I'm not sure if you're an Olympics fan, but despite not being fanatical about any sport, the Olympics have reeled me in to my TV set over the last couple weeks. From Michael Phelps to Usain Bolt, their stories of persistence and determination are inspiring. Of course...
Get a new job. Not worry about money. Eat mayo. Travel to a foreign country. Ask for help. Try out for the Princeton crew team. Bike over a volcano. Ask for Date #2. Go into a shelter. Quit my job. Tell my secrets. Love myself. These are some of the things people have...
If you study history, you will find that all stories of great success are also stories of great triumph over adversity. But often we overlook the setbacks and only see the end success. We think the person got lucky: “He/she must have been at the right place at the right time.” Or maybe they were just really smart. Or talented. Or well connected. But that’s all bunk. While it may have been a little bit of each, what ultimately led to their success was their refusal to allow their setbacks and failures to define them.
Last year I was invited to interview Sir Richard Branson on his private Caribbean island. A career highlight for sure! Fortunately for me, "Just call me Richard" is incredibly down to earth person who quickly puts people at ease around him. Phew. During our interview...
When our guide came by our tent shortly after 3 AM to wake us up to begin the climb up Mt Kilimanjaro I’d already been awake for some time. The sleeping bags we’d rented for our week hiking to the rooftop of Africa weren’t quite up to the sub-zero temperatures so...
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...
Let’s face it, life will never be exactly as you’d like it to be. Or not for long anyway. There will always be things you'd like to be different. To have less on your plate or more certainty about your future. To have fewer bills to pay or more support from your...
"Most people live in a restricted circle of their potential." William James I’ll never forget where I was the day that a mental image change the direction of my life. It was March 2002 and I was laying on a beach south of Cancun, Mexico, doing a visualization exercise...
"So what would be your ideal way to celebrate your 50th birthday?" I asked my husband Andrew earlier this year. "Go on a safari with my family in Africa," he replied. My fourteen-year-old son Ben piped up from the couch where I'd assumed he was in a Youtube trance....
"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...
At eighty year of age, my dad's had his share of hard knocks, from losing a son after a long battle with mental illness to supporting another adapt to life in a wheelchair. Yet while I'm clearly biased, I believe he's one of the most loving and loveable men you'd ever...
“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...
It's mid January. Far enough in to the new year that some people have already fallen off the band wagon on their new year resolutions. If you're one of them, commiserations. Just know this: you aren't alone. I resolved late last year that I was going to write in a...
Not long ago a woman in her 40s approached me after a speaking at her company’s annual conference to ask my advice on how to have a ‘courageous conversation’ with a colleague. After our conversation she said, “Before we talked I’d been quite intimidated by you. I...
Ask many people how they are and they'll quickly give you an answer that's something like this: "Busy. Really busy." I mean, who isn't right? Being being has become synonymous with being of value. The busier you are, the more important you must be. But the reality is...
As one year draws to an end and another one begins, there's often a lot of talk of 'resolutions.' Habits people want to start, or end. New goals. Fresh starts. All good stuff. However I think we often get the cart before the horse. You see, if you keep being the same...
Earlier this week I spent an evening with Oprah. Yes, just me and Oprah... and about 12,000 of her other Australian fans. Having admired Oprah for many years, I'd been mildly nervous that I had my expectations set too high. I needn't have worried. What struck me most...
Are you always getting down on yourself, forever focusing on where you've fallen short of the person you aspire to be, rather than celebrating how often you actually are? Today is my birthday! Thirty nine. Again. (Yeah, i know, it never gets tired :)) I don’t share...
