Soul Boss

Everyone has an inner voice that gets after us, and there are times when that boot camp voice is just the motivation we need! However, nagging, scolding, or guilt tripping yourself isn’t the only way. Learn how to use the soft skill of empathy to encourage your way to you best, most productive self.

Are you tired of feeling overcommitted, under-appreciated, and burned out? Then change your default yes by using probing questions to get the details you need about a potential opportunity. Start saying no today to spreading yourself too thin and say yes to people and projects that light you up!

Jumping into big projects may seem exciting until you realize that you’ve overextended yourself or forgotten important details. But don’t let a big problem be the boss of you, making you feel overwhelmed, anxious, or that you’ve picked a goal that’s over your head. Click to learn how to see consistent progress and sustained success using the mountain climber approach. Don’t try to summit in a day!

There’s been a lot of talk at work this week about the first anniversary of the COVID lockdown. The funniest comment I heard was, “I miss conference rooms.” I instantly related because attending a meeting is one thing. However, understanding the nuances about what’s happening in that room—like the unarticulated feelings behind the words being said or your role in a tense situation—takes sensitivit...

I’ve learned an important lesson the hard way: Mindlessly juggling more, more, more isn’t valuable. In fact, trying to do too much at once made me scattered and irritable—can you relate? The way out is to use the soft skill of smart choices. Click to learn how to banish “busy”!

Quick—can you name your norms? The point of setting your norms isn’t to blend into the crowd—it’s about knowing and living what matters to you. Click to learn how one man used soft skills to think on his feet, challenge old paradigms, and stick to his heart’s desire.

Do you find yourself making uncomfortable compromises in a relationship or minimizing your thoughts and feelings? That’s not normal. You can change that dynamic by making the smart choice to pause, take stock, and recalibrate. Click to learn how to listen to your instincts and reclaim your personal power. Make support and respect your relationship norms.

Have you heard the advice to never go to bed mad? As a professional negotiator, I can tell you there are plenty of times to walk away when you’re upset! But if you’ve slipped into endless stalemates and the silent treatment, that’s not normal. Click to learn how to make soft skills like adaptability, creativity, and healthy self-esteem your norms for communication.

Are you also in the process of reinvention? Is there something that you had all figured out that you’ve decided to upgrade? You’ll get that upgrade if you also make an uncomfortable intention, and that is to re-examine what used to be set in stone. Click to learn how a successful restaurateur used soft skills to reboot his mindset and his business.

Are big problems getting in the way of your big goal? Learn how to use your natural creativity to overcome adversity. Keep going!

It’s only the second week of January, but have you already talked yourself out of some of the goals on this year’s intentions list? Don’t put yourself down—it’s more common than you think! Getting a big vision can be the easy part. But it can feel crushing to come face-to-face with gaps in your knowledge or skill set. That’s where you start second-guessing, backing up, and maybe even crossing that...

Setting goals is easy, but stepping into the unknown is hard. Click to hear how one woman conquered the uncomfortable intention to grow and stretch and wound up with a new career.

If there was ever a year to let it all go, this is the year! Prep your Goodbye to 2020 list today!

As we get ready to say good-bye to the year, have you a good idea which didn't quite turn out the way you hoped? Don’t throw in the towel—just re-engineer your approach. Click to hear how you can use soft skills to re-engineer the craziness of 2020.

Are you ready to kick 2020 to the curb? Join the club! But are you being specific about what you’d like to release? You’ll need to make that list and check it twice if you’re going to get the full benefit of good-bye. Click to learn how a famous actress put the soft skill of discernment to work. If she was going to let go, she was going to make it count.

Before we say good-bye to the craziness of 2020, let’s take a few minutes to say thank you to what we’ve learned. Do you have a new sense of clarity about what you’d like to cultivate? What has slipped to the back burner that you’d like to push front and center? Or, what makes you go Ahhhh—more of this. Happiness isn’t out of reach. In fact, it might be hiding in plain sight. Click to hear how a s...

Have you ever known someone that was frequently wrong, but never in doubt? Sometimes, being willing to keep an open mind is the most courageous action you can take. That’s one thing I’ve learned from 2020: Have a perspective, but be willing to pivot and change your mind in crazy times! Click to learn how smart choices are an essential component of courage.

It can be tough to take the lead. It’s nerve-wracking to say what others may not want to hear or to stand up for yourself. But the dilemma isn’t whether turning points will happen. The real issue is what you’ll do when you’re at a crossroads. Will you fall back and hope for someone else to take the lead, or will you speak out, speak up, and fight the good fight? Click to learn how to use the soft...

In the past, when we thought of someone courageous, we thought of the rugged individualist, who faced and solved problems on their own. But that model is a myth. Barreling ahead on your own without all the information isn’t courageous—it’s reckless. Click to listen to how a famous President found the courage to transform an embarrassing defeat into a life lesson.

This year, everyone has probably used “Fine” more than usual simply to avoid a heavy, hard conversation about how things are really going. You may have even felt a little embarrassed about feeling weighed down by anxiety. But that doesn’t mean that you have to keep your game face on. You can find the sweet spot by combining compassion with honesty—take time to understand your feelings, then drop y...

Marissa Maciel was almost at her breaking point when she called her father. She was so stressed trying to juggle responsibilities during the pandemic that she broke down in tears, wondering how long she could keep going. Forget work/life balance—she was just looking for a moment of peace. Like Marissa, do you feel like you’re constantly falling short? Click to hear how to use the soft skill of dis...

I watched a YouTube clip where someone complained about giving the pained laugh when they didn’t really like someone’s joke—you know the one— the half-hearted he-he-he. Who was speaking? Oprah! I thought, Oprah’s made trade-offs, too?! The reality is that everyone makes trade-offs to get along with others—that’s just part of life. The trouble starts when you feel like you have to hide parts of you...

Have you ever had situations that left you unsettled, with feelings running the gamut from being a little embarrassed to outright shame? Shame itself isn’t the biggest problem—the trouble is reliving the pain. When you give weight to a constant stream of negative thoughts like “I can’t believe I didn’t get that right. I always mess up. Life will always be like this,” shame becomes the boss of you,...

Goals start because we have joy, and we’re excited about what’s ahead. But when you have one adversity after another—kind of like this year has been—you may feel like giving up! Finishing strong takes more than putting your shoulder to the wheel and pushing through—it helps if there’s a little fun along the way. So, backtrack to Why you started and anchor that feeling. Click for this week’s case s...

Does the finish line seem a million miles away? Replace a "have to" mindset with "get to" and turbo charge your results with gratitude!