Lately, A Feeling of Control is Hard to Come By… Like many people, I like thinking that I’m in control—of myself, of my prospects, of my own life. But with the unchecked pandemic, the coming climate chaos, the near-collapse of our economy (because Wall Street is not the economy!), this insane back-to-school season, our endangered Read More
The World We Speak In
Some Thoughts about Race for White Readers
NOTE: If you’re reading this post, it’s because you want to communicate (and think) more effectively about race. I hope these observations help. For most of my life—since I started working as a white vocalist in a Black music tradition, jazz—I’ve been thinking off and on about race. And yeah, did you catch where I Read More
Trying to Acknowledge Other People’s “Service” in the Pandemic
The Korean woman in the apron handed me the paper bag and stepped back. We bowed to each other, the way we might have at a Korean church. “Su go ha se yo,” I said, which translates to “Keep up your hard work,” but that isn’t it exactly. The phrase is a kindness, meaning, I Read More
What a Leader Looks Like
Most of us don’t match the stereotype In 2017, in response to The New Yorker magazine’s cover by French artist Malika Favre, groups of female surgeons began posting pictures of themselves with the hashtag #ThisIsWhatASurgeonLooksLike. (I’m proud that the first group to post included my client, Dr. Heather Logghe.) Of course, medicine isn’t the only Read More
How Tidying Up Your Mind Can Spark Public Speaking Joy
As millions of people now know, Marie Kondo — the international de-cluttering guru and author of four bestselling books — has a new show on Netflix called Tidying Up with Marie Kondo. Her message is simple and powerful: You can live a better life when every object in your home matters (in Kondo’s words, “sparks Read More