On May 31, Ron Howard’s documentary film, Jim Henson: Idea Man premieres on Disney+. I can’t recommend it highly enough. Back in October 2023, I was fortunate enough to see a cut of the film prior to any final touches at a private screening with my husband, Frank Oz—Jim’s longtime collaborator. Even in its …
INNOVATION, CREATIVITY, LEADERSHIP: INSPIRATION FROM JIM HENSON Read More »
You never know the true influence of your actions and how what you did —for better or worse— might come back to you years later. Between 2009-2014, I worked on about a dozen different projects for Microsoft, helping senior executives craft and deliver high stakes presentations. Among them: Jon Roskill, a Corporate VP who was …
Three times this week in conversations with different company executives, the importance of brevity and clarity has arisen. These leaders reached out to me to inquire about Rock The Room® programs for their organization. Among other specifics, the executives expressed how frustrating and concerning it was that certain emerging leaders and direct reports rambled on …
This post is about you– and what you represent…. Last Sunday, I was out in California to attend a “Celebration of Life” service for the late, great Tommy Smothers. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with his name, Tommy & his brother Dickie formed the legendary comedy duo, The Smothers Brothers. (You can …
It’s easy to get pulled “off course” by pursuing a path, project, or product line or by doubling down on a professional or personal skill simply because you’re “good” at it …but there’s a price to pay. It can be costly not only in terms of your time, energy and talent, but also in …
JUST BECAUSE YOU’RE GOOD AT SOMETHING DOESN’T MEAN YOU HAVE TO DO IT Read More »
When it comes to your communications, there are times when you need to express your ideas “as a Sharpie” and other times when it’s better to approach the dynamic more “as a pencil.” I came up with this analogy recently and shared it in a keynote for top leaders & managers. Here’s a 90-second …
I recently spoke to 500 tire store dealers. The CMO had hired me to speak about Risk Forward® and within that keynote, had also asked me to weave in components from my leadership, sales and communications courses to give the store owners a variety of tools. I had to choose the material carefully; I had …
As you may have heard, on Friday morning April 5, a 4.8 magnitude earthquake rocked the New Jersey/New York area right on the heels of the Taiwan quake. I was on a business call when my studio started rattling and shaking as if a freight train were running through it. I’m up on the 16th …
“Did you see Mark’s Instagram post?” Ashley, my COO, texted me last August. When I looked, I literally gasped out loud. HOLY COW. That…I did not see coming. March 30, 2024 marks the 3-year anniversary of RISK FORWARD being out in the world. While I envisioned the book as having a wide readership, I could …
“Every time you communicate you have an opportunity to influence people’s lives for the better.” This is one of my core maxims. No matter your role at work or in life, and no matter your communication format at any given moment (whether in-person, on-camera, in a meeting, on a phone call, at a meal, …
