“We can't all have the textbook life we once imagined at 18, 21, or 30. Life is what it is. Your future depends on the decisions you make from here on.” I’ll never forget the day my brother Frank was told he’d never walk again. I sat beside him in his hospital bed,...
In the 2000’s, the US Armed Forces introduced bulletproof body armor to protect American soldiers in deadly combat zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet the armor was so heavy that it weighed soldiers down and slowed their speed. General Stanley McChrystal,...
NASA Challenger disaster. BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Volkswagen emissions scandal. What went wrong? Investigations produced multi-layered findings. Yet beneath the complexity lay a common element. Fear. People were afraid to speak the truth. And so, they...
For eight years Bronnie Ware worked as a palliative nurse, taking care of people in the final days of their lives. She had so many profoundly illuminating experiences that she decided to write an article that went on to become a book. The Top Five Regrets of The Dying...
It’s often said that no parent should have to bury their child; it defies the natural order of life. Yet, to bury your own child after they have been brutally murdered by their own father inflicts a primal wound on the heart beyond what most can imagine. This is the...
Growing up on a small dairy farm, one of seven kids, money was often scarce. I used to envy the city kids who’d visit our area each summer. If only my parents were rich like theirs’. If only I could have designer jeans. If only we could have a car with air-con. If...
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. Your playing small does not serve the world." I was not long out of university when I first came upon these words by Marianne Williamson. Soon after, they...
Life can be painful. This may sound like a pretty negative thing to say but having had numerous painful periods in my life, I believe so much suffering people experience comes from trying to avoid it. Which is why I'm excited to share with you my recent conversation...
During my recent trip to Washington D.C. I sat down with Kathy Calvin, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation whose job it is to steward over $1 billion dollars entrusted to the UNF. Kathy and I discussed an issue we are both passionate about - women,...
"It's by embracing change and risking mistakes that you get ahead." ~ Bill Marriott One of the things I most love about my work is the people I get to meet. So it was a huge honor to be invited into Marriott headquarters to interview J.W. "Bill" Marriott, who has...
“Every risk is worth taking as long as it’s for a good cause and contributes to a good life.” - Sir Richard Branson Maverick. Risk taker. Rebel. Trailblazing tycoon. Billionaire buccaneer. Adventurer. Disruptor. Sir Richard Branson has been called all these and many...
In recent months I’ve spent time with several people going through a tough time and struggling to hold on to hope and stay optimistic. Depression is tapping at the door of a few. I know there have been times over the years I’ve felt that way myself. When my brother...
Last week I facilitated a two-day communication communication workshop with a global tech company. I’ve run lots of workshops over the years but when I was approached on this one last December, I was a little tentative. The seventeen people flying in from around the...
"When we are no longer able to change a situation - we are challenged to change ourselves." Viktor E. Frankl, Holocaust Survivor "What's the good of hate. It only ruins you," Saba Feniger said to me as she recounted her arrival at Auschwitz and surviving the Nazi...
After a whirlwind book/speaking tour of the USA, it’s great to be home in Australia and over my jet-lag (sort of). As busy as my trip was, it was incredibly rewarding speak at the United Nations Foundation and at several other events including my first ever trip to...
Walk with people who make you think bigger, feel bigger and act bigger. Yesterday I had the privilege of dining with movie director Oliver Stone at a Game Changers Symposium in Melbourne. If you're under the age of 30, like my kids, his name may not ring a bell. If...
"It was only until I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen,” said British singer Sam Smith, who just landed the trifecta at this years Grammy's with best record of the year, best song of the year and best new artist! It...
Layne Beachley is a household name for most Aussies and a woman highly admired by athletes around the globe for her back-to-back world champion surfing titles. Recently honored with an Order of Australia, Layne has accrued a wealth of wisdom when it comes to...
