This past week was my little sister’s birthday, and as I was looking through old photos, I found one that really made me pause. It’s a picture of us as kids, riding our bikes. I’m in front, glancing back over my shoulder, and she’s behind me, looking up and following my lead.

That simple image sp...

A couple of weeks ago, Minnesota was in a deep freeze - schools were closed, my weather app showed -15°F with a "real feel" of -30°F, and I had to bundle up in a stocking cap and winter coat just to step outside and head to the law school to teach (law school classes are never canceled, it seems). 

Growing up, I always worked hard in the summers. As a first-generation college student who paid my way through college and graduate school, I had to have multiple jobs every summer (and throughout the school year). 

One of my (many) summer jobs was a lifeguard. I worked at public pools all day, eve...

Tomorrow is Halloween! 

(If you haven’t picked up candy for your trick-or-treaters, this is your reminder to do that tonight after work!)

It may feel like a strange juxtaposition, but thinking about Halloween also made me think of psychological safety, something I’ve been speaking and teaching abo...

Tomorrow (Tuesday, October 10) is World Mental Health Day. Mental health is a foundational component of well-being, so I want to devote this blog to mental health and breaking down the stigmas around it.  

World Mental Health Day: A Brief History

Every year on October 10th, the world comes togethe...

After almost two weeks out of the office on a service and learning trip to El Salvador and Guatemala, I’m back!

I’ve got quite a bit of digging out to do (sorry if I owe you an email - I promise to get back to you as soon as I can!), but the treasure trove of memories I made over the last two weeks...

Welcome back to a five-day workweek after last week’s shortened 4th of July week! It’s tricky when the Fourth of July falls on a Tuesday, isn’t it? 

I don’t know about you, but I barely knew what day it was most of last week, and I found myself pushing pretty hard to get five days of work done in a...

This week, I want to introduce you to the four main components of emotional intelligence. This is a topic that's been coming up so much in my coaching and speaking work, so I wanted to share the nuts and bolts with you.

I'm guessing you might have heard of emotional intelligence before, but I deepl...

Valentine's Day is tomorrow, and it can be a complicated day for a lot of people. Some people celebrate it with their partners with roses, chocolates, and such, while for others it can bring up painful feelings of loneliness and anxiety.

Remember (even though it's hard sometimes), a relationship (o...

With only two full weeks left in 2022, I hope you are finding some time to take care of yourself. Many of you are facing end-of-year deadlines at work, holiday shopping/wrapping/festivities, and all of the drama of the season.

A few things to think about as you face year-end and set goals for the c...

Are you feeling tired? Overwhelmed? Like you don’t know how you will get it all done?

When you’re in need of a pick-me-up, J.D. Meier recommends leveraging four sources of strength: your mind, body, emotions and spirit.

Mind:

We can take our brainpower for granted, but we rely on it so much all...