For those who missed my last few pieces in this mini-series, this is my fourth and final reflection inspired by the book Born to Flourish: How New Science and Ancient Wisdom Reveal a Simple Path to Flourishing, written by a pair of world-renowned contemplative neuroscientists. They are at the forefront of the science and practice of flourishing, and much of their work bridges ancient Buddhist wisdom and modern neuroscience, so it sits at a fascinating intersection for me. I'll include a few...
about 1 month ago • 4 min read
This is Part 3 of 4 in this mini-series on the skills of flourishing, inspired by the newly published Born to Flourish by Cortland Dahl, PhD and Richard Davidson, PhD. Learning to flourish might feel a little like a paradox at first. Many of us assume our flourishing is dependent on external things like your health, job, relationship, salary, family, living situation, political situation, weather - you name it- something hard or impossible to control. And what if one or more of those fails to...
2 months ago • 4 min read
I love Liz Fosslien's simple visual metaphors The science is clear: flourishing is not a fixed trait. It’s actually a skillset. One that can be intentionally trained, strengthened, and woven into the fabric of ordinary life. No matter who or where you are. In meetings all day. Busy parent. Traveling. The skills of flourishing are annoyingly simple. Which of course, is what makes them challenging. The barriers are often your own thinking and limits you unwittingly, subconsciously have...
3 months ago • 2 min read
It's Friday, and we're on the cusp of the holiday season. For most of you (I hope), work is starting to quiet down, and you're looking forward to some much-needed downtime at the end of the year. This can also be an opportunity for resetting, which is why I’m sharing three powerful ways to refocus on what really matters today. First - I just want to acknowledge it's really hard to refocus or reframe when you're feeling uncertain or overwhelmed. I think that the key is to learn to change how...
9 months ago • 3 min read
This may be controversial but, I do not think asymmetry and balance are contradictory. Quite the opposite: I need both for a meaningful life. unlikely animal friends - ambition and balance :) The tension between working ambitiously and with more balance is a constant companion of mine. I recently listened to a podcast that challenged me to really think about this, hard. The guest, Graham Weaver, had a life philosophy grounded in his lived experience as a private equity investor that on the...
about 1 year ago • 3 min read
Look out the bathroom window This is actually a tip someone gave me before I left for Nepal: make sure you look out the outhouse window. This led to a photo series my 7-year-old son is most excited about: the 10 most pretty potty-views of Nepal.😝 One of my favorite bathroom breaks... ...the view out the window As well as an aha moment for me: finding beauty in unexpected places is an important source of daily wonder for me. Rediscovering daily wonder It’s so easy to get caught up in life’s...
about 1 year ago • 4 min read
"The best journeys in life are the ones that answer questions you never thought to ask." - Rick Ridgeway A week after my first multi-day trekking adventure and I'm still sitting with the liminal space it opened up in me. It most definitely will not be my last. Walking along Khopra Ridge at dawn Part of what made this such a liminal experience has to do with the nature of this particular trek. It was only opened in the last few years with the intention of supporting more equitable, sustainable...
about 1 year ago • 5 min read
Day 2: Into the mountains 4:45 am - Wake up (jet lag again!) to a lovely clear day. Morning chill, meditation, walk, swim, and/or run (depending on who you are). Bridget and I wander and explore some other lakeside parks before the humidity and dust fill our pores and lungs. 8 am - Our eyes pop and stomachs growl when we return, and we pile plates high at our 5-star, multi-national breakfast buffet spread: made to order fresh-pressed juices, eggs, waffles, pancakes, 4 kinds of specialty water...
over 1 year ago • 5 min read
Day 1: Kathmandu to Pokhara 5 am: Wake up (jet lag!) Actually, this is just when I finally GET up. Early morning market 6-7:30 am: Explore twisting, narrow streets of the Thamel neighborhood around our hotel: which before the streets are crowded with motor bikes feels like we’ve been transported back to the 18th century. This is what I wanted China to look like, but mostly didn’t, thanks to the Cultural Revolution in the 1960s that destroyed most of the weathered, beautifully carved wooden...
over 1 year ago • 4 min read