Last Friday I flew in on a red eye flight from L.A. to D.C. I had a meeting that morning and when I mentioned I’d just come in from California (which was on a Swine Flu Emergency Health Alert at the time) the person I was speaking to said, sort of jokingly but not...
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not anti-guns. . . I grew up with them! Going rabbit shooting on my parents’ farm in rural Australia was a regular (and favorite) pastime (sorry rabbit lovers — that was just the way it was growing up in the Aussie bush). But last week I...
Earlier this week I was speaking to a woman who had just gone through an acrimonious divorce. She shared how she felt completely bruised and battered by the process of ending her 8 year marriage and that while she knew that the future was her own making, she felt...
Do you ever deal with difficult people who seem to be unnecessarily hostile, petty or offensive? Ever find yourself wanting to dish out your own snide remark or act in a way that you know is childish? Go on, admit it, of course you do! We all find ourselves, on...
A year ago today I awoke to a phone call telling me that my brother Frank had been in a serious motor bike accident; that, among other injuries, his spine had been very badly damaged and that it was extremely unlikely he would ever walk again. Needless to say the last...
What an exciting week I've had! If you missed the interview on the Today Show Tuesday morning (what, you had something more important to do?! 😉 ) then you can watch it here now: It runs about 7 minutes which is a VERY long interview for prime-time TV. Given the...
Just this morning a poll on CNN reported that 3 out of every 4 Americans currently feel afraid about the state of the economy and what it means for them. There's no doubt about it, we live in turbulent times which are causing many people to feed afraid. Which is why...
Living on the other side of the globe in the U.S., my deepest condolences and heart-felt prayers go out to all the many families who have lost their homes, and worse, their loved ones in the devastating bush fires that have swept my home state of Victoria the last few...
A few years back a woman called Sarah Armstrong, who has since become a friend, made the bold decision to try to make a difference for the people living in the poorest nation on earth, Sierra Leone. Sarah got on a plane and traveled around the country and as she went,...
Last week whilst talking with someone about the economy, the possibility of them being laid off and how they thought it was a good time to take a change in career direction came up. As we talked about what they needed to do to make it a successful transition in a...
Love her or loathe her (though why would you but from jealousy!), you have to hand it to Oprah — she’s got courage! I mean after the years and years of yo-yoing up and down the scales, I think we all, including Oprah herself, had thought her battle with the bulge was...
Often the media hype things up but on this occasion I can honestly say that being there, on the frozen ground of the National Mall just by the Washington Monument, freezing my butt off along with another one and a half million others, watching Obama being sworn into...
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Given all the adversity and controversy going on right now — economically, politically, socially — these words by...
Suffering some relationship stress? In any relationship issues will inevitably arise from time to time that have the potential to create tension and conflict. It is not the issues themselves which are the main cause for relationship breakdown but how you go about...
When I was 23 I spent 6 weeks backpacking on my own around the Middle East. Three in Egypt, one in Jordan and two in Jerusalem and the surrounding occupied territories of the West Bank. Being on my own made it that much more extraordinary because I found myself being...
Happy New Year! I’ve just arrived back in the US after a very full and fun 6 weeks Down Under. It was great to be there but I have to say, it is always nice to get home; back to my own bed, high speed internet, my closet (vs. my suitcase) and my work (yes, believe it...
"You can tell a man is clever by his answers. You can tell he is wise by his questions" — Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian Nobel Laureate If I had a dollar for every opinion I'd heard over the last few months about what would solve the woes of the US economy, I reckon I'd be...
Every successful entrepreneur needs a mix of different elements to achieve the success they seek. It’s important to have a good idea, an effective marketing strategy, good distribution, financial know-how, competitive pricing and the list goes on. If you have the...
Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room. One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon to help drain the fluid from his lungs. His bed was next to the room’s only window. The other man had to spend all his time flat on his...
My dear dad always says "A change is as good as a holiday." Well not really but hey, it's still good! So anyway, last night I was talking with my sister Cath in Australia sharing what I've been up to of late. I happened to mention a workshop I ran for the Center for...
