27+ Years Helping Lawyers Build for Life After Law — Without Sacrificing Today | Clarity • Intention • Legacy | Founder, The Wealthy Lawyer

Let’s be honest.

Law school didn’t teach you how to manage money — yet your financial decisions now affect everything.

I work with successful lawyers who earn well on paper, but still feel the quiet pressure of knowing their financial life isn’t as clear or protected as it should be.

Between demanding careers, student debt, growing families, and big responsibilities, many lawyers I meet aren’t worried about making more money — they’re worried about making the right decisions with what they already earn.

That’s where I come in.

For nearly three decades, I’ve helped lawyers turn high income into clear, intentional wealth by building structure around their finances — so success actually translates into confidence, security, and choice.

My work focuses on fundamentals:

• Protecting income before chasing returns
• Giving every dollar a job
• Making decisions that reduce pressure, not add to it
• Building wealth that supports life today — and life after law


Most clients reach out when they:

• Feel behind despite earning well
• Aren’t sure whether to save, invest, or pay down debt
• Worry about what would happen if they couldn’t work
• Know they need a plan, but don’t know where to start


After working together, they feel:

• Clear about their financial direction
• Confident their family and income are protected
• Grounded in a plan they actually understand and trust

You’re in the business of law — not financial planning.

My role is to bring clarity, structure, and peace of mind, so you can focus on what matters most.

Most conversations start with a simple virtual coffee — no pitch, no pressure — just clarity and a chance to see if there’s a smarter, calmer way forward.

Jeffery M. Lamont

Congratulations on making partner…
you don’t need a $257,645 car to prove you’ve made it.

Because at this stage, success doesn’t need to be signaled.

Not with suits.
Not with watches.
Not with vacations.
Not with visible upgrades.

Not because you can’t.

Because you don’t need the reminder.

You’re not trying to feel successful.
You already know where you stand.

What you’ve built is quieter than most people expect.
And steadier.

You’re not using purchases to motivate the future.
It’s already been accounted for.

At this stage, confidence looks less like display,
and more like knowing what you could walk away from — calmly.

That kind of security doesn’t draw much attention.
But it tends to last.

Jeffery M Lamont

High income doesn’t equal financial clarity. I help lawyers build wealth that gives them control — not more pressure. | Founder, The Wealthy Lawyer

Image shows a large, elegant estate with classic architecture surrounded by trees, paired with a white luxury SUV parked in the driveway. The scene conveys quiet success, stability, and understated wealth rather than flashy status symbols. The accompanying LinkedIn post speaks to lawyers who have made partner, emphasizing that true confidence and success don’t need to be proven through expensive cars, watches, or visible upgrades. Instead, it highlights calm financial security, long-term planning, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing the future is already handled.

You didn’t work this hard to make partner just to still feel this tight.

That’s the part no one talks about.

At this level, money should buy relief —
not just lifestyle,
not just options,
but space in your head.

And yet…

Last week, I spoke with a couple of partners in their 50s...
each earning 7-figures.
Both reached out for the same reason:

They felt like they should be further ahead than they are.

Not because they’ve done anything wrong.
Not because they’ve been careless.

But because responsibility kept compounding while clarity didn’t.

So the income grew… and the weight grew with it.

That’s not a spending problem.
That’s not a discipline problem.

That’s success that never got organized.

And when structure lags long enough, even very high income stops feeling reassuring.

Most people don’t realize how heavy success can feel...
until it’s theirs.

This post discusses the emotional and financial pressure experienced by senior law firm partners who have achieved high income and professional success but still feel constrained due to a lack of financial structure and clarity. It reframes the issue as an organization and planning problem rather than a spending or discipline issue.

Finally making 7-figures doesn’t create clarity...
it masks it.

I see this all the time.
Especially when sitting across the table from successful lawyers who feel they are doing everything right — on paper.

They earn well.
They save some.
They invest “enough.

From the outside, it looks solid enough.

But underneath?

Too many open questions.

• What’s the money actually for?
• When does work ease up... if ever?
• What happens if life interrupts the plan?
• Is this building freedom… or just momentum?

Most don’t have bad habits.
They have unexamined ones.

Money flowing everywhere,
but no clear structure holding it together.

And that’s where the stress comes from.

Not a lack of income.
A lack of intention.

Real progress starts when someone pauses long enough to ask:
“What do I actually want this to do for me?”

Because once that’s clear,
decisions get simpler.

Not easier.
Just cleaner.

And cleaner decisions compound faster than hustle ever will.

Without clarity, effort just compounds noise.

👉 What question about your money have you been putting off answering?

Helping Lawyers Build Long-Term Wealth — Without Sacrificing Life Today| Founder, The Wealthy Lawyer

Senior law firm partner standing in a high-rise office, looking out over the city during a reflective moment. Image represents high-income professionals facing complex financial decisions, long-term planning questions, and the need for clarity, structure, and intentional wealth strategy.

And one day, the weekends aren’t crazy or hectic anymore.

Yesterday, I went to the hockey rink.

Not for my kids...
they’re all away at university now.

But to watch my young niece,
and then my even younger nephew play.

Standing there, coffee in hand, it hit me how much I quietly miss the hustle.

The early mornings.
The away tournaments.
Going from rink to rink…
or rink to (indoor) ball practice…
living on a diet of too much coffee and fast food on the weekend.

Busy weekends had a rhythm to them.
Exhausting... but full.

Now the house is quieter.
The calendar is lighter.
And the noise has been replaced with space.

At first, that space feels strange.
Then it starts to feel… intentional.

This stage comes with more room to think.
More room to build.
More room to focus on work that feels meaningful... not just busy.

For me, that means continuing to grow Lamont Wealth Strategies,
helping lawyers bring structure and clarity to their financial lives.

And leaning further into The Wealthy Lawyer Podcast, creating conversations and resources that support lawyers wherever they are in their careers.

Different season.
Different kind of fulfillment.

Today will be quieter.
Some planning.
Some preparation for the week ahead.

And a little gratitude for the seasons that shaped us —
even the ones we didn’t realize we’d miss until they were gone.

A quiet moment at a youth hockey rink, viewed from the stands, with a coffee cup in the foreground and young players skating in the background. The scene reflects a reflective life transition, as a parent watches extended family play hockey after their own children have grown and left for school. The image and post explore changing seasons of life, quieter weekends after years of hectic sports schedules, and finding meaning, clarity, and intentional focus in midlife. Written by a financial advisor who helps lawyers bring structure and clarity to their financial lives through Lamont Wealth Strategies and The Wealthy Lawyer Podcast.

And like that…
the house is quiet again after the holidays.

No bags by the door.
No criss-crossing schedules.

Just Colleen and me...
and the three dogs (can't forget them).
A slower rhythm than we’ve had lately.

The kids are back at university after the Christmas break, and life is settling into a familiar kind of normal.

Not empty.
Just… calm.

There’s room to think.
Room to breathe.
Room to move into the year without forcing it.

It’s not about adding more.
It’s about being more intentional with what stays.

There’s plenty to plan this year.
Plenty to work toward.

But not all at once.

There’s time to ramp up.
Time to build momentum.

Hope your weekend has a bit of that quiet in it too.

Enjoy.

Helping lawyers turn high income into clarity, structure, and calm decision-making

Quiet weekend morning at home with coffee in hand, newspaper open, feet up in slippers, and a calm living room after the holidays.

Most partners earning $1M+ aren’t short on money.
They’re short on structure.

Income grew.
The plan didn’t.

I’ve spent the last 28+ years helping lawyers build wealth.
And I’ve seen what happens when momentum replaces structure.

Decisions get heavier.
Clarity gets delayed.
And nothing feels urgent...
until everything does.

That’s why my work today lives in two places:
Lamont Wealth Strategies
and The Wealthy Lawyer Podcast.

Because more lawyers are realizing something important:

It’s not their income that’s the problem.
It’s the lack of structure around it.

I work with lawyers across every stage of their career:
partners, associates, founders, solos, in-house.

Different roles.
Same pattern.

From the outside, things look fine.
Underneath, there’s weight.

• Money without a clear job
• Cash flow that feels harder than it should
• Tax decisions made reactively
• Protection gaps no one wants to think about
• And the quiet question that never quite goes away:
“Is this actually building what I want it to?”

That’s where the work starts.

Together, we simplify:
• cash flow
• savings and investments
• tax complexity
• insurance and income protection
• corporate structure
• long-term planning

Not to chase perfection.
But to create clarity.

The outcome isn’t flashy.

It’s calm.
Confidence.
And the moment someone says,
“I finally feel like this makes sense—and my family will be okay.”

That’s the work.


────
If any part of this felt familiar,
you’re not behind.

You’re just carrying more than the structure you were given.

And that’s usually where one good conversation starts to lift the weight.

No pitch. No pressure.
Just a chance to talk things through.

You don’t have to solve anything today.

Awareness counts.
Space counts.
Rest counts.

Monday can wait.
You've earned that.

No one tells you this about becoming a partner.
It doesn’t create clarity.
It creates consequence.

This is the time of year when firms start announcing new partners.

More control.
More certainty.
More confidence.

That’s the expectation.

What usually happens is quieter.

I’ve watched this shift show up again and again for years.

The work isn’t new.
But the decisions start to linger longer.

Because now:
Your name carries weight.
Your choices ripple further.
And there’s less room for “we’ll fix it later.”

Nothing’s wrong.
This is just the moment where responsibility shows up differently.

And it’s usually where the conversations start to change.

Nothing urgent.
Just important.

2025 gave me clarity...
2026 gets the work.

I’ve spent the last few weeks reflecting on last year,
and thinking carefully about what I want 2026 to look like.

The truth is,
I have a five-year plan.
And it’s ambitious.

There’s a lot I want to build.
Not just for me… but for my family, and for the clients who trust me.

I’m genuinely excited about what the next few years can bring.
But I also know this part matters:

I can’t get ahead of myself.

This week, I had conversations with two friends and confidants...
Anthony Vicino and Jodi Wilding.

Different conversations.
Same underlying theme.

Not motivation.
Not shortcuts.

Structure.
Standards.
And living the traits now,
that the future version of you will require.

Progress doesn’t come from urgency.
It comes from consistency.
From systems.
From showing up...
even when no one’s watching.

The reflection phase mattered.
It created clarity.

Now it’s time to roll up the sleeves
and do the work:
calmly, deliberately, and without drama.

Clarity first. Let the work begin.

Most partners don’t feel stressed because of the 80-hour work weeks.

They feel stressed because the money side never quite settles.

High income creates options.

But without structure, it also creates decisions that never stop competing for attention.

That’s why things feel heavier,
even when nothing is “wrong.”

This doesn’t get fixed by earning more.
It gets fixed when the financial side finally has a clear job.

That’s the shift most lawyers eventually need to make.

A senior male professional sits forward on a couch in a modern living space, hands clasped, looking thoughtful and composed. The setting is calm and uncluttered, suggesting a moment of quiet reflection rather than crisis. The image represents a high-income professional or law firm partner carrying the weight of financial decisions, long work hours, and unresolved money structure — not stress from workload, but from clarity gaps, competing priorities, and the need for a more intentional financial plan.

High income doesn’t build wealth.

It just makes the gaps harder to see.

Most people think wealth is built by earning more.
The people who actually build it know that’s only part of the story.

Over the last 28 years, I’ve worked with families across the spectrum...
including a handful with 9- and 10-figure net worths.

What stood out was never what they invested in.
It was how they behaved.

The habits that create generational wealth aren’t exclusive, exotic, or complicated.

They’re structural.
And they’re available to anyone.

There are three quiet behaviours that separate people who accumulate wealth from those who simply cycle through income.

First: they give their money a job.

Not “invest because I should.”
Not “park it somewhere safe.”

Every dollar has a role:
– growth
– protection
– flexibility
– future income

Idle money is expensive.
Even when it feels comfortable.

Second: they don’t try to avoid risk.
They manage it.

That means diversification that actually works.
Protection against what would derail the plan.
Insurance where it matters.
And fewer emotional decisions when markets — or life — wobble.

Wealth isn’t about avoiding risk.
It’s about surviving it long enough for compounding to matter.

Third: they think in decades, not quarters.

The real advantage isn’t access to “better investments.”
It’s patience.

They let time do the heavy lifting.
They reinvest.
They stay disciplined.
They adjust without panicking.

Most people interrupt compounding right before it starts to work.

Here’s the part no one loves to hear:

High income helps.
But structure is what turns income into wealth.

So if you’re earning well but still thinking,
“Why does this feel messier than it should — given how well I’m doing?”

That’s not failure.
It’s usually just missing structure.

A composed professional seated at a desk in a modern office at night, city lights visible through the window, looking thoughtful and focused. The image supports a LinkedIn post about wealth building, emphasizing that high income alone does not create wealth. The post explains that long-term wealth comes from financial structure, disciplined behavior, risk management, patience, and giving every dollar a clear role for growth, protection, flexibility, and future income. The message highlights that feeling financially “messy” despite earning well is usually a sign of missing structure, not failure.

He made $1.6 million last year and has no plan.

Not because he’s lazy.
Not because he’s careless.

Because no one ever stopped to ask:
“What’s important to you?”

Just before Christmas, a 45 year old partner reached out to me.
His income for 2025 was going to be just north of $1.6 million.

When I asked about his planning for the future…

He kind of shrugged and said:

“I don’t know. Just keep working until 60–65, then retire, I guess.”

Let that sink in.

He’s optimized everything in his practice.
Except the one thing that actually determines how this all turns out.

His future.

When we dug a little deeper, it wasn’t complicated.

He didn’t actually know where his money was going.

Not in detail.
Not intentionally.

A lot of income…
but no clear job for each dollar.

And he’s not alone.

High income doesn’t create clarity.
It delays the moment you’re forced to confront the absence of it.

Income hides messy strategy.
Until one day, it doesn’t.

Wealth isn’t income.
It isn’t assets.

It’s clarity.
Giving every dollar a job,
in service of something that actually matters.

It’s knowing what you’re building toward,
and having the freedom to make decisions without fear.

Most people don’t feel behind.
They just feel unsure what they’re actually working toward.


If that resonates, send me a DM.
Let’s talk about what clarity could look like for you.

Law partners don’t have a money problem.
They have an order problem.

After 28 years of watching this play out, the pattern is hard to miss.

By the time income peaks,
structure often hasn’t been built.

Instead, people skip ahead.

Straight to:
• investing
• optimization
• tax tactics
• “what should I do with this money?”

Before they’ve protected the one thing everything else depends on.

Income.
Liquidity.
Decisions without pressure.

That’s what this framework is meant to show.

Wealth isn’t built by starting at the top.
It’s built by getting the foundation right first —
and letting everything else sit on something solid.

Most people don’t realize where their foundation is exposed...
until life tests it.

If this resonates, you’re probably already further along than you think.

You’re not behind.
You’re just missing a bit of structure behind the scenes.

Most conversations start with a simple virtual coffee.
No pitch. No pressure. Just clarity.

Illustration titled “The Wealthy Lawyer Foundation” showing a layered financial framework built from the ground up. The foundation begins with Income Protection (disability insurance and proper life insurance), followed by Cash Flow & Liquidity (emergency funds and accessible savings), Tax Strategy (compensation planning and corporate vs personal decisions), Investing with Intention (long-term, risk-aligned strategy), and Legacy, Flexibility & Optionality (estate planning, family protection, freedom of choice). The image emphasizes that real wealth is built from the foundation up, not by starting with investing or tax tactics. Designed for law partners and high-income professionals who earn well but lack financial structure, clarity, and decision-making flexibility.

Most pressure doesn’t come from making the wrong move.

It comes from knowing the right one,
and holding it quietly for too long.

Thinking it through.
Researching it.
Talking around it.

Until doing it feels heavier than it should.

Sometimes the cleanest move
is letting someone else see the map.

Minimal illustration comparing overthinking and preparation versus taking action, showing that progress comes from doing the right thing rather than endlessly discussing or researching it.

Most progress doesn’t come from big breakthroughs.

I’ve seen this moment show up again and again with the lawyers I work with.

It shows up quietly.

• When fewer decisions follow you home.
• When the money side stops competing with everything else for attention.
• When you’re not trying to “optimize” — just making clean, calm choices.

Nothing dramatic.
Nothing urgent.

Just a bit more margin than last week.

That’s enough for today.

No one warns you about this part of becoming a partner.

The title arrives.
The expectations change.

And suddenly, the decisions multiply.

Not just files.
Life ones.

Money.
Time.
Risk.

Nothing is on fire.
But everything feels heavier.

Most new partners don’t feel behind.
They feel unsure.

And they assume everyone else has it figured out.

They don’t.

This is the point where working harder stops helping.
And structure starts pulling its weight.

Nothing to fix.
Nothing to panic about.

Just a new season...
and a new way of thinking.

Most partners I talk with aren’t struggling with money...

They’re struggling with capacity — time, energy, bandwidth, and the creeping feeling that they’re one busy season away from burning out.

But the issues almost always fall into one of these buckets:

→ Lifestyle creep
→ Tax drag
→ Cash-flow confusion
→ No real structure behind the scenes

What I’ve noticed is this:
the same few questions come up again and again.

1. If you took two weeks fully off…
would your financial life keep moving without you?

Or would everything stall until you got home?

If you can’t answer “yes,” that’s a structure problem — not an income problem.


2. If your savings only happen once everything else is paid for…
does anything actually get saved?

That’s a cash-flow timing problem.


3. If you’re earning more than you’ve ever earned…
but you still don’t feel ahead…
where is the gap coming from?

That’s lifestyle expansion without intention.


4. If you feel like you’re always “figuring it out later”…
is it because you don’t have clarity,
or because you’ve been too busy to stop long enough to get it?

That’s a planning bandwidth problem.


5. And if taxes feel like the single biggest line item in your life…
what are you doing (today) to control the future ones?

That’s a missed-opportunity problem.

Here’s the part most partners never admit out loud:

You don’t need to work harder to fix any of this.
You need visibility, structure, and a plan that actually fits the way your life moves at 40+.

It’s not a lack of money that keeps you feeling stuck…
it’s that everything still depends on you.

From the outside, things look like success:
• strong income
• growing responsibility
• more control
• more autonomy

This is what it’s supposed to feel like.

But underneath, something else starts to form.

A bottleneck.

Not because anything is wrong.
But because everything still runs through you.

Here’s the part no one warns you about:

As income rises, decisions don’t disappear.
They multiply.

More money means more choices.
More consequences.
More “I’ll deal with this later” moments.

And when structure doesn’t evolve at the same pace as income…
those decisions quietly stack themselves on one person.

You.

At first, it feels manageable.

You’re capable.
You’re disciplined.
You’ve always handled things.

So you carry it.

• Money decisions
• Protection gaps
• Tax choices
• Cash flow timing
• Long-term tradeoffs

Nothing is broken.

But nothing moves…
unless you touch it.

So things don’t get avoided.
They get postponed.

And postponement feels harmless…
until it starts to feel heavy.

This is where high earners get confused.

Because they’re doing “everything right.”

They’re earning well.
They’re responsible.
They’re saving.

Yet progress feels slower than it should.

Clarity always seems one season away.

There’s always one more thing to clean up later.

That’s not a motivation problem.
And it’s not an effort problem.

It’s a capacity problem.

There’s an invisible ceiling most high earners hit…
and it has nothing to do with income.

At a certain level, income stops being the constraint.

Mental load becomes the constraint.

Too many open loops.
Too many decisions living in your head.
Too many systems that pause when you do.

Your financial life slows down when you slow down.

That’s the tell.

The people who build lasting wealth don’t eliminate responsibility.

They redistribute it.

They stop being the system,
and start building systems.

Not to step away from their lives,
but to stop carrying everything personally.

Income gives you options.
Structure determines whether you can actually feel them.

And here’s the quiet truth:

If decisions feel heavier than they should…
If progress pauses when you do…
If clarity always seems just one season away…

You’re probably not behind.

You’ve just reached the point where effort stops helping
and structure starts to matter.

That’s not a problem.

It’s a signal.

A high-earning couple at home having a quiet, unresolved conversation at the kitchen counter, symbolizing how financial pressure and decision-making responsibility can quietly build even when income is strong.

Too many people mistake preparation for progress.

It feels safer.

Cleaner.

But clarity doesn’t arrive before movement.

It shows up after.

You don’t actually need the breakthrough you think you do...
you need a clean landing.

When partners tell me a week felt “heavy,” it’s rarely about workload.

It’s usually about:
• Too many open loops
• Money decisions lingering
• No clear system behind the scenes

That’s the part I help with.

Not motivation.
Not hustle.

Structure.
So fewer decisions follow you home.

If this week felt lighter than most, that’s usually not luck.

It’s what happens when the financial side stops competing with everything else.

Take the win.
Enjoy the weekend.
We’ll build from here.

Hi! I'm Jennifer Knowles, Growth and Change Expert for Leaders and Teams

► Who I Help
I work with:
-Leaders who feel stuck and need clarity
-Teams facing change and struggling with communication overload
-Organizations seeking leadership development and talent management support
-High achievers desiring coaching to unlock growth, well-being and career advancement

If you've ever asked:
"How do I engage and retain top talent?"
"What's the best way to prepare my team for organizational change?"
"How can I improve leadership skills across my company?"
      - this is where I can help.

My Mission:
►Amplify the talents of your leaders and teams, unleashing human potential for exponential growth

What I Deliver:

► I create custom coaching, training and keynotes that align with organizational goals, blending research-backed insights with practical application. 

Together, we can:
1.  Increase leadership potential
2. Transform corporate culture
3.  Elevate careers to new heights
4.  Transform change into opportunity
5.  Build productive teams
6.  Create happy workplace environments

► Challenges Organizations Face Today
-Rising stress and burnout among employees
-Constant change and uncertainty in business environments
-Retention struggles with top talent
-Engagement gaps leading to lost productivity
-Leaders needing new skills for future-ready workplaces

► Benefits of Working with Dr. Jennifer

Organizations that partner with me see measurable improvements in:
1. Talent Attraction & Retention- Reduce turnover and retain top performers
2. Positive Work Environments- Foster collaboration and well-being
3. Change Readiness- Equip teams to embrace transitions with confidence
4. Stronger Teamwork- Increase trust, clarity and efficiency
5. Strategic Clarity- Provide a clear roadmap for success
6. Productivity & Engagement- Unlock more energy, focus, and results

► Client Outcomes
 "Dr. Jennifer Knowles is a beacon of inspiration in leadership and talent development. Her ability to seamlessly blend research-backed insights with practical applications has consistently led to positive transformations, empowered teams, and elevated leadership capabilities.”

 "We love Dr. Jennifer. She leads with a big heart and has lots of passion for her work. She cares about us and has the gift to take complex ideas and break them down into simple steps."

► Services
1. Leadership coaching (1:1 and group)
2. Change management programs
3. Talent development workshops
4. Keynote speaking on growth, change, and leadership
5. Research-informed organizational development solutions



Jennifer Knowles

Did you watch this over the weekend? A man climbed Taipei 101, the 11th tallest building in the world, with no ropes or harness. 508 meters. And he made it!


My kids knew about this guy, and told me I had to watch live in Netflix. And so I did. The climb was scheduled to last up to 8 hours, and he made it to the top in less than 2 hours.

What makes somebody risk his life to do something so bold and dangerous? 
He has a wife and two daughters. He could have died.

Once he was at the top, he just stood there on top of the building, and even took a selfie. I kept thinking, "Oh gosh, he made it to the top, I hope the wind doesn't knock him down now!"

What's the difference between reckless and bold?

Research from the Journal of Risk Research shows we're terrible at evaluating risk.

We overestimate rare, dramatic risks (like free-climbing skyscrapers).
We underestimate common, quiet risks (like staying in a job that's slowly killing us).

This got me thinking: What is my version of 508 meters? Do I dare to go after those big dreams? 


📌 What is your version of 508 meters? 

📌 📌 Did you watch this over the weekend too? I'm curious your thoughts on this!

Jennifer Knowles, Ph.D

I help develop effective leaders + high-performing teams | Harvard Executive Leadership Coach | Best-Selling Author | Professor of Business | Tedx Speaker

I went to the grocery story and the guy in front of me at the check out line stared me down... 


I'm standing there, in line, with one hand on the grocery cart. In my other hand was my phone, reading the latest celebrity mindtrash. 

Do you ever get the feeling that somebody is watching you? 

Well, I did, so I looked up. And the tall, middle-aged man wearing a Bluey tshirt (anybody with kids 10 and under will know who bluey is- a blue dog), was looking right at me.

I look at him, and then look away, thinking "okay, this is weird, just ignore him" and then I looked back. He was still staring at me.

I thought: "IS THERE FOOD STUCK IN MY TEETH?"

So I cracked a slight smile at him (flood him with kindness, right?!). 

What did he want? 
What was in my teeth?
Did I nip him with the grocery cart? 
Did I take the last box of oreos?

 Just then, he yelled, "Liam, over here" and his little boy ran over towards him.

Turns out, he was never looking at me. All that nonsense was just in my head. 

Just like at work. We so often think that everybody is paying attention to us. They're going to notice every flaw, and that piece of lettuce in our teeth.

But people are mostly worried about their own stuff, their own work, their own lives.

Lesson to me: Go out there and do your thing, because nobody is really paying attention. And when they finally do, maybe you've really made it :-)

4 things I learned from seeing the ball drop in NYC Times Square that I can apply to business and life.


1. Think differently.
[Most people lined up at 10am in the freezing cold to experience the ball drop at midnight. We found a way to see the ball drop with the masses and stand outside for less than an hour]

2. Experience new things.
[I find the best way I learn and grow is to push myself in unknown situations. Don't stay comfortable- stay on the edge, just a bit and see what magic happens]

3. We're more similar than we are different.
[I was amazed at all the languages of the people we encountered standing in the NYC ball drop pen - all standing together hoping for the best, ringing in the new year, shedding the old behind, and in with the new]

4. Look for the good.
[Assume the best in people, not the worst. I encountered many people in NYC honking unnecessarily, yelling at each other, pushing, shoving- geez! But when we believe everyone is doing the best they can, and understand their intentions, I believe a bit more good will peek through]

At work, when we look for the good in our teams, think differently as we tackle problems, recognize we all have common and shared goals as we're more similar than we are different, and experience new things as we challenge the status quo, we can thrive in work and life.

Happy New Year! May your year be filled with what you hope for!

Trying something new, and being okay to suck at it! See that beautiful pot below? I didn't make it- my instructor did, after I destroyed mine.


Have you ever tried the pottery wheel? It's harder than it looks.

I tried it once as a kid, and it took me decades to try again.

We went as a family event. We even had a private instructor. 1:1 instruction, easy peasy, right? Wrong.

Within 5 minutes of using the wheel, my pot plopped out and it was so bad, that I had to start over. Apparently the clay can get air bubbles in it, and then you're toast. 

Meanwhile, my son's a natural, making a beautiful pot, with very little instruction.

Getting showed up by my kid. Good for him! Trying to tell myself this was fun, right?

It was actually fun.

Trying new things.
Embracing the growth mindset.
Challenging ourselves in new ways.

This is what life is all about.

📌 When was a time you tried something new, and it was way harder than you expected? 

ps- I've been a teacher and coach in various contexts my whole adult life. Credentials matter some, but real lived experiences count a whole lot more(like screwing up on a pottery wheel)!  If I can help support you, send me a DM. I'd love to connect.

Neuroscientists found that your brain's decision-making peaks at 10 AM and crashes by 3 PM.

So why do we wait until the afternoon to make big decisions?

Here's another : Google spent two years studying 180 teams to figure out what made some successful and others mediocre.

They called it Project Aristotle.

And was all about psychological safety.

The feeling that you can speak up without getting shut down, humiliated, or punished.

Here's the problem: 67% of employees say they've received feedback that made them LESS likely to speak up.

We're accidentally teaching people to stay quiet.
When you want to speak up, and you don't.

For fear of the boss
For fear of what other's will think
Is it dumb? Has it already been said?

I have watched this happen so many times.
You want to say something, but you don't.


The best idea for you and your group this year?
It's probably sitting in someone's head.

📌 What's a time when you stayed quiet but you really had something to say?

Happy New Year!! May 2026 be filled with joy, prosperity, and all things good!

I took my family to NYC to ring in the new year watching the ball drop - it was quite the memorable experience!

That time when my story was on the front page of the WSJ (!)... I called the reporter and asked her to take it down. People were criticizing me as a mom and as a human, and I didn't like it.

The WSJ journalist practically laughed at me with my request...

She looked at the comments and said, "This is nothing... The commenters are going easy on you. You should see what they say most of the time..."

That was a big lessons on how to put on my big girl panties and toughen up.

Here's how the story went:
A few years ago, my children's lemonade got shut down by police due to a complaint and lack of permits.

Turns out lemonade stands were technically illegal in my city and they were in cities and states across the USA.

So I rallied people together, and we got lemonade stand laws changed in Denver, kid business laws changed in Colorado, and I partnered with CountryTime Lemonade/Kraft Heinz, and we got laws changed in 17 states across the country.

It was meaningful work.
It was visible work.
And it attracted criticism.

Here’s leaders and high performers can take away from this: 

If you want to do meaningful work, you have to develop thicker skin.
Not by becoming hardened or cynical—but by becoming more grounded.

Here’s how:
1. Stop confusing visibility with danger
 Criticism feels threatening, but most of the time, it’s just noise—not a real risk.

2. Don’t outsource your self-worth to commenters
 The loudest voices are rarely the wisest ones

3. Expect pushback when you’re changing something
 If no one is uncomfortable, you’re probably not moving the needle.

4. Let criticism inform—not define—you
 Listen for signal. Ignore the rest.

5. Remember: growth requires exposure
 You can’t stay hidden and make an impact.

The whole experience was a lot of fun. I couldn't have dreamed it up if I tried. 

Here's what being in the WSJ taught me:

To have confidence to stay standing when opinions fly.

📌 What was a time when you had to put on your big kid panties and toughen up?

Did anyone else wake up to cold and snow? Research shows your brain makes 35,000 decisions a day. I made my first one at 6am- stay under the warm blankets or get up and exercise.

The decision was tough, it was close, but I got up.

Of course my little white miniature schnauzer wanted to go outside, so I put on my longest warmest coat I own, and we ventured outside and froze.

He rolled around and frolicked.

Me, not so much. 

Cornell researchers found that we burn through our decision-making capacity like a phone battery.

Every choice depletes it a little more.

What to wear. What to eat. Which email to answer first. Whether to have that hard conversation or wait another day.

By noon, your battery's at 47% and you're making choices with the mental clarity of someone who just ran a marathon in their sleep.

That's decision fatigue.
And it's killing your productivity before you even get to the office.

The best leaders know this.

They don't try to make better decisions all day long.

They make fewer decisions.

Here's what I'm testing this week:

Eliminating: What to wear, what to eat for breakfast, when to work out, whether to check my phone first.

Protecting energy for my most important goals.

The cold is miserable.
But the clarity is worth it.

📌 What's one low-stakes decision you could eliminate this week to save energy for what matters?

📌 📌 Tell me about the cold and snow you got!

Courage is the willingness to show up and be all in when you can’t predict the outcome” - Brene Brown


Do you have big goals for this year? 

I do. 

I have thought about doing these things for YEARS. And why haven't I?

Because I was scared.
Because I was "too busy."
Because I hid behind perfectionism.
Because because because.

And a million other reasons.

You know what is FINALLY causing me to move? 

I'm removing the barriers in my mind.
Trying things without attaching significance to the outcome.
Removing the pressure I put on myself.
Focusing on having more fun.

Who knows how it will all turn out, but we owe it to ourselves to try, right? 

Hopefully this resonates with you to finally do that thing this year, and turn goals into reality :-) 

📌 When was a time when you did something new at work and were unsure what the outcome would be?

You know that thing about boiling a frog slowly?


Turns out sudden cold shocks you into action faster than gradual decline.

Ew. Why did I write that? I happen to like frogs, just not when my son brings them home from the sewer. 

This morning: 16 degrees and I launched out of bed like I'd been ejected.

No snooze. No scrolling. No negotiating.
Cold doesn't let you ease into change.

Research shows 70% of organizational transformations happen in response to crisis, not proactive planning.

We don't fix things when they're declining.
We fix them when they're on fire.

Why do we wait for the crisis?

What are you tolerating because it hasn't completely broken yet?
The underperforming team member.
The strategy that stopped working in 2023.

You don't need to wait for the disaster.
You can decide that "declining slowly" is the same as "broken."

📌 What's one thing that's been slowly declining and not working that you know you need to deal with this week?

For years, I was fortunate to be part of this - DFS Group, owned by LVMH. Developing employees, building leadership development programs, traveling internationally, getting some amazing luxury swag (!), and most important, building relationships with incredible leaders I'm still connected to.

My son took his first steps in the ocean when he traveled with me on a work trip to this very location in Hawaii. 

When I left my FT role there, I started my own business, and they were my first client (a multibillion dollar organization!).

Getting off the plane the first time I went to Hong Kong for work, I was so nervous, I didn't know the language! But then after time, I was traveling there monthly, and found my favorite local markets to shop and the best reflexologist ever. 

So much to be thankful for. I loved this job and this organization.

The world changes, business changes, consumer needs change. And we have to evolve to stay competitive. 

I am grateful.

📌 Did you every have a job that you absolutely loved?

DFS Group has decided to exit its long-standing Hawaii downtown and airport business, bringing the curtain down on one of the most remarkable chapters in travel retail history.

The move is in line with a review of the company’s global store network revealed by Chairman & CEO Ed Brennan in an interview with The Moodie Davitt Report in November 2024 and underlines how profoundly trading conditions have changed in Hawaii over recent years.

Our story incudes the views of our Founder & Chairman Martin Moodie, who describes DFS’s decision to quit its Hawaii business as “momentous and poignant”.

Read it here: https://lnkd.in/ehTPY6hE

#travelretail

When Santa weaves through traffic like frogger…


Trusting your safety with someone else, what seemed like inches away from other cars…

I turned to my son, and his response- “well, he’s still alive”

Weaving in and out of traffic, driving on the wrong side of the road

But we made it 

This reminds me a lot of life and business - something’s we have to blindly trust others 

Put our faith in others, believing that things will work out as they should.

And I’ve found that they usually do, but when they don’t, we learn lessons that will help us in the future 

📌When was a time when you had to trust others and it all worked out?

My latest article I wrote for Business Insider is up! If you're curious about traveling to Dubai, check it out! And here's LI relevance: nothing exposes your habits faster than being somewhere completely unfamiliar.

https://lnkd.in/d66cyxnE

My son convinced me to take the family to Dubai through a PowerPoint presentation.

He hit all the points he knew I'd be looking for- cost, safety, logistics, adventure, etc., and he nailed it. So we went for spring break.

When we arrived, everything was different.
The people were different
The culture was different
The buildings were different
The food was different

I could go on and on...

We were definitely outside of our comfort zone. 

Our professional habits show up fast, especially when we're out of our normal:

Do we get rigid—or curious?
Do we rush to control—or slow down to learn?
 Do we cling to what’s familiar—or adapt in real time?

Here’s what I’ve learned—both as a leader and a coach:

Discomfort isn’t a weakness.
 It’s information.

And stretching ourselves into that unknown is how we really grow and learn.

📌 Where is someplace that you traveled to, that really pushed your comfort zones?

Open article: I brought my American family to Dubai for the first time. Here are 4 things I wish I knew before we went. by businessinsider.com

I brought my American family to Dubai for the first time. Here are 4 things I wish I knew before we went.

I’m sharing for my amazing student Ajay Coleman, CMQ OE, LSSGB . If you meet this criteria, reach out directly to her, and thanks!

Corporate Manager, Program Management | Adjunct Faculty | Certified Manager of Quality & Organizational Excellence | Lean Six Sigma Green Belt | Technical Communication Professional

View Ajay Coleman, CMQ OE, LSSGB’s profile

HELP! I am officially at the last domino of my dissertation, and I cannot knock it over without help. I am in the final stretch of my doctoral research, literally the home stretch.

The only thing standing between me and finishing is finding volunteers willing to talk with me about their work experiences. No money, no sales pitch, no “gotcha.” Just listening and learning.

I am studying blue-collar workers, which in real-life terms means people who work with their hands, their skills, and their experience every day. If this sounds like you, you likely qualify:
• Manufacturing or factory workers
 • Mechanics, diesel techs, auto techs
 • Electricians, plumbers, HVAC techs
 • Construction workers, laborers, welders
 • Truck drivers, delivery drivers, heavy equipment operators
 • Warehouse workers, material handlers
 • Maintenance and facilities workers
 • Mining, oil field, rail, transportation workers
 • Skilled trades of any kind
 • Union or non-union, both welcome

If your job involves showing up, getting dirty, fixing things, moving things, building things, or keeping operations running, this study is about you.

Why am I asking? Because blue-collar voices are constantly spoken about and far too rarely listened to. This research is meant to document real experiences, real barriers, and real knowledge that often goes unnoticed but keeps organizations alive.

Participation is:
 • Confidential
 • Respectful
 • Interview-based (your story, your words)
 • No judgment, no right or wrong answers
 • No monetary incentive, just genuine appreciation

I know everyone is busy. I know time is precious. But if you or someone you know could spare a little time, you would be helping me finish years of work and helping ensure these voices are represented with dignity and accuracy.

If you qualify, or know someone who might, please comment, message me, or share this post. Even sharing helps more than you know.

Thank you for reading, for caring, and for helping me push this last domino over.
#BlueCollarWorkers
#SkilledTrades
#WorkforceResearch
#DoctoralResearch
#DissertationLife
#Manufacturing
#Construction
#Transportation
#Operations
#IndustrialWork

Ever feel like an imposter? Me too. 


I’m not sure it ever goes away. 

I had a call with my mentor today. He is someone I admire who has done all the things, owned many successful businesses, leads others, makes oodles of money, loves hard, loves hard…

Even he doubts himself, but he goes for it anyways. 

How many of us live in:

The shoulds
The some days 
Maybe tomorrow 
The whens

But what if you went for it today?
One tiny little step 

Start today 
You’re worth it 

Ps- I’m right along side you!

taplio

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The Battle

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