Mental Health and Resilience

The Hidden Toll of Unpredictable Managers: Why Inconsistency Breeds Workplace Stress

Leave a Comment / Blog, Career, Change and Pivot, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

In my work as a coach, I regularly hear professionals share stories about their managers. Some are inspiring and energizing, while others fall into the opposite camp. And among the most damaging are not the outright bullies, but the unpredictable ones. We tend to think consistent bad behavior is the worst, and obviously nobody likes …

The Hidden Toll of Unpredictable Managers: Why Inconsistency Breeds Workplace Stress Read More »

Midlife, Memory & the Modern Brain: What Three Neuroscientists Taught Me About Leading, Living, and Lasting Well

Leave a Comment / Blog, Career, Change and Pivot, Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

As a woman navigating midlife – professionally, personally, and intellectually – I’ve found myself asking new and deeper questions about how we sustain ourselves in an increasingly complex, demanding world. I’m a coach to others in transition. A (mature!) student of neuroscience. A daughter to a mother living with Alzheimer’s. And I’m part of a …

Midlife, Memory & the Modern Brain: What Three Neuroscientists Taught Me About Leading, Living, and Lasting Well Read More »

The sea

Why Water Calms Us: The Science and Soul of Blue Mind

Leave a Comment / Blog, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

This week, walking along the Danish coast, I felt it again: that deep, almost cellular exhale that comes when we stand near the sea. The soft roar of the waves, the slow rhythm of the tide, the expansive blue stretching to the horizon, inviting our nervous systems to finally, gently, let go. Many of us …

Why Water Calms Us: The Science and Soul of Blue Mind Read More »

Toxic Positivity Is All Around Us – Even in your ChatGPT

Leave a Comment / Blog, Future of Work, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

Have you noticed? Recently, Entrepreneur Media reported on a wave of user complaints about ChatGPT’s new overly cheerful and validating tone. The updates to OpenAI’s GPT-4o model made the AI feel… well, fake. People described it as “toxic positivity” – where every idea, no matter how flawed, was celebrated as “brilliant” or “amazing”. Even OpenAI …

Toxic Positivity Is All Around Us – Even in your ChatGPT Read More »

Managing Defensiveness at Work (Including Your Own)

Leave a Comment / Blog, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

On a weekly basis, clients come to me to work on how to better respond to the defensiveness of others – or how to feel and act less defensive themselves. These conversations often begin in the context of meetings and feedback sessions but increasingly extend into more informal settings: dinner table debates, hallway chats, or …

Managing Defensiveness at Work (Including Your Own) Read More »

This Might Be What Finnish Happiness Looks Like

Leave a Comment / Blog, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

A kanelbulle (or korvapuusti) enjoyed outside in the spring sun—during that brief, precious hour of good weather that this otherwise chilly day in Turku offered. Visiting my old hometown reminds me once again: Finnish happiness often isn’t about grand, extraordinary moments when everything is perfect. It’s found in the small, meaningful experiences—moments accessible to all, …

This Might Be What Finnish Happiness Looks Like Read More »

woman, sat, posture, think, line, black and white-9521847.jpg

The Hidden Cost of All-or-Nothing Thinking in Life and Leadership

Leave a Comment / Blog, Career, Change and Pivot, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

All-or-nothing thinking. Also known as black-and-white thinking, it’s a cognitive trap that many of us fall into, especially high achievers, leaders, and entrepreneurs. It’s the voice in your head that says: Sound familiar? This kind of binary thinking simplifies a complex world into extremes. Our brains love simplicity. It saves energy. It creates certainty. But …

The Hidden Cost of All-or-Nothing Thinking in Life and Leadership Read More »

Sometimes, We Really Do Need a Change of Scenery

Leave a Comment / Blog, Career, Change and Pivot, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

As someone who works remotely most of the time, I’ve gotten used to the rhythm of home life: the familiar desk, the predictable routines, the same four walls. But last week, I had the chance to step away — even if only briefly — and immerse myself in somewhere different. Somewhere beautiful. Somewhere new. Fresh …

Sometimes, We Really Do Need a Change of Scenery Read More »

Building Mental Resilience in an Age of Uncertainty

Leave a Comment / Blog, Future of Work, Mental Health and Resilience / By

Building Mental Resilience in an Age of Uncertainty Flicking through the headlines this morning -from Financial Times, CNN, and The Times– I saw several anxiety triggering headlines like “EU Calls for Households to Stockpile 72 Hours of Food Amid War Risks” and “EU Urges Every Household to Stock a Three-Day Crisis Survival Kit.” If you …

Building Mental Resilience in an Age of Uncertainty Read More »

Daring to Fill Space: A Call to Women

Leave a Comment / Blog, Career, Change and Pivot, Leadership, Mental Health and Resilience / By

Daring to Fill Space: A Call to Women Many women have a complicated relationship with space—hesitating to take it, yet often filling it with the needs and problems of others. We navigate meetings cautiously, downplay our own needs, and often still carry the hidden load of work and family life. This constant balancing act leaves …

Daring to Fill Space: A Call to Women Read More »