Stay Curious, Keep Asking Questions
If you’re a parent, teacher, caregiver, or someone that spends any amount of time with children then you know kids ask a lot of questions. Some studies suggest that kids can ask an average of 200-300 questions a day. That’s a lot. This begs another question: How did parents answer those questions before the golden age […]
Blue Sky Thinking in Business: Unlocking Creative Potential
Remember when you were a child, and a simple walk could transform into an epic adventure? The sidewalk cracks were lava, the grass hid camouflaged alligators, and every step was a leap into a world of imagination. As children, we effortlessly accessed a realm where the sky was the limit, and anything was possible. But […]
Imposter Syndrome
What is imposter syndrome and why does it matter? In 1978 Psychologists Pauline Rose Clance and Suzanne Imes developed the concept, originally termed “imposter phenomenon,” which focused on high-achieving women. They stated that “despite outstanding academic and professional accomplishments, women who experience the imposter phenomenon persist in believing that they are really not bright and […]
Learning not Losing
How do you adapt to a “learning” mindset instead of a “losing” one? From an early age, we are taught that losing is an undesirable outcome. As children, we never want to be the last to cross the finish line. This becomes detrimental to our development when the fear of losing causes us to not […]
Dropping the Rope: Transform Stress into Opportunity
We live in a world where stress and anxiety are constant companions, particularly in high-pressure environments. The weight of responsibilities, the fear of the unknown, and the relentless push to perform can create a natural stress set point where tension becomes our norm. But what if we could change that? What if we could learn […]
Happiness Formulas
Happiness Formulas. “I figured it out. I know how to be happy.” A few years ago my friend Jet and I had a conversation that has stuck with me to this day and is becoming increasingly relevant in how I manage my perspective. Jet is the kind of person that everyone loves to be around. […]
Speak Less, Think More: A Path to Effective Leadership
Have you ever been in a conversation, just waiting for your turn to speak rather than truly listening? It’s a common experience that highlights how much we value our own words over the insights of others. But what if we flipped that dynamic? What if we spoke less and thought more? At its core, speaking […]
Drinking the Good Coffee
I believe in drinking the good coffee. In 2015 I spent a month travelling through Vietnam, I was amazed by the country’s beauty and rich heritage. I particularly loved Hoi An, a town that is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At sunset paper lamps light up the cobblestone streets, illuminating the bright coloured […]
Target the Toxicity and Crush It
In 2006 I was a young officer commanding a troop of 36 soldiers in Kandahar, Afghanistan. There, we were met by the Taliban—a fierce and tenacious enemy with very little to lose and everything to gain. Notwithstanding our vast technological superiority, they were a skilled insurgent force, capable of exploiting our weaknesses. But one does […]
Experiential Vertigo
Have you ever been in a situation where you couldn’t tell which way was up? Now imagine having that same feeling submerged deep underwater with a depleting supply of oxygen. This feeling, known as alternobaric vertigo, can strike scuba divers during periods of transition from one pressure zone to another, temporarily rendering them unable to […]