Blog
Explore career topics, including strengths, goals, healthy productivity, perfectionism and wellness.
How strengths aided my recovery: An interview with Dr. Deb Chen
At age 27, Deb experienced a brain aneurysm. It was completely unexpected and changed her life. In this post, Deb reflects on how she used her strengths to recover from her brain aneurysm and re-engage in her community and work. Deb’s top 5 themes from the...
ICF Certification: Received ☑️
This month I'm being highly intentional about celebrating. What this means is that, throughout my day, when I do something I feel good about--even if it is minor--I take a micro-second to give myself a mental pat on the back, a congrats, a high-five, do a little...
What’s making me smile?
Let me preface this by saying that I am not spending my days with a big smile plastered onto my face. However, there are a number of things that have been lifting my spirits over the past few weeks and I wanted to record these here. More time with my immediate family...
Activity to build on team strengths: Victory story
Strengths Activity for Teams: Victory Story This resource is for team leads who want to help foster strong(er) teams. It outlines an activity that can be used during an in-person or virtual team meeting or retreat. This facilitated activity invites each team member to...
Awe
For as long as I can remember, I have been awed by a beautiful singing voice. Certain song/voice combinations stop me in my tracks, pull me in like some sort of powerful vortex (does a vortex suck people in? that may be scientifically inaccurate, but you get my...
7 ways to boost your happiness
Happiness is more than a "positive mood". It is a state of well-being that is tied to living a meaningful life and experiencing deep contentment. Furthermore, there is a growing body of research that suggests that happiness is linked to our physical health. As such,...
A positive approach to perfectionism
Huh? What do you mean: A positive approach to perfectionism? I used to think that perfectionism was something to overcome. I don’t think that anymore. Now, I think of it as something to be mindful of, to be(come) at peace with, and as a characteristic to leverage. I...
Your workspace and well-being
The physical space in which we work matters--a lot. Yet, it isn't necessarily the first thing that comes to mind when we think about career satisfaction. I have noticed my workspace affects my mood, my productivity, my sense of calm (or lack thereof), and my overall...
Catastrophizing (do you remember 1999?!)
I was thinking back 20 years to December 1999--do you remember the "hysteria" leading up to that month?! Back then, my spouse and I ran a disc jockey (DJ) business; December 31 had us worried because we weren't sure how Y2K would play out. Anyone who is old enough to...
Worksheet for perfectionists: Healthy striving
Would you like to overcome perfectionism and begin moving forward? I've created a worksheet that offers a step-by-step process to help you move forward on a project even when you’re feeling stuck. It is written with perfectionists in mind. Perfectionists are people...
Overcoming perfectionism: What if that weren’t the goal?
Are you fed up with yourself and ready to start overcoming your perfectionism? What if I said I wanted to talk you out of overcoming it?! Yes, that's right: I want to propose a different way to see your perfectionism...a way that acknowledges the challenges and ALSO...
Anorexia, gelato, gratitude
Letter to Uno Gelato, a Vancouver-based business. Dear Paddy Mahony (Owner), Mike Raffan (Managing Partner) and staff at Uno Gelato in Kitsilano, Last summer, our 13-year-old daughter, Nayeli, was suffering intensely with anorexia nervosa. This mental health condition...