Welcome to Margie's Insights and Interviews

Jun 28, 2024
Be the captain of your life, not captive of your circumstances
“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.
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May 12, 2024
When to Lean in to Uncertainty and Trust Yourself
Many years ago, my younger sister Anne volunteered with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), a French medical humanitarian organization – also known as Doctors Without Borders. Anne was not long out of medical school but wanted to heed a long-held desire to help people in places
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Jan 05, 2024
What's your 'growth edge' for 2024?
"Every blade of grass has an Angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow! Grow!'" I love this verse from the Talmud for its imagery as much as its encouragement. It aligns with a valuable lesson from growing up on my parent's dairy farm which I shared
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Jun 30, 2023
Let the love you share be the legacy you leave
It’s been over three weeks since my precious mum left this world and over two weeks today since her funeral. And oh, what a beautiful funeral it was! Yes, it was sad. Yes, we cried. Yes, our hearts hurt. My siblings and I have lost
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Aug 06, 2022
Take Courage! Beware the hidden tax on timidity.
“All right, I'll go in there for Dorothy," announced the Cowardly Lion. "Wicked Witch or no Wicked Witch, guards or no guards, I'll tear 'em apart. I may not come out alive, but I'm going in. There's just one thing I want you fellows to
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May 23, 2022
Shame Keeps Us Stuck
Dr Brené Brown has shared many insights that resonate with me. Yet one stands apart: "When we don’t work on our shame, we work it out on others.” Sometimes we conflate and confuse guilt and shame. Guilt is an adaptive emotion we feel when we
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Dec 17, 2021
Choose Courage Over Comfort
A swirling mix of nerves and excitement coursed through me as I waved my family goodbye and the sliding doors closed behind me at Melbourne airport. I was 21 and, armed with little more than a backpack and some travelers' checks (remember those?), I was
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Nov 22, 2021
Practice Gratitude. What You Appreciate, Appreciates
We all know that it’s good to be grateful. Yet let’s face it, the gravitational pull to dwell on what we don't like or perceive as lacking is strong. Unless we consciously choose otherwise, our attention tends to get pulled toward what’s wrong and whom
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Nov 17, 2021
Give More Grace – To Yourself, To Others
The woman across from me at a dinner I attended recently rolled her eyes in annoyance when the waiter accidentally poured wine into her water glass. As soon as he realized his error, he apologized profusely. But she was frustrated and let him know as
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Oct 20, 2021
How To Thrive Under Pressure
As a kid, my dad often took me fishing in his rusty tin boat. Every now and again it would spring a leak. Dad was always creative in finding ways to plug the leak until we returned to shore. Blue tack. Candy. One time he
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Sep 15, 2021
Growth And Comfort Can’t Ride The Same Horse
While I grew up riding horses, I was never a particularly stylish equestrian. More like a pretty rough n' ready one… gutsy enough to hold on to my wild Brumby we won in a raffle for 20 cents (I kid you not!). I fell off
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Sep 08, 2021
Choose Faith Over Fear
As I’ve soaked in the spendor of Colorado's Rocky Mountains over the last week, many times I’ve thought back to this time last year when my future was mired with uncertainty. On more than one occasion I've felt like pinching myself. Not just because of
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Aug 05, 2021
Turn Your Compassion Inward
You’re such an idiot. Seriously, when will you ever figure this out. You're just not (good-smart-together-accomplished-successful-Fill-in-the-blank) enough. You’re a lousy presenter/parent/partner/person/(fill in the blank) How often have you heard a little voice inside your head pointing out your mistakes, critiquing your conversations, or berating you
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Apr 01, 2021
How To Regroup After A Bad Day Week, Month—Or Year
Today is the last Friday, of the last week of the month. I appreciate this is not particularly significant. However maybe you’ve had a bad day, or week, or month… or the entire last 12 months could be described as your ‘annus horriblis.’ Maybe you’re
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Nov 25, 2020
Trust That Life Is Working FOR You
“Life doesn’t happen to you, it happens for you.” This was a chapter title in my book Brave. It’s also a maxim I’ve had to remind myself of many times in recent years as my well laid plans have derailed and I’ve found myself
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Apr 20, 2020
Find Purpose In This Pandemic
There’s nothing like a global pandemic to make one step back and rethink life. So while this crisis has tilted our world on its axis, leaving many feeling ungrounded and off-kilter, it’s not all bad. A lot bad, yes. But not all. My own recent
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