I’ve never liked the term “work friend.” It always felt like a modification that wasn’t flattering for anyone— “Oh she’s not a real friend. She’s a work friend.” I mean, I wouldn’t want to be anyone’s “work” friend. Would you? Recently, I hosted a webinar for meQuilibrium on taking the work out of networking—and the…

A few months ago, I sent out an email asking people if they hate being asked what they do—and if so, why. And my inbox BLEW. UP. People experience a range of emotions when asked this simple, seemingly innocuous question, from mild loathing and slight fatigue to total overwhelm, dread, even panic. Why? Because they…

What’s the biggest reason you struggle with explaining to someone what you do?  One I hear over and over is that people get tongue-tied, or lack clarity–they know what they do, but talking about it? That’s a whole other story.  This Thursday, 6/24 I’m running a full-day workshop that addresses precisely this issue: how to…

I’m pretty sure you know this, but I am no thrill seeker. You will not find me jumping out of an airplane or off a bridge with a cord strapped to my ankle. Which is why the last place you’d expect to find me is on the back of a horse named Mud traipsing around…

It’s true. Most people will not only never write a book, they can think of 47,000 things they’d rather do. Honestly? People barely read them, let alone write them. But you are not most people. You (likely) love to read. And, if you found your way to me, some part of you, perhaps the quietest,…

Did I ever tell you how much I have sold on Craigslist? A LOT of things, including but not limited to: –Five synthetic plants (the man sniffed each one of them before buying them) –All my old CDs –A dinette set –Not one, but TWO cars It always gave me a warm neighborhoody feeling to…

Hey — In 1989, my mother gave me a glitter-encrusted t-shirt that said: “I’m a writer!” (She gave my sister one that said, “I’m PMSing.”) “You’re always saying you don’t think you’re a real writer,” my mom said, “but you are.” I appreciated the sentiment. But I never wore the t-shirt. Telling the world that…

I don’t know about you, but I never, ever in my life wrote a paper ahead of time. I wrote it when it was due. Why would you spend six weeks writing a paper that you know you can write in six hours? Our best work is a lot like us: It doesn’t get up…