Posts by Beth Anstandig
A Virus Woke Us Up: Now What?
I must admit I was asleep at the wheel. Let me be clear, the things that matter to me have had my full attention. For those of you who have spent five minutes with me, you know that I’m an awareness pusher. It’s my thing. But as the global pandemic crept toward California, it stayed…
Read MoreReclaiming Leadership: A Crucible for Women
The alarm clock of change is buzzing. We’ve been pressing snooze. At first, the seven minute intervals of sleep were warm and cozy and delicious. But not so much anymore. We’re annoyed, even angry. It’s time to wake up! There are significant turning points in our culture when we can see our human development and…
Read MoreWorld’s Okayest Mom
I’m done with this “beautiful mess” crap. I’m over the exquisite authenticity of it all. If I hear one more vulnerable-manifestation-of-this or conscious-intention-of-that, I may find a pack a wolves and run off with them. I write this after 20 days with very little solitude and the absence of my structured life, a schedule of…
Read MoreAre You an Emotional Butler?
Maybe you consider yourself a people person. You’re someone who just loves doing nice things for others, favors, listening to problems, or finding ways to include the odd man out. Or perhaps you find yourself in a peacekeeping role, righting the ship, and calming down the storm so the heated meeting or friend group drama…
Read MoreEmotional Garbage: The Practice of Coping
In the mornings, I leave the ranch with my dogs and walk through the valley and the hilly neighborhoods above our property. We love the safe confines of the ranch, but it’s good for us to interact with the world outside of our fences. The other day, as we were hitting our stride, I noticed…
Read MoreMore Play and Less Nay: Leadership Lessons from a Working Dog
We’re standing on the expansive hills of Zamora, California, and I have an earpiece dangling on the side of my head, stuck in my hair. I can’t seem to get the damn thing to stay in my ear, although I’m still able to hear Bill’s voice in spite of that. There’s too much dog and…
Read MorePower: Are You Missing the Secret Ingredient?
You read the word. Power. It pulled you in. And, at the same time you were enticed, you bristled and balked. We have a love/hate relationship with the topic of power, mostly because we don’t fully understand it. We associate power with the misuse or abuse of it. We imagine people who overpower or rule…
Read MoreVole, C’est Moi: What I’ve Learned from Working Alone
The prairie vole has become invaluable to certain scientists because the prairie vole appears to fall in love. It’s the only rodent that does. It’s one of about 5% all known species (per Smithsonian) that does. The prairie vole. And it’s so cute. Because the prairie voles pair bond for life (unless one of them…
Read MoreMaking Something out of Nothing: The Creative at Work and at Home
Our offices are pretty dull. Tasks are assigned and tasks are done. We clock in, we clock out. Most of the time, we are repeating actions that have been deemed productive in the past. Rarely are we contributing anything new. And all of this fine. It really is. This is how the world works. But…
Read MoreNature Has No Due Dates: Lessons from the Frontline of Foaling Season
Walk through any populated urban area and look past the concrete, see beyond the electronics, listen through the automotive noise. There, you’ll find nature: dirt and trees, birds and rodents, plants and water. As mammals that think and talk prolifically, we humans often lose sight of ourselves as a part of the natural world. We…
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