It’s here. The week of “chasing my lion” has arrived, and I am about to embark on a journey with so many unknowns. I am headed to Uganda to lead women’s conferences in Pader and Soroti, remote communities where the majority of the women can’t even read or write. Their towns and their people were …
I just finished reading In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day by one of my favorite authors, Mark Batterson. It is based on a not-so-familiar Bible story about a young man named Benaiah who was confronted by a lion that threatened his life. However, unlike most of us who would have run …
I was doing some spring cleaning in my office today when I noticed a small, worn book that carries a big punch. Nestled among more contemporary works from John Maxwell, Steven Covey and Malcolm Gladwell was a bestseller from 30 years ago, with advice that surpasses all the gurus of success. I set aside my …
The holiday season has officially arrived, and for those of us in the United States, this week we will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. This is a time when we gather together and focus on the things we are grateful for, such as family, friends, our home, our freedom and our abundant provisions. Around the globe, the …
I recently read a quote from the book The Top Five Regrets of Dying recently, and it made me stop and think about how I am living my own life today. Author Bronnie Ware was a nurse who spent eight years working in palliative car. Her patients made a profound impact on her, sharing common regrets they …
Today is my 60th birthday. As I have been anticipating this day, I was not sure how I would feel—excited that I made it this far, proud of where I am at this stage in life, or depressed because of a “number.” Now, as I sit here and reflect on the past 60 years, I …
When was the last time you did something for the first time? I recently spent an over-the-top fun weekend with my daughters and daughter-in-law in Boston. On the flight back to Austin, I chose a middle seat so my pregnant daughter could have the aisle. The plane was filling up when a woman asked to …
I recently spent a weekend with four girlfriends at our lake house. We had two full days of talking, no makeup, more talking, healthy snacks, more talking, gourmet dinners and wine, more talking, and sitting around a big firepit in the evening for more talking. It was a time of transparency, laughter, deeper connections and …
In recent weeks, I was immersed in watching the Olympics. Partly because I was excited to watch athletes from my country compete and shine, and partly because it was a nice diversion from the saturation of politics on the airwaves. To fill in programming gaps, we were introduced to athletes through human-interest stories—vignettes that shared …
Do you ever feel like you are stuck? Recently, I’ve been in a “funk,” and I had to do some analyzing to see what was going on. What I realized is that busyness had taken over, and I had to get my life back in order! Here’s what I learned about myself, and how I …
Summer has arrived, and I hope you are taking time to unplug, refresh and do a little dreaming about your future. After all, half the year is already behind you! But with all that dreaming and planning comes taking action, and taking action means stepping outside your comfort zone. Not just a baby step, but a …
This Sunday, we are celebrating Mother’s Day, but for some of us we approach that special day with a bit of sadness, resentment or even anger as “unmothered daughters.” We don’t post pictures of us with our mothers on Facebook, calling her the best mom in the world, and we don’t have a special celebration giving …
It’s that time of year when many women are facing the empty nest with dread and sadness. What has been a rich journey of parenthood, filled with the joys and trials of raising children, is coming to an end, and mothers feel like they will no longer have purpose in life. I know how it …
During a client session yesterday, I asked her “How do you define success?” She was stuck. The only thing she could think of was measuring it in financial terms, her productivity and the ability to provide for her family. Her challenge sparked a lengthy conversation about what success truly is, and how women are notoriously …
This week, I’ve been working in my butterfly garden. And yes, it is really big! The soil had become hard over the years and most of the plants had become “spindly,” so I decided to to a complete overhaul. I had someone dig out the top 10 inches of dirt and replace it with a …
You were created with a unique purpose to fulfill, a part to play in this complex world we live in. You didn’t just randomly happen. You were put here for a specific reason that supports your family, your friends, your professional colleagues and the universe in general. As you were being crafted, you were given …
Exhaustion, stress and overwhelm—I rarely talk with a woman who isn’t experiencing at least one of these emotion-draining states. We over-schedule our calendars, we forget to eat, we don’t dedicate time to spiritual growth, and we make excuses about why we don’t exercise. We know what we should be doing, but life gets in the …
When I am speaking to a group of women and ask them “How many of you are stressed and overwhelmed,” hands immediately go up, frantically waving like someone who is drowning and needs help. If you are like so many of them, you experience stress on a regular basis, wishing you had more time every …
In one of my morning devotionals recently, the authors Becky Johnson and Rachel Randolph shared the Top 10 Stressors of Everyday Women, from a survey they had conducted in their circle of friends. Their Top 10 Everyday Stressors of Women Stress of Chaotic Surroundings Stress of Schedules Stress of Negative Body Image Stress of Negative …
It’s a new year and time to focus on your plan for a successful 2016—a time to dream big, set new goals and set out with a renewed “I can do anything” attitude. But once you create your vision and goals, how do you become truly successful? What needs to change this year to move …
It’s that time of year again when we all begin to panic. Christmas is only a week away, and there is still so much to do! Stress and exhaustion are the norm, and the real reason we are celebrating gets lost in shopping, entertaining and trying to not blow our cool while sitting in traffic …
Christmas is just around the corner and I’m noticing my friends talking about the stress they are feeling with their upcoming schedules. Every year, we know this season is coming, but somehow it seems to catch us by surprise. We enter the last two weeks of the year wishing we had more time to do …
The holiday season is upon us, and that means family gatherings, cooking, shopping and hosting parties. But oftentimes, in all the frenzy and frivolity, we end up so tired and grumpy that we feel like the Grinch. Here are a few things you can do to keep the “PEACE” in your soul while being the …
The holidays are right around the corner, and most women are beginning to feel an additional layer of stress and overwhelm. Along with our normal daily routines, we must entertain, decorate, cook, and shop, all while maintaining a “merry and bright” attitude, which at times is almost impossible. I speak from personal experience. I have …
Are you in love with your career? Often in midlife, a woman reaches an important crossroads in her career. She has been in a professional role for many years and finds herself feeling frustrated and unfulfilled, realizing that success now has a different meaning than when she began her journey. No longer is it all …