“When the floor falls out from underneath you, build a new floor.” This quote was shared by the owners of Crescendo Coffee Shop in Madison and it has felt like the perfect representation of this time.

During this session, we’ll talk about how to stay grounded when the ground feels shaky. Specifically, we’ll explore how to name, acknowledge, and talk about our current reality; how to consciously rebuild and redesign as we emerge from it; how to connect to small things each day that help us to feel our best; how to notice our triggers; and how to focus on the things that we can control. '

This session will be offered as part of Madison Fitness Week (which, this year, is a virtual month). Through the link below, you can purchase a ticket for $20 which grants access to all of the virtual workouts and workshops. The majority of proceeds are being donated to Urban Triage.

If you have experienced sudden changes - job loss, furlough, reduced hours, layoffs - or partners/loved ones navigating any of these things - you are not alone.

During this session, we will explore how to honor and acknowledge the current reality that we are in, how to create from it - through long term visioning and short term planning, how to hold the reality of ‘shelter’ (paying the bills, putting food on the table) with the desire for ‘poetry’ (doing something that brings us joy and creates meaning), and some tactical next steps related to resume, LinkedIn, and looking at “what’s next.”

We'll also be joined for part of the session by Abigail Darwin from Robert Half staffing agency, to share a bit about the landscape - what's happening out there? Who's hiring? And what does the job market look like in these current times?

As always, you'll leave with actionable tools that you can apply afterward.

We are delighted to offer this session for free and ask that you please sign up in advance by 9 am Central Time on Friday, May 8th.

Registration for our next offering of Achieving Alchemy is officially open!

Think of Achieving Alchemy as the coolest professional development event you’ll ever attend. No stale power points or naps in your chairs here.

I co-lead this event with the fabulous Jessica Edwards of Jessica Edwards Coaching. It includes a healthy mix of deep exploration and powerful action, infused with sisterhood, community, and connection. 

The experience will include conversation, community, experiential activities, dialogue, and inquiry to empower you to:

·       UNEARTH: who you are at your core

·       UNCOVER: what gets in the way 

·       CREATE: a compelling future vision for where you want to go 

·       POLISH: your actions, agreements, and commitments to make it happen 

Who It's For:

Achieving Alchemy is for high-performing, heart-centered female leaders who want to rise to the most inspired and powerful versions of themselves.

Achieving Alchemy is for women who crave an authentic community of other women... a community that values truth and vulnerability along with general badassery.

Achieving Alchemy is for women who crave deep exploration and fearless action.

Achieving Alchemy is for women ready to shine, and ready to rise.

What You’ll Leave With:

In addition to a tribe of kick-ass boss ladies you’ll leave this experience with:

·       Clarity on your values, why they matter, and what they look like in action 

·       Awareness of your strengths, superpowers, and unique genius 

·       Your unique essence and how you express it in the world 

·       A deeper understanding of your fears and saboteurs, and concrete ways to work with them 

·       A compelling future vision of where you want to go and what you deeply desire 

·       Ways to keep your alchemy, as well as the learning from the event, alive in everyday life 

·       A snapshot of your unique alchemy

·      An interactive Achieving Alchemy workbook 

·      Tools and resources to share your learning with your colleagues and teammates following the experience

More details are available on the Achieving Alchemy website here.

"This is more than a leadership or professional growth course. This is a road to self discovery and learning how to be the best version of yourself - which will benefit you, your colleagues, and everyone you interact with." - Carolyn, Chicago IL

During this breakout session at CultureCon 2019, we will explore how we, as individuals, can feel more alive at work...and how, as leaders, we can create cultures and environments and work places that feel more alive. Supported by data and research, and infused with practical take-aways, participants will leave with concrete actions that they can begin to apply following the session.

Key Questions We’ll Explore Include:

• What can we, as individuals, do to feel more alive and joyful at work - regardless of what is happening in our external circumstances?

• What can we, as leaders of teams or projects or organizations, do to create cultures that feel more alive?

• What are some of the most powerful and tangible things that we can do - starting tomorrow - that really move the needle?

Register here, via the CultureCon website.

Photo Credit: Markus Spiske

Creativity.

What if it doesn’t have to mean only “art,” and instead, can be a place from which we operate on a daily basis?

What if it can mean tapping into a deeper part of ourselves - that leads to more joy, more inspiration, and more lightness?

And what if it lives within each of us, even if we think that we “aren’t creative people?”

On Thursday April 25th, I invite you to join me for an exploration of these questions. We’ll look at the various ways that creativity can look and feel for each of us. We’ll explore how we can tap into our own creativity, and what stands in the way. And you’ll leave with concrete practices that you can take back to your life to connect to the creativity that lives within you.

This event is free but does require advanced registration, and may fill.

Sign up here to reserve your spot.

Please note: this event is at DreamBank’s new location, which is in the Spark building on East Washington Ave (across from Festival Foods). There’s ample street parking nearby (on East Wash, as well as on the side streets behind the building), as well as several parking garages nearby there’s a new garage on the corner of East Main and South Livingston).

I look forward to seeing you then!

We’ve all heard the term “force of nature.” The thing is, each of us is a force of nature – but rarely do we truly hear the lessons that nature has for us, or boldly claim them out in our worlds. During this interactive and thought-provoking session, we’ll explore the ways we can tune in, open up, and integrate the many lessons nature has for us. We’ll discover ways we can lean into nature to become more confident, to find our voices, and to more powerfully step into our leadership and our joy. We’ll explore the power of the divine feminine, of mother earth, the moon, and within ourselves. And we’ll examine lessons from ancient wisdom and how we can apply it to our modern world and everyday lives.

This session is part of the 2018 BRAVA THRIVE CONFERENCE, a full-day event. Learn more and register for the conference here.

We live in a world of more intake than ever before. At any given moment, it seems that there are is an infinite list of things competing for our attention: an unanswered email, an incoming text, a task we've been meaning to get to for the last week, and our team member who has a question. It can make us feel like we're playing Whack-a-Mole: trying to keep our heads above water while making progress on our ongoing to-do lists. When this is our reality, it is almost impossible to effectively lead ourselves—let alone other people. At the end of the day, leadership happens in the moments, and in order to lead effectively, we need to be present in those moments. Explore how to increase overall leadership effectiveness by tuning in, clearing out distractions, and creating meaningful connections with the people around us.

What you'll gain:

• Understand what "conscious leadership" means and how it looks in everyday life
• Specific practices, structures, and routines that will support you leading in a more conscious and compelling way
• Tools and approaches to create a positive impact with other people and in your environment
• Strategies for successfully leading with challenging people and in difficult situations

Find out more information here.

In the fast-paced, ever-changing reality of today, operating as a “predict and plan” leader is no longer enough. While predictions and plans have a place in leadership, the most effective leaders are able to rapidly and accurately sense what is happening around them, and respond accordingly.

During this half-day course, we will explore:

• Self-awareness as the foundation to agile leadership.
• The skills of sensing and noticing.
• How to confidently and effectively lead through times of change and uncertainty.
• The ways in which great leaders balance structure with flexibility.
• Concrete tools and strategies to apply following the course.

Find out more information here.

Innovation is a word we hear often, but what does it really mean to be an Innovative Leader? Is it possible to be innovative in environments that have historically embraced stability and order over risk, change, and uncertainty? This course will encourage you to build a new mindset for approaching challenges in our organizations.  Learn to identify possibilities and create the conditions in your work teams that make innovation a way of being, versus a one-time initiative. During this interactive session, we will explore:

• What it means to be an Innovative Leader – and ways to stretch your skills and capacity in this area
• Innovation as a way of being, versus an initiative or a program
• Innovative approaches to problem-solving
• Intrapreneurship: bringing an entrepreneurial mindset and perspective to your team and organization
• Tools, technologies, and processes that support innovative leadership
• The challenges with “innovation” and how to navigate them

Learn more and register here.

Integrity. It’s a concept that most of us can get behind pretty easily, and a concept that most of us try to uphold. But what does integrity look like in real-time? When we are asked to communicate a decision that we completely disagree with? When we overhear gossip in the breakroom that we do completely agree with? Or when we feel our personal values may be in conflict with the values of our leader, our team, or our organization?

During this interactive and thought-provoking session, we’ll nurture honesty as we explore the concept of integrity in real-time; examine situations when it can feel challenging and confusing to know whether we are in alignment with our integrity; and uncover what we can do moving forward.

The session will include discussion, storytelling, application, and actionable strategies to apply after the session.

Kick off the month of November with some free laser life coaching sessions. These events provide an awesome opportunity to "test out" coaching in a way that is both high-impact and low-risk.

You come with a topic that you'd like to coach on; we spend 15 minutes together digging in and co-creating some magic, and you leave with new insight, a plan, and a fresh perspective.

I'll be joined by two other fabulous coaches for this event. As always, it is free and open to the public. These events typically do fill, so watch for more information and registration details here, so that you can reserve your spot early. 

I'll be joining the awesome women of Ladies Rock Camp on Friday afternoon, for a couple of interactive, upbeat sessions to kick off the weekend. Ladies Rock Camp is an opportunity to come together and be creative with other women - and fulfill any dreams you've ever had about being in a band....with no musical background required. Learn more about the event here!

Our mornings become our days, and our days become our lives. The way we start our day matters. During this interactive event, we'll explore the power of intentional mornings, and we'll even test out a few techniques that you can apply starting the very next day. You'll leave feeling empowered to create more spaciousness, ease, and joy throughout your days - by starting with your mornings.

This event is part of DreamBank's Dream Big series. As always, these events are free and open to the public but often do fill, so advanced registration is highly encouraged. Registration is currently open on DreamBank's website here. 

Save the date for this chic Minneapolis Women's event, co-led with Megan Betterman. We'll weave movement, mindfulness, and mission for an interactive, half day workshop at the beautiful Yellow Barn  in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.  

Find focus for next steps in your career and personal life, determine your personal leadership style and strengths, gain confidence, and tap into your influence as a woman and a leader. We’ll start the day with movement and centering- this is a professional workshop where yoga pants are encouraged!  The experience will include a nourishing and largely organic brunch along with local coffee and tea. 

Interested in joining us? Registration is now open! Early bird pricing goes through the end of August. 

Join us on Wednesday, June 21st for free laser life coaching sessions. These events provide an awesome opportunity to "test out" coaching in a way that is both high-impact and low-risk.

You come with a topic that you'd like to coach on; we spend 15 minutes together digging in and co-creating some magic, and you leave with new insight, a plan, and a fresh perspective.

I'll be joined by two other fabulous coaches for this event. As always, it is free and open to the public. These events typically do fill, so reserve your spot here. 

I'm grateful to join the Culture Community team's June meeting to lead an interactive exploration of habits, accountability, and productivity. During this session,  you'll learn about your natural tendencies and how you can use what you learn to become more productive and happier in your everyday life. 

About Culture Community:

Culture Community is a non-profit organization built to bring enthusiasts together, in-person and electronically, to foster culture as a focal point of every organization, regardless of industry, size, or stage. Building an intentional culture is as much about what you do as what you don’t do. We meet on the second Thursday of every month to share knowledge on different cultural ideas, so organizations can be deliberate and conscious in their actions.

This event is free. Learn more and reserve your spot here. 

I'm looking forward to being part of the UW Rethinking Leadership Conference once again this year. I had the chance to participate last year, as well, and it was a fantastic event! Many great speakers, advanced topics, and rich discussion among participants. 

This year, I'll be talking about Loyalty; session details and registration information is below. The conference runs from 8:30 am - 4:15 pm.

We often hear about loyalty as the answer to many of the challenges we face in our organizations related to retention, engagement, and creating healthy cultures and strong teams. But is loyalty as we have traditionally thought of it really enough, especially in today’s working environment, where U.S. workers spend an average of 4.2 years with their current employers? During this interactive, collaborative, and thought-provoking session, we will explore this question together, along with tools and strategies to raise the bar for our teams and our organizations.

Learning objectives:

• Examine the benefits of loyalty and how to cultivate it within our teams and organizations.
• Identify the limitations of loyalty and how it can actually prevent us from creating a culture of trust and transparency.
• Uncover specific, actionable ways to increase trust, improve communication, and increase our results by taking the conversation a step further than loyalty.

Learn more about the conference and register here.