When It Matters to Show Your Work
When is it important to show your work? I’m watching the 2022 CrossFit Games as I write this. This is a massive, multi-day athletic competition that tests athletes’ skill, strength, and endurance over five days. It culminates in crowning one male and one female winner. Each athlete has a judge who is in lockstep with …
The Pitfalls of Feeling Comfortable
I’ve been reading and working through a revolutionary book. It’s not Karl Marx or Brene Brown or the latest by Yuval Noah Harari. It’s “Become a Supple Leopard,” by Dr. Kelly Starrett. Starrett is a physical therapist and trainer, and he started out as an athlete himself, paddling for the US canoeing and kayaking teams. …
The Doing is the Practice.
The doing is the practice. When we’re coaching, we teach clients the best ways to practice for a presentation or a speech. But the real truth is—every day is a chance to practice. Every conversation is a chance to practice intention. How am I hoping to affect the person I’m talking to? Am I being …
Be Quiet.
Many people find silence difficult: a pause of even a few seconds can feel awkward and interminable. As a result, they keep talking, to fill the void. The immediate goal, to avoid silence, is met. But what’s the unintended consequence? The other person can have a hard time getting their voice heard. If this is …
Your Brain on Words
This quick video shows how different areas of the brain light up in response to hearing different kinds of words. Our brains sort words into categories, and words that have various meanings, (like “top”), light up our brains in several relevant areas simultaneously. It can be tempting to drop numbers and data on our audiences, …
What’s the Worst Thing That Could Happen?
It’s human nature to hope for the best. Let’s not think about the worst-case scenario—that’s scary! But what if you’re prepping for a big interview, a pitch, or a difficult conversation? It makes sense to envision the last possible thing you want to happen, and prepare a response. What’s the question you are hoping they …
The Last Rep
When do you default to your old habits? I’m thinking about this today as I recommit to budgeting, and meal planning, and generally being more intentional. All the tools I need to be good at this stuff are literally at my fingertips—apps, information, lots of ways to monitor and measure. But the driver of all …
I’ll Feel Better If I Practice…Later
It’s such a funny paradox. Most people plan to practice when they have a big speech or presentation coming up. They know from past experience that they will feel more prepared, less worried, and more confident if they practice. They notice a strange flutter of butterflies when someone asks them how their preparation is coming, …
Put Something on the Walls
A client of mine, a recently appointed CEO, hasn’t totally moved into his office. He’s very busy, of course, and office decor isn’t at the top of his list of priorities, understandably. I can tell that he hasn’t totally moved into his office because the part of it that I can see during our video …
That Dirty Little Secret
I’ve noticed an interesting tendency among many of the high-achieving, smart people I coach. When they’re telling me what they would like to get out of our coaching relationship, they drop their volume, avert their eyes, and confess, “Sometimes I get really nervous when I have to speak in public. I know it’s stupid, but—“ …
