The Flame of Resilience During Black History Month, we naturally reflect on the remarkable achievements of black individuals throughout history – those who inspire us and those who paved the way for us. Yet we have our own stories, history, and our own legends to celebrate – right there in the branches of our family tree.  It’s important to acknowledge and celebrate the stories within your family, the hardships and the triumphs that enabled you to be here – exactly where you are – today. Our heritage is a part of us. It’s written into ...

What It Means to Make Black History It's Black History Month! History is like a quilt, and each of us has our square in it – our own place, our own colors and patterns. Together, they make a beautiful, vibrant, and diverse piece of ever-evolving artwork. Black History Month is the perfect time to unfold the metaphorical quilt, appreciate it, and note our unique place in it.  At this time of year, I always reflect on my place in history and my journey from humble beginnings to an abundant life I am so blessed to ...

The Skills You Need to Level Up to Leadership Balancing it all in life. As we move higher in an organization and take on bigger leadership roles we have to let go of being the “doer”, learn to delegate. Build other skills: influence, collaboration, strategic planning, thought leadership, etc. It’s a tale as old as time. A high-performer like yourself, someone who’s really great at whatever it is you do, gets noticed. A leadership role opens up and, because you’re so good at doing your thing, you get promoted. Hurray! You have a fancy new ...

Leading With Vision The greatest leaders have a diverse set of skills. They can manage people and projects, strategize, delegate, and inspire. Fundamental to all of this – to being a leader that people want to perform their best for – is having a vision and being able to communicate it effectively. What Is Your Vision? It’s a simple question: What is your vision? If you can’t answer that, we have some work to do! We can’t communicate our vision to others if we don't know what it is. The reason that a vision is ...

Becoming a Leader: 6 Strategies to Build Self-Trust Is leveling up your leadership skills on the agenda this year? If so, let’s talk about building a strong foundation from which to grow. Great leaders foster high-performing teams, leading to successful businesses with inclusive company culture. For all that to happen, there’s one very necessary ingredient: TRUST.  I’m not talking about whether or not your boss trusts you. Nor am I’m not talking about whether or not your direct reports trust you. I’m talking today about whether or not you trust yourself. After all, we can’t ...

It's a New Year! Will There Be a New You? One of my favorite things about January 1st is that it feels like a page has turned, and not just on the calendar. After wrapping up 2023, reflecting on successes and – yes – failures, we get to decide what comes next.  Who do you want to be in 2024? One of the best pieces of advice I’ve heard was this: You get to make a choice. And if you don’t like the outcome, guess what? You get to make a different choice. I encourage ...

7 Gifts to Give Yourself (And Your Career) If you’re anything like me, you’re knee-deep in holiday shopping right now. Christmas lists galore, packages from online retailers arriving daily, and tucking things away in secret hiding places so the intended recipient will be genuinely surprised. But what about YOU? You’ve worked hard all year. I know because I speak with so many of you. And I see how much you put into earning a living, providing for your family, and bettering yourself. So this holiday season, I give you permission to splurge - just a ...

Get SMART About Your Goals Last week, we discussed all the fabulous things you accomplished this year. We toasted to big wins, like promotions and raises, and little successes, like making pesto from scratch for the first time. But what about the things we didn’t accomplish? I’m certainly not trying to bum anyone out, but there are still a few weeks left of the year. You’ve no doubt heard the expression, “Leave it all on the field.” In our case, let’s leave it all in 2023! If there are things on your to-do list that ...

We Did It Again! Oops, We Did It Again! Just a couple of weeks ago, we had ‘the talk’ about celebrating our achievements. Maybe it put some good vibes out in the universe… because Ascentim just claimed another award from Inc. You can read an excerpt from the press release below, but here’s the really special part for me: this is the second year in a row that we took home the proverbial trophy in the Inc. 2023 Best in Business list in the Coaching & Career Development category.  Therefore, that means it wasn’t a ...

Here’s to 2023: YOUR Year in Review Whew! I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the faster each year seems to fly by. Part of me was still mentally summering at the beach when I realized it was almost time to pick out a Christmas tree! While the past 12 months might feel like merely a blink, I bet some pretty cool things happened in your life - things you MADE happen through motivation, dedication, faith, and resilience. Now, my friends, it is time to celebrate those achievements, personal or professional, big ...