I've been thinking of traveling recently - and I’ve also been thinking about how to bring some of that learning back to you and to make it relevant to your work and your life, just as I’m applying it to my own.

Here’s one lesson I wanted to share …

On the last night of our trip to El Salvador (...

As many of you know, one of my random talents is playing the piano and church organ. I’ve been playing piano since I was five years old and organ since I was 11. Being a church organist helped me pay my way through college, graduate school, and law school. I still sub on the organ at area churches b...

Lately, I've been wanting to start forming new habits.

I wanted to:

• Have a clean, organized basement.
• Lose a few extra pounds that had crept on over our record-breaking, harsh Minnesota winter
• Get to the bottom of my overflowing email inbox.

But the problem with these habits is that they...

What is self-care, and why is it so important for your health? “Self-care is not synonymous with self-indulgence or being selfish. Self-care means taking care of yourself so that you can be healthy, you can be well, you can do your job, you can help and care for others, and you can do all the things...

Our EsquireWell community continues to grow, and I'm so happy you are here!

I love birthdays. There’s something so fresh and new about a new year - whether it’s January 1 or (in my case) July 16. I like to treat each of these milestones as a time to make a fresh start, reflect, reset, and set ne...

On the evening of July 4, we loaded the family onto the pontoon like we’ve done for the last 20 years, and we chugged across the lake at dusk to catch the fireworks that started at 10:15 p.m.

We went to our usual spot which we knew always has a terrific view of the fireworks that were going to b...

 I’ve been thinking a lot about instant versus delayed gratification. I taught a program recently for a client about mastering digital distractions, and it came down to being able to handle some emotional discomfort in service of your larger goals - literally, delayed gratification in a nutshell.

I...

It’s been a long string of hot days here in Minnesota. We aren’t known for our heat here in the Great North, so 2-3 weeks of 85+ degree days is pretty amazing (and it makes “July babies” like me very happy)!

This summer, I’ve been doing quite a bit of teaching and coaching on emotional intelligence...

I took a quick trip down to my hometown of Franklin Grove, Illinois (population: 950). The kids were occupied at various camps and activities, and my husband (Ryan) and I were able to get away just the two of us which was particularly nice because Saturday was our 23rd wedding anniversary. 

I don’t...

I hope your first couple of weeks of summer are off to a great start and that you are settling into your summer routine.

Do you have a summer routine? Does it look a little different than your “usual” routine - either by necessity (kids off for the summer) or design (just wanting a little extra bre...

(I took this for you at our cabin when I got up to watch the sunrise.)

When I was 10-years-old, someone asked me my greatest fear. 

And like the 50-year-old trapped in a 10-year-old body that I was, I answered, “Change. Change is my greatest fear.”

I’ve always longed for stability. Security. Pred...

I know (from years of personal experience) that this can be a particularly crazy time of year, and I hope that you are walking through it as gracefully as possible.

I was thinking of you this week after meeting with my trainer, Xavier Robinson. Many of you met Xavier when he was the guest expert on...