Margie’s Insights & Interviews
Welcome to Margie’s blog where she shares personal stories, interviews, tools and more for living bravely.
Disagreement Doesn’t Have To Divide: Navigating Family Tensions
“It’s completely fine to not be around [Trump voters] and to tell them why,” said Dr. Amanda Calhoun on MSNBC. She went further, saying it’s “essential” to do so. Statements like this capture the heightened tensions of our time. They reflect the polarizing dynamics...
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. I sat beside him in his hospital bed,...
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...
You think failure is hard? Not near as hard as learning from it
Failing is hard. But not near as hard as learning from it. Thomas J. Watson, former CEO of IBM, once said, “If you want to increase your success rate, double your failure rate.” It sounds good. Yet it’s not wholly true. Sure, risking failure is crucial for success....
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 in my...
The greatest source of risk to us… is us
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,...
Without psychological safety, fear stifles truth and courage
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...
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 our mum. Our eighteen children, a...
Get comfortable being uncomfortable
After graduating from university I moved back to my parents' farm and worked two jobs for six months until I’d saved up enough to buy an around-the-world airfare. Then off I set. No cell phone. No credit card. Just a handful of traveler’s checks (remember them?) and a...
Put your ‘to be’ list ahead of your ‘to do’ list.
I felt awash with a swirling mix of anxiety and overwhelm in late March 2020. I was living in Singapore. My husband had just been hospitalized with Covid-19. I was put into a strict quarantine with one of my children, Singapore's health department video-calling...
Embracing Tears
Tears. I’ve shed a few lately. While I’ve lived a long way from my parents for many years, the miles have never tugged so hard on my heartstrings than in the last few years as the thickening fog of dementia has rolled in over my precious Mum... and on my Dad taking...
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 do. Talk me out of it.” This...
How might you be wrong? Chances are, in more ways than you’d like to think
Which do you value more: the truth or your own beliefs? Because they are not synonymous. It’s pretty safe to assume that people reading this will have different opinions about many topics. Fiscal policy. Abortion. Parenting. Education. Climate change. Racism....
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 assess that we have...
Beyond The Middle Octave: Embracing All Of Life’s Notes
It's hard to wrap words around reuniting with my parents in Australia after two years of travel restrictions. Mum has developed dementia since we last hugged. As she dried my tears she said, "Margaret Mary, is it really you? I feel like I am looking at myself, only...
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...
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 we can blame....
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 much. Later on,...
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 used an apple. He’d often say, ‘Boats don’t...
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 a few times too. Most often because I’d...
