I'm a coach and creative problem solver hell-bent on helping others get the outcomes they want at work and at home.
The Work Life Lab is a place to explore what works- and what doesn't- as we all try to strike that elusive sense of professional and personal balance. Here I share what I'm testing in my full-time work as performance coach, consultant, and mom of three.
I'm on a mission to help ambitious, goal-oriented women get the outcomes they want at work and in life by seeing their potential, focusing their efforts, and managing their time. Because I'm a work-in-progress, I start each day with me. I'll never share advice I haven't put to the test in my own life.
A little bit about my work...
I am a certified coach, consultant, meeting facilitator, and blogger. I help clients get a greater return for their time invested at work. Raised by two “can do” parents who drilled resourcefulness and persistence, I bring creative, practical ideas aimed at solving their challenges with communication, collaboration, and buy-in.
I left a management position with a large consulting firm to work with a woman-owned small business in 2016. My goal then and now is to reduce the fluff and time-consuming distractions at work while supporting clients in delivering their mission. Being a consultant is accepting that you’ll never have your finger directly on the button. Instead, the ideal is to work through and on behalf of clients to achieve their goals. That is precisely what makes me love this work.
A little bit about my family...
I have three kids who make me want to do my best every day. My husband brings buckets of support, encouragement, and humor to our relationship and family. To help get things interesting, we have a two dogs and a cat who only likes one person in this house (and it’s not me.) We love to get outside, try new things, and make each other laugh.
Other tidbits
We may have met through my published pieces on Inc.com, GovExec.com, Bloomberg Government, or my retired blog Goviepop. My book, Flock: Getting Leaders to Follow is a best seller in Organizational Behavior on Amazon.com and I'm pretty excited about it. Most recently, I launched Own It: Drive Your Career to a Place of Happiness and Success. You can download it for free here.
I've presented and participated at federal and industry events including the Toigo Ground Breakers, Women in Leadership conference for professional women, National Facilities Management and Technology (NFMT) conference, Women in Facilities panel, Department of the Interior professional education events, and the Chesapeake Bay Organizational Development Network (CBODN.)
I am a board member with the Institute for Conservation Leadership (ICL) providing training, coaching, organizational development support to range of environmental non-profits. I am a strategic advisor to A is for Africa-- a small, family-run 501 (c) 3 giving students in Tanzania a leg up by sponsoring a daily hot lunch, access to computers and books, and improving teacher education.
I hold a BA in Political Science from James Madison University. I adore my family, running, cooking, and anything furry and four-legged. I have never felt tied down to one hair color, can barely close my dresser drawers, and love looking at before and after pictures of any kind.