Leadership Companion Blog

Failure is an inevitable part of life. It is through failure that we grow, learn, and ultimately find success. The other day one of my clients asked the group for tips on how to bounce back from failure. This client has been with me for over three years and is someone who can be pretty self-critical, which can spiral her down into a negative and dark place. She seemed pretty positive coming into the room, so her question took me a bit by surprise. Before anyone offered tips, I asked if there was a specific failure that brought this to

The other morning one of my group members asked for help shifting from a doer to a strategic partner. This question comes up quite often, actually, and I think it’s because we worked so hard as individual contributors to prove we could do it all; we had no one to delegate to, so we were it. However, many women realize that sustaining their pace as a doer when they become a leader is nearly impossible. Additionally, most astutely realize that they need to be seen as more than a doer to keep rising. As background to her question, my client

Last week, I shared about my client who shared the earmarks of hustle culture and, when she did, she realized she had fallen victim to it herself. This week, I’m sharing the tips the group shared to help her remove herself from the clutches of hustle culture. GET MY VISION COMPANION Redefine success and set meaningful goals Instead of equating success solely by work achievements, the group encouraged my client to take the time to define what success means to her personally. By embracing a holistic definition of success that encompasses career accomplishments as well as her overall well-being, relationships,

In today’s fast-paced world, hustle culture has become the norm. Many of us feel compelled to constantly work harder, push ourselves to the limit, and sacrifice our well-being in pursuit of success. But what if I told you that there’s a better way? One of my clients recently shared with her group how she identified that she was in a hustle culture and the group discussed things she could do to ensure she doesn’t join the culture. This week, I’m focusing on the hallmarks of the hustle culture. Next week, I’ll share steps to take so you don’t join in

One of my clients recently asked the group how to navigate her upcoming exit interview with the CEO. She is in the c-suite and was ready to spread her wings further than the company would let her. She had a few peers who definitely were happy she was leaving and she had some feedback she really wanted to share with the CEO about her concerns with those colleagues. I love that she is surrounded by amazing women who had a lot of ideas to share with her so she could approach her exit interview with confidence. Here are tips the

“I chose sober because I wanted a better life. I stay sober because I got one.” Life is full of challenges, and sometimes we need to push ourselves outside of our comfort zones to experience personal growth. One such challenge gaining popularity is “Sober October.” This movement encourages individuals to abstain from alcohol for the entire month, providing a unique opportunity to examine our relationship with alcohol and reap countless benefits along the way. As I’ve shared publicly about my own sobriety, I thought I would document some of the benefits I’ve found in my sober life. GET MY GOAL

“The energy you have in the morning is the energy your kids will have for the day.” One of my clients shared this in the coaching room the other day as the women were grappling with boundaries. This woman has been coaching with me for over three years. I’ve watched her rise from COO to CEO and have her confidence rocked in the process. She’s so strong that she didn’t stay shell-shocked long. She quickly reminded herself who she is and when the Board started placing demands on her that did not align with her values, she found herself another

Occasionally, I have the opportunity to coach men. Usually they come to me because they either have been told they need to become a better colleague to their female counterparts or they have identified their inability to work well with women as a shortcoming of theirs. I’m always intrigued when a man comes to me and asks me to help them. The other day I was coaching a man who wanted to improve his relationship with his female peers. He is in a c-suite position and the lack of diversity around the table is finally getting to him. He shared

With school back in full swing, I’ve been coaching women on establishing good boundaries between home and work, so I thought I would share some of the insights women have taken away from our coaching sessions recently. Boundaries are important as they help us create a sense of structure, promote self-care, and prevent burnout. They allow us to be fully present, both at home and in our professional roles. By acknowledging the need for boundaries, we take the first step towards achieving a healthier work-life integration. GET MY VISION COMPANION Acknowledge the Need for Boundaries One of my clients started

Last week my daughter came home from her second day of school and said, “They totally changed the dress code on us, bruh! I have to say goodbye to ripped jeans—like I can’t even wear them with rips below the knees or with something underneath, bruh!” I tried hard not to laugh about how serious and totally life altering this change was to her as I kept thinking about how I have women adjusting to shrinking teams or job losses and I’m supposed to care about whether teenagers can have rips in their jeans or not. I suppose when I

Starting a new job or working with a new boss can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. It’s an opportunity for growth and fresh beginnings, but it also brings its fair share of challenges. As a women’s leadership coach, I’ve guided numerous individuals through this transition period and thought I would share essential tips that have surfaced repeatedly in my coaching sessions. By implementing these strategies, you can adapt quickly, build positive relationships, and thrive in your new professional environment. GET MY VISION COMPANION Embrace a Growth Mindset Approach your new job or boss with a growth mindset. Embrace the learning

Are you one of those people who can’t seem to stop “doing?” I was leading a group coaching session the other day with 10 interesting, diverse, and phenomenal women leaders. The subject up for discussion was how “overwhelmed,” beat, tired, and burned-out many of the members were feeling due to the “too much to do / can’t stop now” syndrome. Are you one of those people who can’t seem to stop “doing?” I have yet to meet anyone who hasn’t felt overwhelmed from time to time. Since this feeling tends to feel uncomfortable, if not downright unpleasant, we tend to

In the pursuit of gender equality and creating inclusive workplaces, it is crucial for men to step up as allies and sponsors for women. GET MY VISION COMPANION As a women’s leadership coach, I firmly believe that coaching can play a significant role in guiding men on this journey towards becoming effective champions of change which benefits women and this is the reason I decided to continue the discussion. Here are the ways I have helped men grow and change and why I believe this is an area where a women’s coach should be. Building Awareness and Empathy A women’s

In the competitive world of business, sponsorship plays a significant role in the career progression of women. Sponsorship takes mentoring a step further by actively advocating for an individual’s advancement within an organization. I have had a number of clients ask me for help finding and securing a sponsor, so I thought I would delve into the concept of sponsorship and explore its immense value for women striving to reach new heights in their careers. I’ll also share how my own (accidental) sponsors are the reason I landed in the c-suite. GET MY GOAL COMPANION Understanding Sponsorship Sponsorship involves an

I haven’t dipped my toe into working with another company to provide one-on-one executive coaching services; GET MY VISION COMPANION however, recently, I had a recruiter contact me and ask me to apply to be a coach for a company. The company is a startup that is about a year old and focuses on leadership and executive coaching. I looked up the co-founders on LinkedIn—both are young white men who have never served in the c-suite. I decided to give it a whirl and a few weeks ago I had an interview with the co-founder who is focused on sales.

The other day one of my coaching clients asked me for some questions… …she can use with her staff so that she could pivot from the answer person to helping her staff find the answers on their own. We had such a great discussion. These five questions rose to the top for her and I thought I would share them with you so you can try them as well. To help your staff discover new possible actions or to move them toward their intended objectives, try asking these five powerful questions: GET MY GOAL COMPANION What must happen? What specific,

The other day a former colleague (I’ll call her Ashley) reached out to me out of the blue. I had not heard from her for nearly four years. GET MY VISION COMPANION After I left the government, Ashley experienced a toxic workplace and decided she needed to leave and heal. She left government for a while, which she said brought some peace; however, she felt like a “fish out of water”, because she had always worked in government and that was the place she felt most comfortable. Two years ago, she returned to the government in a healthy work environment.

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from my time in Washington, DC, was in town. I knew she had emigrated from Pakistan; however, I didn’t know everything that she and her family went through to come to the United States. I was so touched by what she shared and the running theme of overcoming so much fear to arrive on US soil when she was eight that I thought I would share some of the takeaways I had from our discussion. It’s natural to experience fear at times. Fear can be triggered by various situations, such as stepping

Recently, a number of my coaching clients have desired to level up their executive presence… GET MY VISION COMPANION …so I thought I would share about what executive presence is and why it matters. As a woman executive, you are likely aware of the importance of projecting confidence, authority, and credibility in your role. You may also be familiar with the term “executive presence,” which describes the way in which a leader carries themselves, communicates ideas, and interacts with others in a professional setting. The powerful example of a woman who embodied executive presence throughout her career that I like

The other day one of my clients came into the coaching room with a lot more timidness than I’ve seen in her. GET MY GOAL COMPANION The room started to buzz as everyone hopped in and eventually my client said she had something she wanted to shed in the room. She shared how the week before she was in an executive meeting with her 11 peers, all of whom happen to be men. It was her turn to present on the health of the company and as the Chief Revenue Officer this update was her responsibility. She said that every

Recently, with summer approaching, it got me thinking about the teenagers heading off to their first jobs. GET MY VISION COMPANION I remember being a teenager and excited for my first job. Without any formal experience, I had no idea how to land a job. My parents encouraged me to apply as a server at a restaurant where my parents knew one of the managers. I applied and landed an interview with the general manager. I’ll never forget him asking me to sell him a set of salt and pepper shakers, even though he already had nine sets at home.