SMARTY.

Most of us fall into one of two camps: Upsellers or Downsellers. Upsellers are always going to give you the bright side – the pitch on why you should do x, y, or z. They are perceived by many as positive. Downsellers, on the other hand, are always going to offer up both the strengths and weaknesses of doing that…

For those of you who feel ambivalent about placing yourselves at the center of your brand’s marketing efforts, this commentary is for you. Years ago, as the creator of monthly SMARTY events, I was moderating panels of extraordinary women helming press-worthy businesses. This visibility placed me on the receiving end of some considerable attention and unexpected brand opportunities. While it…

To accept or decline. To engage or pass. It’s hard to predict when saying “yes” to something has the unintended consequence of disappointing people who hold you in high esteem. A recent situation had me questioning whether showing up at half-strength… was worse than canceling all together. Like many of us, I’ve lived in different cities for meaningful periods of…

You really remind me of… This project is a lot like… That situation is very similar to… Metaphors help us make sense of things. When we compare ‘this’ to ‘that’ it gives us the ability to experience something new, as familiar. But the moment we look for sameness, might also be the moment we lose our ability to experience something…

A friend of mine, one of the most capable, talented, effective entrepreneurs I know, recently handed over his daily meal prep to a nutritionist. Twice a week, perfectly portioned, custom-created breakfasts, lunches and dinners are delivered to his apartment. Why? So that he doesn’t have to plan/chop/decide what to eat, or how much. Why else? To lose weight. But here’s…

This is a story about the benefit of intentionally limiting peripheral vision – for a finite period of time. A few years back, I was in the hospital with a contagious and (at the time) unknown condition that posed a public health issue (thanks to modern medicine, Victorian diseases are now curable.) I was quarantined in a negative pressure room…