Give Me a Break!!
I’ve worked hard my whole adult life. I’ve built careers, raised children, written books, spoken on stages, coached, interviewed hundreds of women, and constantly challenged myself to do more, learn more, accomplish more. I’m a lifelong high achiever. Which sounds...
“No” is Not the End of the Story
“One day, all of this will vanish. This brick and mortar and dogma. Gentlemen, women are coming to Cambridge.” I heard those words spoken a week ago watching Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day, the new film adaptation of Woolf’s 1919 novel. In the film, Katharine...
The Career Ladder is the Old Story. The Kaleidoscope is the New One.
For most of our working lives, we’ve been handed the same story: Your career is a ladder. Climb it. Don’t step off. Don’t move sideways. And whatever you do, don’t leave a gap! And we’re told that’s ambition. But Author and Journalist, Helen Jonsen, offers another...
Change the Game. Don’t Just Teach Women to Play It.
A couple of weeks ago, my newsletter addressed the topic that Women aren’t the Problem. The System is. For decades we have been carrying the burden of adapting to systems that weren’t designed for us and, in fact, work against us due to the bias ingrained in their...
Power Isn’t Enough. You Need to Know When and How to Use it.
After I published my interview with Jaqueline Sussman, on The Power Women Were Taught to Hide, last week, I received this comment from a reader. “It’s one thing to know you have power. It’s another thing to know when and how to use it—especially when it matters.” She...
The Power Women Were Taught To Hide
I’m launching a new Badass Women at Any Age interview series on Substack: My first conversation is with Jaqueline Sussman, whose life's work has centered on helping women discover the authentic self beneath years of conditioning. What is your personal story, and how...
Women Aren’t the Problem. The System is.
Since 2007, I’ve been coaching professional women to “speak up.” Speak up in the meeting. Ask for the promotion. Push back when you’re interrupted. Negotiate your salary. Advocate for yourself. Learn to be politically savvy, especially because you’re navigating in a...
How a Neil Simon Play Became a Masterclass in Self-Respect for Midlife Women
“I’m not going to let you hurt me, Nora. I’m not going to let you tell me that I don’t love you or that I haven’t tried to give you as much as I gave to Laurie…..God knows, I’m not perfect because enough angry people in this house told me so tonight…But I am not going...
Congratulations. You Got The Promotion. Now Watch Your Step.
You finally got the promotion. Or maybe you landed the executive role you’ve spent years pursuing. You should be celebrating. Instead, within weeks, you’re wondering: Why does everything seem to be on fire? The team is demoralized. The budget has been slashed....