a woman reflecting on her last women's leadership coaching session

Taking an Entire Month Off

Think you can’t do that? That is what I believed when the idea first entered my mind. My sister called to say she had finished her teaching year as she had done many times before. While I know that teachers have little flexibility during the year and need the summer off – I still felt a pang of jealousy. “I work full-time and cannot take the summer off – right?” I started to question myself when I thought that. I have worked to create freedom… Read More »Taking an Entire Month Off

an embarassed woman pulling her face under her sweater to hide

Are there things you are embarrassed about?

Me too!  Check out one of the things I’m most embarrassed about here. Are there moments or actions you wish you could have done differently? There are definitely times like that for me. I’ve got lingering shame and guilt about some things in my past, and I suspect you might too. In this video I share one of those cringe-worthy times and the lesson that made me realize that I needed to make a change. Years ago, I was in a big job (for me)… Read More »Are there things you are embarrassed about?

paper cranes in formation darienne mobley women's leadership coaching

How to Lead: Inside Out

The concept of Leadership has always been kind of fuzzy for me.  How do you know when you are doing it right?  Is it when team members like you, or when you reach a goal as an organization?  Is it when you handle a dispute well?  Do you have to be able to “wow” an audience to be a good leader?    I believe that Leadership is just relationships with results. In order to be the best leader you can be – you need to… Read More »How to Lead: Inside Out

an empty glass cup on a table

You Can’t Give from an Empty Cup

What do you need today? Do you know the answer to that question? I ask myself that every morning in my quiet time. It is such a simple question and my answers are usually the same – I need to get that project finished; I need to buy milk; I need to exercise; I need to talk to a friend; I need to read a book for fun. We make lists and we take courses – hell, I even teach some on how to make… Read More »You Can’t Give from an Empty Cup

woman up in the air holding a pink umbrella

Doing My Life Better Series: Living Out Loud

Doing My Life Better Series (In hopes of helping you do your life better too) I will be writing a series of blogs about how to do my life better. I always find something in other’s stories that resonates with me, and I hope the same is true for you. I will not try to find the parallels; you will have to do that. The first part is to excavate. That means looking at my defining moments. Those moments that changed you in some small… Read More »Doing My Life Better Series: Living Out Loud

woman working an old cash register

Doing My Life Better Series: The A & P

Doing My Life Better Series (In hopes of helping you do your life better too) I will be writing a series of blogs about how to do my life better. I always find something in other’s stories that resonates with me, and I hope the same is true for you. I will not try to find the parallels; you will have to do that. The first part is to excavate. That means looking at my defining moments. Those moments that changed you in some small… Read More »Doing My Life Better Series: The A & P

woman holding a ladle full of gravy over a pan

Doing My Life Better Series: Losing My Mom

Doing My Life Better Series (In hopes of helping you do your life better too) I will be writing a series of blogs about how to do my life better. I always find something in other’s stories that resonates with me, so I hope the same is true for you. I will not try to find the parallels; you will have to do that. The first part is to excavate. That means looking at my defining moments, those moments that changed me in some small… Read More »Doing My Life Better Series: Losing My Mom

woman walking in a forest after virtual coaching

When You Can’t Control the Circumstances, What Do You Control?

As I enter Day 26 of being isolated and quarantined, I am conscious of this ‘out of control feeling’ that I am experiencing.  Most of what is happening is out of our control.  I am not an expert in how to best get through this.  I am struggling right along with you.  It is interesting that my clients are all going through the exact same thing at the same time.  I know that we are all going through this in our own ways – some… Read More »When You Can’t Control the Circumstances, What Do You Control?

three girls comforting each other

This One is for the Girls

I heard Deborah Tanner speak years ago about the differences in women and men. It was so intriguing to me, that years later I remember most of what she said.   One of her points was that, as little boys, men play games where the whole team wins – football, baseball, and basketball. Girls play games like teacher/student and mother/child. Girls compete in beauty pageants where only one of them can win.   It is my belief that when a woman wins the presidency of this nation,… Read More »This One is for the Girls

scrabble tiles spelling out the word adventure

What is Your Word of the Year?

Every year, I sit down and go through a process of deciding what one word sums up what is most important to me for the upcoming year.  What do I want to be, do or have?  I write down a lot of words and start to edit them until I come up with the one that fits.  Let me explain why I do this.  One word is easy to remember.  One word can be repeated often.  If it is not a goal or a “should”… Read More »What is Your Word of the Year?