Starting a business is harder than I ever expected. (I know everyone warns about this.) I am growing and learning more than I have ever in my life. The most significant positive change for me has been "facing the suck." When I'm really anxious about something, I can no longer hide or push it off to someone else. Instead, I take a deep breath and block off an hour to just face it. I map out what I'm afraid of, what is unknown, and then develop a plan. I'm shocked at the impact

I woke up this morning with my mind in knots. I alternated between ruminating on past slip-ups and stressing about future events outside of my control. Yuck. What helped me calm down? Pointing and calling. As I drove to work, I pointed and called out the names of what I saw. Tree. Sign. Car. Person. Dog. Our minds can't do two things at once, so this new task forced me into the present. My mind cleared. Honestly, I was shocked by the effectiveness. Next time you are stressed,

I can be incredibly impulsive. Great for a fun Saturday adventure, potentially detrimental at work. Last week, my leadership coach and I created a decision matrix—a checklist to make sure I'm pausing and using specific criteria before leaping. Everyone's will be different, but here is what's on mine: Ratings (from 1 to 5) of the opportunity across different vectors (Networking, sales, investment, learning, etc.) Alignment with priorities, mission, and values of both my compan

Hey. Yep, you. We are hardest on ourselves. This post from Seth Godin is eye-opening. Here are some highlights... The world's worst boss. That would be you. Even if you’re not self-employed, your boss is you. You manage your career, your day, your responses. You manage how you sell your services and your education and the way you talk to yourself. Odds are, you’re doing it poorly. If you had a manager that talked to you the way you talked to you, you’d quit. If you had a bos

Over the past two weeks, I've been battling burnout. I've worked hard this past year to learn my personal signs. I feel tired, but more importantly, sad. The old Kari would have just pushed through. I mean, I have work to do. The new Kari took the afternoon off. I caught up with a friend for an hour on the phone, bought a new favorite dress, and got a massage. The crazy part? Even with the time off, the week was my most productive all year. Your goal is to create a situation

"Of the seven deadly sins, only envy is no fun at all." —Joseph Epstein So today, stop comparing yourself to the mom who seems to have it all together. (Trust me, she still struggles.) Stop scrolling through Instagram pics of perfect moments. (Trust me, you are seeing the highlight reel, not the bloopers.) Instead, focus on you. What do you need today? What is going right for you? I mean, if I am going to commit deadly sins, they better have chocolate or wine involved. #selfc

The people you habitually associate with determine as much as 95 percent of your success or failure in life, according to research by Harvard social psychologist, Dr. David McClelland. Take a minute to let that sink in. This next part is going to sound harsh, but it's essential. Step 1. List the top 10 to 20 people you spend the most time with. Step 2. Divide the list into three categories: Uplifters, who inspire, challenge and support you Downers who discourage or hold you

The tendency for women to over-apologize starts when we are kids, so it's not surprising that it's a hard habit to break. We need constant in-the-moment feedback to change. Enter the Gmail plug-in, Just Not Sorry, which warns you when you use words or phrases that undermine your message, such as: I think Sorry Just Does that make sense? Actually Try it today.  I'm no expert, but I think this might actually cause real change. #career #habits #productrecommendations #selfawaren

This week, I noticed one of my team members was struggling. I know this woman is super sharp and hard-working, so I was surprised. My natural response is to push harder. I turned into one of those tourists who speaks louder when a local can't understand their Spanglish. I'm sure you can predict how effective that was. Then I was reminded of two of the best pieces of management advice I've ever received: Always assume the best intent. People want to do a great job. When someth

My first visit to my kid's preschool struck me. It was quiet. Somehow a room full of toddlers was less noisy than my house with two kids. I asked the teacher, "How?" She explained that they themselves don't ever raise their voice, which models ideal behavior. Quick kid tip: they love whispers and will pay attention when you do. So do adults. I love the quote from attorney and founder of It's Over Easy, Laura Wasser: "If you speak softly, they will lean in to hear you. You don

The past two weeks had me slipping into some old bad habits. During Chloe's sickness, I caught up with late night working sessions. I was anxious and waking for the day at 4 AM. Once she got better, I didn't stop. I felt like I was on a train of work, work, work, and I didn't know how to jump off. To make things worse, my inner critic kept saying, "How can you help other moms when you can't even help yourself?" Jeez. Dark, right? The good news is that the simplest of acts set