Motrin. Given that, you know, the anesthetic was going to wear off, and ...
Read More
You Need to Hear These 6 Words Today
“Walk like you’re one inch taller.” Dawn, my new physical therapist, was coaching me to walk properly last week. She’s helping me to improve my posture and alignment in order to heal from birth injuries. As you’d imagine, I’m taking this work seriously. I’m on time for every appointment, giving each exercise my all. But those 6 words nearly stopped me in my tracks. The ears of my soul perked up, like a cat at the sound of kibble. That’s what my body feels like when it hears something true; my inner animal snaps to attention. …
Read More
Decision Making Is a One Way Street
I’ll never forget the night I drove across the George Washington Bridge by accident. It was 2010, and I’d just dropped some friends off at a train station in New Jersey. In a moment of distraction, I missed my turn on the unfamiliar, dark streets. That’s how I found myself on a one-way road heading straight toward the bridge and into New York City. There was no changing course or correcting the mistake. If I wanted to get home to New Jersey, I’d need to pay the $8.00 toll, cross the bridge, then get back on course. Now, this was ...
Read More
Why Do I Feel Bad When I Spend Money On Myself?
I used to have so much trouble spending money “just for me.” In college, I worked three jobs, volunteered, and tithed hundreds of dollars to my church … and I couldn’t pull the trigger on a $15 gift for myself. Before I graduated from Vassar, I wanted to buy a coffee mug from my favorite cafe … but I couldn’t do it. Spending money on that “selfish” purchase was too anxiety-producing. Why do I feel bad when I spend money on myself? I wondered. …
Read More
