It’s been a year.

Exhaustion - let’s talk about it...

It’s been a year of this pandemic.  Describing it is pointless - we all know what it’s been. It’s been a collective experience.

We are collectively exhausted - and working parents *especially moms* are the most exhausted humans I’ve ever seen in my life. 

Me? I was doing fine for a really long time and then just last month, I hit a wall. I feel like we all did.

I am extremely fortunate - I have my own company filled with my favorite people and really, really good clients and a support network of other female entrepreneurs I can talk to.

It’s still too much.

And I’m optimistic and excited - we were shortlisted for an award for work we did last year *during covid* and we have new projects in innovative spaces. 

The excitement helps. The great people around me definitely helps. 

But it’s being outdoor with my horse that helps the most. Getting my boots dirty and finding harmony with such a powerful, regal creature re-centers me daily. She stays in the Now and so I must do so, too. 

And in those beautiful moments when it’s just she and I, breathing, being, connecting on an energetic level, when my mind calms into quiet and I feel total inner peace and freedom from everything in our man-made world.

In that sense of being, the fluidity of feeling, in her quiet wisdom, she role-models the power of feminine leadership to me - the life-giving flow of emotion, empathy and sensory awareness. 

And I recharge.

Many of us have found deeper aspects of ourselves during this last year. Have moved from cities to rural farms, have grown gardens and learned to bake bread. Have learned to be quiet with ourselves during the chaos.

We must now bring this newly-re-found remembrance of what’s most important to us into our work culture. 

We must create organizations where our well-being is prioritized, where the flow between get and get is reciprocal. Where the Whole Human is honored and encouraged to thrive. Where money and resources are a part of that soulfully-healthy experience and not mutually exclusive to it.

This is #consciouscapitalism and this is #thefutureofwork

Because anything else is archaic in light of what we have learned ❤️💸❤️

Conscious Leadership with a Country in Crisis

As values-based organizations, our responses to moments like these are critical and meaningful.

The George Floyd murder and ensuing response is a national crisis. 

Our Black communities have been asking for change to police excessive force and brutality for all of history and this latest murder, video and initial response by the police appears to be the final straw. 

With a pandemic and economic crisis as the backdrop for this scenario, I think we can all feel the gravity of what is happening right now.

As the leader of a digital agency, I want to share a few things:

• Our Black employees, colleagues and customers need our support right now. Please, consider mental and emotional crisis support to help them process their pain and fear. They may need PTO and they definitely need to know that they are safe at work, along with the steps we are taking to ensure they feel safe.

• Consider internal company-wide communications to ensure all employees know that this is a very sensitive time and you expect all employees to act in accordance with company values. In this moment, that means (fill in how you expect people to behave towards one another and towards customers, clients, etc).

• Consider reviewing all marketing and social media materials to ensure they are appropriate at this moment. Pausing to address this very real issue is highly recommended where appropriate. 

• Be a safe place for diverse employees and take the time to get help if you are not sure what is the right thing to do. Not doing anything is often worse than trying and bumbling your way through it honestly and respectfully.

More than ever, the world needs authentic, kind, and heart-felt leadership. And most importantly - transformational change .

An Open Letter To Executives: It's Time To Address The 'Consciousness' Of Your Business

It’s time leaders take ownership of the “consciousness” of your businesses.

For those who are quick to dismiss consciousness as some sort of spiritual woo-woo, let me offer a quick reference point for even the most scientific, analytical and skeptical amongst us.

Reflect briefly on your own inner life for a moment. Your thoughts, the conversation and sensory experiences you have within yourself, private to you. When I’m referring to your consciousness, I’m pointing to the quality of that inner dimension of yourself.

Is your inner-space a critical and judgmental experience or a still, quiet and deep state of inner peace?

Everyone is somewhere on this continuum.

It shouldn’t be a stretch to understand that the internal dynamics at play inside every human at a company and particularly its leadership team -- inform the quality of the consciousness of the company itself.

It shows up in your daily communications, reactions and decisions -- and most especially, as one of my most curmudgeonly mentors says, "when the shit hits the fan."

It seeps out into teams, clients and customers, and yes, the public. Many companies do not address this below-the-surface dynamic unless and until it’s so bad that it’s become a clear and present danger to the business or of course, when the news hits the press.

Read the rest on Forbes.