For me, the past few weeks have felt like years. Each day brings a new set of challenges and emotions. I know I’m not the only one. Here are a couple of questions that you can check in on your team, family, or friends to kick off conversations or meetings: On a scale of 1 to 10, how are you doing? What’s one word to describe how you are feeling right now? In times like this, don’t assume anything. Ask — and ask often. #self-awareness #reflection #covid19 #career

Given the uncertainty of the world right now, I wanted to share this past post . . . Here is a practice I try to do daily. I close my eyes and focus on my breath for a few minutes to still my mind. Then I ask myself, “What am I resisting most in my life right now?” Waves of emotions come. I name them and then sit with them. Once they die down, I ask myself the question again to get a new wave. 95% of the time, my waves are some version of fear. It’s intense and uncomfortable.

Today, a very powerful question has been swirling in my head—What would make 2020 my best year yet? 2017 was my best year. I created so many memories. Joe and I became tourists in our own city as we prepared to move to DC. I was energized by the impact Uplift could have as I developed early concepts. And, the kids and I did epic adventures such as our NYC donut tour. I was living life. This year, I’m challenging myself to channel the 2017 Kari. Surround me with the moms we ar

Last week I had ‘a day.’ You know those days that by noon you’ve had a week’s worth of bad things happen to you? Ugh. Nayef, on my team, gave me great advice: “When things like this happen, I reframe. Instead of thinking the universe is against me, I ask myself, what is the universe trying to tell me? What am I not seeing that I need to be knocked into my head?” I wiped the tears. Took a deep breath. And, brainstormed what major shifts in thinking I needed to make. In the nex

Recently, I’ve been having some important meetings where I need to impress. A new trick has been helping me nail these conversations. I remember a time when I was my best—presenting in front of 1,500 people this summer when I nailed it. Then I embody that Kari. I play entrance music in my headphones. I feel that rush of confidence exuding from my chest. I even (don’t laugh) strut around the block feeling the show lights on me. The result? I show up as that Kari. It feels so g

On the Tim Ferriss podcast, Penn (from Penn and Teller) talked about the benefits of his extensive journaling practice (from the past 30-plus years). Every morning he writes a detailed report of the past 24-hours—who did he talk to, summaries of what he read or watched, etc. After writing those, he goes back and reads the entries from 20, 10, 5 and 1-year ago, talking to his past self. He notices changes and patterns. For example, if he’s had the same argument with a romantic

As I mentioned yesterday, each week (and sometimes each day), I write down why I will remember that week. Whenever I’m feeling a bit down, one of my favorite activities is flipping through those lines: Fire pits at the shore house Going to the world series Korean spa day in dC Photoshoot for Washington Life So much happens in a year, but often we are moving so fast to even notice. It feels so good to slow down. #slowingdown #self-awareness #gratitude #beingpresent

Every Sunday morning I spend 15-minutes journaling about the past week and the one ahead. First, I ask myself four questions about the past week: Why will I remember it? What did I do well? What do I want to do differently? What did I learn? Then looking ahead, I have a list of areas in my life that I check-in on—kids, my relationship, health, and social. I set two or three intentions for each: What few activities with the kids will make this week special? When will Joe and I

You know me. I love traditions. So, enter a new one for Uplift—Weekly Wins Wednesday. Each week (either here or on our Instagram), we’ll celebrate all of our wins. Call out the little (or big) things in our life that are going well. So often, it’s easy to focus on the negative versus everything going right. So for me: All of our pilots at companies are converting to bigger deals! Joe and I have had some really great recent dates (both at home and out) I’ve been slipping in a

When I interview top working moms at the heights of their careers, I always ask, 'What do you do when you get overwhelmed?' I was shocked when a handful of them said they didn't. Whats their secret? These women know their canaries, their leading indicators of overwhelm. They focused on prevention. My red flags are bad sleep and clutter around the house. So now, as soon as I see these flags, I know I'm pushing too hard. I head to my calendar to clear commitments, prune my to-

We all know we should say, 'No,' but that doesn't stop it from feeling uncomfortable. The best way to overcome this? Practice, practice, practice. Here are some strategies for saying it with grace: Say it fast. Don’t lead people on for weeks in the hope that they will forget the ask. Be clear. Don’t say something vague that keeps the door open. No “not at this time,” “I’m not sure,” or “maybe next time.” Explain why briefly. Give one sentence of context. "I am behind on my ot