#243 – Do you uphold Deep Democracy within yourself?As a principle, Deep Democracy asserts that all voices inform every process. We can't understand or influence a process (a conflict, relationship, trauma response, etc.) unless we hear the pers...
#242 – Where's the line between self-improvement and self-rejection?"(...) The self-improvement market in the U.S. was worth $13.4 billion in 2022." Source: Marketresearch.comHow many times have you heard someone call themselves a "self-improvem...
#241 – How will conflict help you grow?Most people find conflict uncomfortable. It brings up emotions that often devolve into red faces and raucous voices, clenched fists and slammed doors. Wanting to prevent it seems sensible.During the pandemic, a...
#240 – Yeah, but why do you fear saying what you want to say?It's not speaking the words we're afraid of – it's how our words will make the other person see us.Since age two, your Ego has recorded how people react and respond to you. To help you lear...
#239 – What makes "difficult conversations" difficult?As a coach, I've helped countless executives prepare for "difficult conversations" in a broad range of situations – personal and professional.Today, I realize something. It's not the conversation...
#238 – What makes the passing of time so distressing?In the morning (or at the beginning of the week, month, or year), your "planning self" is hyperactive, recounting all the things you'll do together.Then life happens. The newspaper contains very in...
#237 – When does following up become chasing?The sales website Saleslion mentions,"60% of customers say no four times before saying yes.""Persistence is key," they say. But when does persistence become insistence, the characteristic if annoying trait...
#236 – And when they don't like... me?The only honest response here would be a giant ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ."You don't like me? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ So what?"The problem is, many of us people-pleasers (recovering or active) take so much responsibility for other people...
#235 – What happens when they don't like your work?Have you ever felt like you did something wrong because someone didn't like your work?I have. August, 2003, Pan-European Voice Conference in Graz, Austria. I'd memorized my speaking notes for th...
#234 – If not praise, what is worth working for?There's a question creators ask one another often – what is it for?Although it's a fair question, which can bring depth to any creative endeavor, I believe it's often misunderstood. It's easy to make th...