Hey Reader, On the drive home from Ohio this week, I kept thinking about something I’ve believed for a long time: When you have the chance, take the chance and go. This particular trip wasn’t the easiest one to take. My dad is 80, and traveling with him these days requires some planning. A wheelchair. A walker. Supplies. Making sure wherever we’re going is accessible. Then, a few days before we were supposed to leave, the coolant light came on in my car. Then we thought my dad might have a...
12 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the things we carry with us from one chapter of our lives into another. Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re carrying them. For me, one of those things is acting. I spent years as a professional actor…technically I still am. And when I moved into coaching, strategy, facilitation and the other work I’ve done since, I thought I was moving on to something different. Turns out, I brought a lot more of acting with me than I realized. And here’s...
19 days ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, What do you no longer teach? This was the subject line of an email I received recently that really resonated: Usually we’re answering questions about what we know. What do you teach?What are you good at?What’s your expertise?What do you want to be known for? But this was different. What did you once believe was important enough to teach that you don’t teach anymore? And why? For years, one of the things I taught was personal branding. It made sense. I was working primarily with...
26 days ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, I had ONE job... Don't say the wrong name. I spent weeks preparing to officiate my cousin Beth's wedding. I became ordained. I sat down with Beth and Ed for nearly two hours, listening to the story of their relationship. I wrote. I rewrote. I created a run-of-show. I attended the rehearsal. I edited my remarks until just before the ceremony. Like I usually do, I prepared for every scenario I could think of. There was really only one thing I was worried about. Both Beth and Ed had...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, Last week I told you conversation has always been at the center of how I think and work. This week, one conversation proved it again. I had a conversation with someone who is trying to figure out what comes next. He's built and sold businesses. Earned a demanding professional credential. Worked inside one of the largest consulting firms in the world. Launched products. Lived in several countries. He has a lot of experience. Which, strangely enough, can make it harder to explain...
about 1 month ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, Last week, after I sent my newsletter, my friend Lindsay (a loyal Browns fan) replied with a simple question. She wanted to learn more about my 90 Conversations in 90 Days project. At the bottom of my newsletter, I'd included a link to where I'd documented the experiment on LinkedIn. After clicking around for a while, she wrote back and said, "It's really hard to follow." She was right. At first, I thought the problem was the link. It wasn't. The problem was that I'd left one of...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, I've been surprisingly captivated by the World Cup this summer. Maybe it's my Scandinavian roots, but I've found myself rooting for Norway. While I've enjoyed watching the team, I've become fascinated by one particular player: Erling Haaland. It wasn't just his scoring prowess. It was how comfortably he seemed to be himself. During one break in play, he casually wandered over to the opposing goalkeeper's water bottle and grabbed a drink. No hesitation. No looking around to see if...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Hey Reader, Maybe it’s just me, but every once in a while I wish life came with a good old reliable syllabus. Tell me where I need to be and when. Tell me what to learn. Tell me what order to learn it in. Tell me why it matters. For most of my adult life, that’s been my request: “Just give me the syllabus.” Done. I'll do the work. Looking back, that's how I found my way into almost everything that has shaped my career. When I moved to New York to become an actor, I kept following the...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey Reader, I’ve had two songs running through my head this week… ear worms if you will. It’s because Ragtime won 3 of the top Tony Awards on Sunday. Best Revival of a Musical Best Leading Actor in a Musical: Joshua Henry for Coalhouse Walker Jr. Best Leading Actress in a Musical: Caissie Levy for Mother There’s a reason they won leading actor and actress. They sing the most powerful numbers in the show. And they nail them. The first was “Back to Before,” sung by Mother (Caissie Levy.) It’s a...
3 months ago • 3 min read