Before you update the resume, get specific about what's actually driving your career change.

When people decide to make a career move, the instinct is to change everything at once. But the more you change all at once, the harder it is for anyone, including you, to see what you actually are. 

The kids were home sick this weekend (ie mood for all winter). The older one passed a cold on to her younger brother, which also turned into a viral stomach bug/fever for him. All the usual stuff, but we felt for them and we cuddled them hard.

We want to extend our sincere gratitude to everyone who attended the Define Your Own Style Workshop! This workshop was a labor of love, so it was touching to hear from many of you that the content was energizing and useful.

I grew up in a loving, generous, boisterous, resourced, and fiercely committed multi-generational household. I was lucky and privileged, and I’m grateful and I try to pay it forward. Through it all, it was hard for me to find my confidence and feel secure as a quiet child among a lot of strong personalities and immigrant family dynamics.

For the fifth anniversary of my mom's passing, I thought I would share a few of the best lessons that I learned from her. 💕

One of my favorite things about my partner is our shared love of storytelling, creativity, and a contemplative life. It brought us together and continues to fuel us amidst the privilege of parenting highs and lows. Whenever I stress out about money and the unpredictability as a soloprenuership, my partner always encouraged me to stay the course and continue to find my voice. “People spend their lifetime trying to figure out what they love doing…you have found that and it’s a gift. Just run with it,” he encourages me.

I’ve been reflecting on the concept of positivity a lot this week in light of the news about Twitch (someone celebrated for his positivity and tendency to uplift others). I’ve always been a naturally pretty optimistic person. I generally wake up in a good mood - a weird detail but my resting state is pretty positive in the mornings (unless it’s a 5:10 am alarm clock when I was teaching, in which case I was NOT in a good mood). Though I often struggled with a fierce inner critic coming of age, I’ve always been pretty authentically positive in terms of how I move around in the world and interact with others. It just flows for me.

Today was our last session of the inaugural cohort of the Teach For America-Bay Area Elevate Fellowship! I love this group so much. Designing and Facilitating this leadership program has been the highlight of my year(s). I teared up during our closing reflections and I wasn't the only one!

I have looked at so many resumes this past year. Here is my biggest takeaway (and this is not a new insight nor it is original): The "resume" is one of the biggest tool that perpetuates inequity in the professional world.

But one of the interesting things about the assessment results was that her top two strengths weren't among the common Execution strengths (ie. Discipline, Achiever, Responsibility...though all three were in her Top 10). Instead, her top two strengths are: Connectedness (Relationship Building) & Input (Strategic). At first, we both were thinking, huh? But then as dug into the report, it *ALL* made sense!

About 30 minutes before our session start time, my internet went out. I reset my router but no luck. I called Arjun at work and he immediately checked the Comcast website to find an internet outage had just been reported. Virtual facilitation worse case scenario!

Looking back, I remember the conversation we had with her and the doctors with some pretty specific details. But when I watched the videos today, I was surprised to see how much joy there was in the room that day.

I have learned from my Dad that so much is possible for our lives if we are willing to try new things and become more comfortable with being uncomfortable.

My mom passed away almost five years ago from stage four cancer about one month after she was diagnosed. She was larger than life.

I did a 90 mins CliftonStrengths coaching session with my TWIN BROTHER a few weeks ago and it was such an amazing experience.

It was in that special space
that the five of us learned to really be together
Away from the dizzying pull of AIM instant messenger
and long American freeway commutes to work for my parents
A memory, a moment in time, a chapter

Want to level up your Zoom game? I wanted to share five of my favorite quick and easy Zoom tips that I have leaned on for creating powerful virtual spaces.

Everything changed for me earlier this year when I was coaching and advising 50+ educators and leaders. Over and over, I noticed a disturbing trend; badass women of color downplaying literally everything - their success, achievements, responsibilities, and expertise.