A Better Way to Begin Your Meetings

“One small step…” is the now famous quote from our first time on the moon. It can also be a great way to begin a meeting, especially when times are tense. Here is the quote that works for me: “Since our last meeting what have you noticed that’s been better or different.” Allow some silence and then take each person’s contribution. You can use “What was the small step that got us there?” Open a meeting with “How’s everyone doing?” and you will likely open a hornets’ nest of issues. But ‘better or different’ and recognizing ‘small steps’ of movement will likely put those at the meeting on the path to solutions or at least “We are on track…”

Consult Your Avatar

Some moments in our work lives feel almost effortless. You’re presenting, contributing, leading and something in you clicks. You’re calm. Clear. Effective. It feels like a wiser, more grounded version of you has stepped forward.

In a recent meeting, an executive described this as “consulting her Avatar.”
For me, it’s the inner expert—the part of you that knows what to do when you stop overthinking and let your practiced wisdom lead.

The key is not treating those moments as lucky accidents. They’re signals. They’re patterns. And they can be repeated.

As you watch this short video, consider:

• When has your avatar—your inner expert—shown up strongly?

• What were you doing that allowed it to emerge?

• And how might you call on it in the moments that matter?

Watch the full video and reflect on your own avatar.

Introduce People, Not Just Positions

Go beyond name and noun. When you introduce a colleague, say the name and the role, of course, but add the personal and that humanizes them. This is Sal — he’s part of our IT department — and what I’ve noticed about him with clients (often me!) is that he goes beyond being an IT pro: he’s an educator. He doesn’t just solve my problem; he helps me understand it. He doesn’t just fix the issue, he fixes me!

Circle Time

Many professionals step into leadership roles without ever being taught how to lead a team.

Doctors, nurses, lawyers, accountants, people who spent years mastering their craft, are suddenly expected to run meetings, present to executives, and guide teams effectively. But those skills aren’t always part of professional school.

One place this gap shows up quickly is in meetings. Leaders often think the agenda is the most important part of a meeting. Participants often feel the check-in is the most important part.

In this short video, I share a simple idea: bring back something we all learned in nursery school: circle time. Taking a few minutes for check-ins can calm the chaos, help people feel seen, and set the tone for a more productive meeting.

Watch the clip to see how you can incorporate check-ins into your own meetings.

How do you currently open your meetings to get your team focused and engaged?

In Honor of St. Patrick's Day

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, or as I prefer to call it, ST. PATRICK’S MONTH, I came across some Celtic wedding vows that really moved me. The French are often seen as the romantic ones, but wait: nothing tops this.

To my husband: May you never steal, lie, or cheat, but if you must steal, then steal away my sorrow. And if you must lie, lie with me all the nights of my life. And if you must cheat, then please cheat death, because I couldn't live a day without you.

To my wife:  I vow you the first cut of my meat, the first sip of my wine. From this day, I shall only cry out your name in the night and smile into your eyes each morning. I shall be a shield for your back as you are for mine.

Ah, the Irish — known for their romantic ways!

Me, Myself and I

Recently I was listening to a homily where the priest offered a simple truth: our everyday trinity often becomes me, myself, and I. That message made me think about how many times we center ourselves in a meeting or presentation instead of the people we're trying to help.

When we intentionally ground our work in shared values, both personal and organizational, we clarify what matters most for our audience and become more useful to others.

The video below explains how to get back to the trinity that actually serves our teams. What would change if your next message focused more on others and less on I, myself and me?

The Pyramid

There is a Japanese therapist who has a three-sided pyramid in his office. One side says, ‘those bad people’ the second side says, ‘poor me’ and the third side says, “so what am I going to do about this’? When you come for therapy, he hands you the pyramid and says, “So what should we talk about today?”

Team Getting Behind You

In my latest video I share a story about a physician‑CEO who used a simple ritual to turn stuck moments into momentum. Every Thursday his direct reports send a 100‑word problem brief, and Monday is reserved for focused problem‑solving—no status updates, just help. Admitting you’re in the ditch is hard; this gives people permission to say, “I need a push,” and lets the team literally get behind you and move you forward.

The Quiet Work of Coming Back

Are you a Lindsey Vonn? I was trying to wrap my head around the way she must process pain. And I wondered how she processed who her body once was and isn’t’ so much now. I wondered how you do it. This might be a good way to have a conversation not about our medial ills and issues, but better about our ‘head space’…how do you recover from disappointments, failures, firings, and not quite being who you used to be? Weigh in below please.

Dessert First

What if you started your presentations the way you start a great meal—dessert first? When you lead with the part your audience cares about most, everything that follows brings more clarity, energy, and purpose.

In this short video, I share how this simple shift can transform your impact and the way people listen from the moment you start talking.

Before You "Post," Pause

“Think before you speak is an age-old, often‑repeated parental reminder; now it might be think twice before you write online—then don’t, especially if you feel the world really needs your opinion.

I often hear others say, ‘In my opinion…’ and I wonder if the world really needs that, especially when it comes to hot‑button issues. I saw a message online: ‘I probably shouldn’t say this but…’ Yes—correct—you might consider keeping that one to yourself. Or the ever‑famous, ‘I know I’ll get some blowback on this…’ or ‘This may be politically incorrect but…’ I’m not sure the world needs anything that ends with ‘but…’

I’d be interested in what all of you think about this. When do we actually need the personal opinions of others? Chime in below.”

Running an Effective Meeting

What do you as a participant want most of all in your ‘regular team meetings”? Do you ever enter a meeting dying to see the agenda? Or do you sometimes wonder what all the others who are present think? And as the leader or facilitator go on and on, as you wander your mind, what do you wish they would ask all of us? Leaders prioritize the agenda; participants prioritize the check in. If you are running the meeting ask first and then again and a bit more often for full attention and buy in, that is the real agenda! How do they run meetings where you live and work? Jump in below and let us know.

The Power of a Real Apology

A few months ago, I joined a workshop on how to apologize. It got me thinking about how often we rush through apologies or use them in situations where they don’t belong.

In this video, I’m sharing a few takeaways that stayed with me: what it means to take responsibility without over‑owning, how to protect the words “I’m sorry,” and why intention matters just as much as the words.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make your apologies clearer and more authentic, this might give you something useful to reflect on.

Bridging the Age Gap in Leadership

Is your supervisor or boss significantly older than you…or significantly younger? And by this I don’t mean what generation category they belong to. I mean how do you deal with them on a human level? What skills do you find yourself using more and more to create less distance, more understanding, more collaboration despite the ‘differences’ we feel? Let us know how it is for you, especially if you are that boss?

Increasing Your Energy Before You Present

I recently gave a presentation on presentation skills, and there are two things I always come back to: executive presence and the ability to present to executives. Those two elements shape how people experience you long before they remember a single slide.

Most of us walk into a presentation thinking about our PowerPoint, how we look, or what we hope the audience will take away. All important. But there’s another layer that changes everything: your energy.

I use a simple practice that helps me show up with clarity and intention. Before I present, I write out what I want participants to walk away with. Then I write a short “testimonial” as if a participant were describing my session afterward. That exercise alone raises my energy and sharpens my focus.

You can use the same approach in your meetings, even when you’re not leading.
-What do I most want to say in this meeting.
-What would I want someone in the room, or even my boss, to say about my contribution.

Energy changes delivery. It changes presence. It changes how people hear you in a presentation, a team meeting, or even a family conversation. Try it and see what shifts for you.

Rethinking Comparison

I was listening to a physician interview recently and tuned in late but heard him quote someone else: “Don’t compare me to the Almighty; compare me to the alternative.” How is comparison going for you? I’m noticing with myself and with my university students as well as with my physician and nurse clients that the tendency to compare is all too common with pretty disastrous results.

Any time we compare we engage in ‘vertical’ thinking, someone is ‘up’ and someone is ‘down’. This seesaw of superiority and inferiority is not only bad for the diminished one, but also for the one on top too. Elite athletes may be competing ‘against’ someone or some record, but when they let their hair down the real competition is withing themselves. This is probably a useful way to compare but when we are in constant competition with others mentally, we run the risk of diminishment happening every day. “I have to be better than you, and you, and you. Simply saying that puts me I an inferior position every day scrambling for a superior position.

Finding the Balance in What We Share

“In conversations, we all tend to lean one way or the other. Some of us share everything and overwhelm the other person. Others hold back so much that people have to pull information out of us.

In this video, I talk about what it looks like to land in the middle, to disclose just enough. If you want to communicate with more clarity and intention, this one’s worth a watch.

Choosing the Pace That Serves You

I’m making 2026 business travel arrangements and for as many as I can, I’m not rushing home in rush hour or worse on the red eye but rather taking that extra night with a mid-morning return. I’ll have a dinner or two with a nearby friend or past customer, take a walk, write my notes, maybe even be free to have dinner with my client. Yep, that’s what I’m going to do in 2026!

Say the Good Things Now

I’ve been to a bit more funerals lately than I’d like. I’m Irish and we see death as a time to celebrate…Irish wakes! And with each funeral I attended I wondered if we all told this person how fabulous they were when they were alive! With your customers and friends and employees…how about doing just that. A quick “I was thinking about you today” and I want to tell you what I was thinking about you. Then consider any one of these openers: What I liked, learned, or appreciated about you. Don’t leave it on voice mail…make them call you back! Don’t say it all the time in an email, write a thank you note or card, handwritten. And do it with absolutely no intention of another deal or contract as a result. You might even try it with your children or extended family. We all have plenty of time in the car to make a spontaneous call. And just think of the responder’s very good vibes from your thoughtful call.

Finding the “Me Too” Moments That Bring Us Closer

I recently read Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, and one story in particular has stayed with me. At the height of his fame, confused, overwhelmed, unsure of how to navigate it all, he sought out a monastery for spiritual direction.

Walking through the desert with a monk, he poured out everything: his mistakes, disappointments, the moments he wasn’t proud of. The monk listened silently. And when McConaughey finally finished, the monk simply said: “Yeah… me too.”

How often do people come to us with their own burdens, losses, and fears. And when we meet them with empathy, we create connection. “Me too” doesn’t mean sameness. It means humanity.

In a world that often rewards quick judgments, what would change if we looked for the places where we can say “me too” instead?