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Emotional 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…
More 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…
Power: 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…
Vole, 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…
Making 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…
Nature 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…
Mindfulness Schmindfulness: Reality Is a Pain
Mindful eating. Mindful drinking. Mindful working. Mindful napping. Mindful this, and mindful that. Mindful purchasing of mindfulness-branded goods and services. If you’ve been to a grocery store, a mall, a school, the internet, anywhere, in the past year or so, you’ve been pitched mindfulness. Heck, if you’ve read this blog in the past month, you’ve…
The Animals are Honest
I grew up in the Detroit area and you have to look a few generations back to find any rural folks. My uncle Lenny and I are the only members of the extended family with an interest in farm/ranch life and animal husbandry. And it’s always been a bit of a puzzle to me how…
Mindfulness in the Minefield: Reclaiming Calm in the Office
You’re at your desk and the phone rings. The hairs stand up on back of your neck when the number flashes on the phone’s face: it’s your boss’ admin and you do not have anything scheduled with your boss. Now you do. You have an inbox that’s doubled since you started your day an hour…
Corporate Grief: When the Workplace Breaks Your Heart
When I transitioned from my private practice as a therapist to leadership consulting in the corporate sector, I figured the psychic heaviness of my role would lift some. I knew that people’s work lives were ridden with relationship conflicts, extreme stress, boredom, and career confusion. They showed up in my therapy office with work complaints…