I felt a hot wave of shame rush over my throat and chest as she said it. “Lisa, I think you need to watch how you say things in front of them. The kinds of questions you ask make you look like an amateur and you wouldn’t want them to get that impression of you, now would you? You need to maintain an ‘image’ so they ‘respect you’.” For a few seconds I was embarrassed. But after sitting with it for a few hours, I began to see that “advice” given to me by a successful colleague as part of a larger problem.

The shortest period of time I ever dated anyone seriously was 2 years. I’ve had five serious relationships in my 40 years of existence.   I’ve had my business for 8 years without getting rid of it and starting a new one. I have t-shirts in my pajama drawer that are 6 years old (and no, they don’t have holes in them nor do they look ratty — but they are super soft and comfy!). My favorite piece of jewelry is a gold bracelet my grandmother gave me when I was 12. And I still have it and wear it all the time. Because it is high quality, timeless, and beautiful. Trends will come and go, but that bracelet will …

It’s not “new” news that Aretha Franklin passed away last week. But as a long time admirer of Aretha’s, I felt both sad and happy for her. Sad because I’m always sad when a person I admire moves on. And happy for the legacy she created and left behind to flourish long after her physical presence. As I was reading through beautiful articles remembering her, her talent, and her contributions to the civil rights movement, I came across a quote of hers that left me slightly shaken. In a really good way. The quote said: Being a singer is a natural gift. It means I’m using to the highest degree possible the gift that God gave me to use. I’m happy with that.

I know what you’re thinking. She calls herself a leadership mentor for high performing womxn and she’s dissing high performance?   And you’re not wrong. I am a coach to “high performing womxn”. Womxn who are here to make big impact and leave legacies that change the world. They have a big vision & they’re not here to play small by any means! Now listen, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that big impact & money are just going to magically land on your lap while you sit in your hammock doing nothing all the time. It drives me crazy when I see people peddling that on social media ads. That is simply untrue.   When you …

When I first came to, I didn’t know where I was and I felt confused. There I was slumped over in a beauty shop chair, with three hazy women surrounding me. Slowly, I realized it was my grandmother, my mother, and the hairstylist all looking at me with concern. My grandmother lifted my arm, and as she let go, my arm fell like spaghetti back down onto the arm of the chair. I had NO energy. I could barely move. You are stopping this diet immediately Lisa, said my indignant grandmother.   I don’t remember how I got from the salon to my grandmother’s house. But once we were sitting at the large oak table in her kitchen, she pulled …