Backpacks and Barbells

I’ve done a lot of experimenting with productivity mindsets and tools. Initially, it was all about producing more in less time—because as an executive and mom of three, there never seemed to be enough hours in the day. But what I eventually realized was that I didn’t need tactics to produce more in less time—I was actually craving space for deeper work . I needed to step out of the constant barrage of urgent-but-not-important tasks and focus on the work that truly moved the ball forward. Emails. Teams messages. Back-to-back meetings. Adding the missed comma in a deck for tomorrow’s meeting. By the time lunch rolled around, my brain was fried—leaving no room for the big rocks that actually mattered. And that includes time with my family. I’ve explored all the strategies. There was even a phase where I took cold showers before big meetings to ride the wave of adrenaline for focus and attention. ( Spoiler alert: I like hot showers, and those meetings weren’t that important. ) I’...

Now that my days aren’t consumed by minute-to-minute activity, I’ll have these moments of “A-HA” and realize many of the confines I’ve been operating in for decades are self-constructed. It’s as if I’m living confined in a narrow hallway and when I finally get the courage to turn one of the creeky knobs …not only does the door open, the entire structure that I thought I existed in fades away—poof. freedom to create, build, work in a way that is freeing. A few of the big ones recently: Relearning weekends are just days. My entire concept of balance was based on not working weekends. But Saturday is just a day. Tuesday is just a day. It’s freeing to work when there is energy to work. Rest when I’m tired and not worry if it’s M-F or between the hours of 8-6. Remembering that I don’t have to be sitting at a computer to be making forward progress. For so long, my entire work life lived in this tiny screen. I recently had this moment of “I don’t have to do that.” I can go have coffees...

For those that have followed me for a while, you know I love #data, especially about health, fitness, wellbeing. Over the last several years I’ve tracked my stress score on my Garmin and made note of the external factors happening at the time. I’ve watched that score after making changes to my exercise routines, sleep habits, work schedule, social media usage, etc. In 2024, the highest average stress score was right around the time I was making the decision to leave Credera - those few weeks when I sat on the fence of stay or go. The lowest was after reworking my daily schedule to create more focus time in my day and prioritize 8 hours of sleep. My average score over the last three weeks exceeded anything in 2024 by a long shot. I’ve shared some of this in a previous post, but as I’ve been deciding my path forward, my mind has been so chaotic - the window completely foggy. While there was without a doubt a pull to continue exploring The Athlete Identity Project, I was also simultane...

I quit my job as a Partner in a global consulting firm. I took a month-long nap, joined the board of a nonprofit I’m passionate about, started a project that truly feels like my life’s work, went to Disney World, and now, I’m only taking on work that brings me energy. Sounds incredible, right? Sign me up. Half the time, I can’t believe this is my life. I can’t believe that Marc and I created this opportunity for me to explore what’s next with as much freedom as I have right now. I thought I had it all planned out. It took me six months to make the decision to leave Credera, and I told my leaders in April of last year. Another seven months passed before I actually walked out the door—because closing a chapter I had invested so much in deserved that level of care. I had time. The business plan was written. Custom domain secured. Microsoft Office set up. A website built. And then, on the other side of it all, I felt this strong pull toward something else. And I couldn’t shake the thou...

  “Let it go, let it go… That perfect girl is gone.” Fresh off a week-long trip to Disney World, I can’t help but appreciate how far Disney princesses have come. When I was a kid, their stories were mostly about finding true love—Cinderella, Belle, Snow White, Ariel. And trust me, ten-year-old Amanda sang “I’ll Make a Man Out of You” from Mulan more times than I can count. But today’s Disney princesses? They’re on a different journey. Merida, Elsa, Moana, Tiana—they’re not searching for a prince. They’re discovering their own power, their own voice. Their stories are about stepping into their truth and honoring it. And the best part? There’s room for all of them. You can dream of finding your prince. You can dream of leading the way. You can embrace love, courage, or adventure—and be celebrated for any path you choose. Bravo, Disney. Bravo.

In 2018, I read 7 Habits of Highly Effective People for the first time. Actually, I listened to it then promptly bought the physical copy and read it cover to cover. Studied it. It’s dense content that had many times before been recommended to me, but for some reason, that summer, it just all sunk in.  The book is divided into three primary goals with the note that you must master them in order:  Personal Victory – Mastery and discipline over oneself Public Victory – Establishing deep relationships of high integrity Sharpening the Sword – Continuous evolution and improvement The author, Stephen Covey, encourages you to imagine yourself at the end of your life – maybe your celebration of life; maybe your 100th birthday – and to visualize who want in the room and what you hope they would say. For me, this is the perfect North Star for the way I want to define success and a life well lived.  With this vision in place, every year for the last six years, I’ve created personal ...