Last month I was honored to serve as a panelist on the “Master Your Mindset, Master Your Future” Masterclass in Tyson/Vienne VA at Tower Club Tysons. While there, I offered reflections from my lived experience as a clinical sociologist and educator who has spent the bulk of my career leading, mentoring others who lead, and advocating self-care and empathy as critical competencies for advancing organizational innovation. Everything I do connects with my values that center a

Such a joy to speak at the Unitarian Church of Annapolis this Sunday. Rev. John Crestwell leads a thriving and inspiring congregation that’s making an impact. I appreciated their hospitality and warm welcome! 💕 While there, I offered a few reflection questions grounded in self-leadership and self-care… (𝟏) What might we do today to be the type of person we want to be remembered for? (𝟐) What decisions can we make now that impact our relationships tomorrow? (𝟑) “When you’r

For the last few years, I’ve spent quality time at one of my favorite beaches in Maryland. There’s nothing like… 🏖️ Connecting with nature through a long, barefoot walk on the sand. 🏖️ Taking in the authentic sound of the ocean (instead of the nature sounds on my phone app Close, but not the same!). 🏖️ Reading a book on the beach, and 🏖️ Legit; just resting for rests sake! The only thing that comes close to the above is one of my other favorite pastimes – fine dining with

𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹 𝗪𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝘂𝘀𝗲𝘂𝗺 𝗶𝗻 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻 𝗗𝗖 This morning I spent Juneteenth celebrating at the African American Civil War Museum in Washington DC. This celebration began with a program that included a ritual reading of the names of the African Americans who fought in the Civil War. For this sacred event, I was invited to say a “Prayer for Juneteenth &

🎙️ 𝗗𝗖 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗲 – 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗪𝗧𝗢𝗣 | 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗼𝗻'𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀 | 𝗗𝗖, 𝗠𝗗 & 𝗩𝗔 🗞️ 🏳️‍🌈 It’s an honor when hashtag#CommunityMinistry is recognized and shared within our community. Special appreciation goes out to the DC Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs for supporting our interfaith service with resources and funds. This past week, I and three others from this year’s DC Pride Interfaith Service Plan

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝗹𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗼𝗺? It was my honor to sit down with Dr. Frank Smith, Founder and Executive Director of the African American Civil War Museum, to moderate a dialog with members of All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington DC. We discussed leadership, social justice, and a vision for

When was the last time you smiled this much at work? This guy smiled through most of this video; you can tell he’s having a good time! Life is too short not to enjoy your work. This isn’t just about what you’re doing, but where. Culture matters. We often think of large organizations as the standard, but there’s nothing like the freedom of expression, authenticity, and deep relationships that can often be more easily fostered in small businesses. Small businesses in fact emplo

Last Sunday at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, I was honored to (1) acknowledge the March 28th No Kings protests, (2) International Transgender Day of Visibility March 31st, and the (3) importance of paying attention to the truth during these challenging times. Below is an excerpt of what I shared. 🌻 Three things cannot be long hidden. The Sun. The Moon, and the Truth. This Buddhist saying is a call for Honesty and Courage in the face of misinformation… Be emboldened by fai

Delighted to participate in the 14th annual Women’s Leadership Conference at Johns Hopkins University on March 20th. As an alumnus of their Carey Business School, I’m always excited about opportunities to continue to learn and connect with like-minded folks…especially when it comes to one of my favorite topics: 💜 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 💜 As a leadership & organizational innovation enthusiast, this is my kind of conference! Our keynote speaker was U.S. Senate candidate and alu

I believe that age-appropriate sexuality education helps create a nurturing and informed environment for our children. It helps them to grow up with a healthy, respectful, and empowering perspective about their bodies, sexuality, and boundaries. This past Sunday, I had the privilege of providing lunch for the “ Our Whole Lives (OWL) Sexuality Education ” 5th grade class at All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington DC. I provided salmon burgers, veggie burgers, and snacks! The

I do my best not to miss opportunities to learn and grow. Yesterday, I attended “Staff Enrichment Day” at Montgomery College. Montgomery College is the #1 Community College in Maryland and #17 in the whole country. When many academic institutions closed their diversity and inclusion offices and rolled back equity of all kinds, Montgomery College never once wavered in its commitment to inclusive excellence. This deep commitment, which is weaved deliberately into our culture,

Honored to give the Keynote at the McLean Rotary club yesterday. I presented:“𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆: 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗘𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀”. The McLean Rotary Club is a service-oriented organization focused on community improvement and fostering fellowship. I appreciated learning about their 4-Way Test, which is a moral code they say aloud at the end of each event: ✔️ Is it the TRUTH? ✔

A week ago, I served as the Emcee at a Trivia Night Fundraiser event for United Community in Virginia. This event was sponsored by Mount Vernon Unitarian Church . It was so nice to finally meet their Senior Director of Development & Communications, Cecilia Jade Kern Fix in person. Over $4,000 was raised that United Community will use to help neighbors in need overcome barriers and build pathways to lasting stability. Some of their programs include medical and nutriti

Happy Black History Month! 💪🏽🥰 Here are five ideas for how you can celebrate: (1) Deepen your understanding by attending Black History Month events. These can expand your perspective and give you something to reflect on. Use it as a reason to catch up with a friend so that they can join you. Better yet, ask that special someone on a date to a local Black History Month event. It’s a unique date idea and can be an educational and inspiring experience that can open the d

“Evil” leaders often operate from faulty assumptions. They believe their power justifies manipulation or that the end justifies the means. They see control as essential to their vision and dismiss the human rights of others in pursuit of their goals. Followers can play a role in this cycle too. Study after study is clear that followers accept or even contribute to toxic environments because they (1) seek approval, (2) fear repercussions, or are (3) influenced by a culture tha

An effective leader, LEADS. They won’t ask others to do what they’re not willing to do. Despite obvious risk, leaders show up and step up. Leaders are the buffers who take the heat. Not easily provoked, leaders know actions speak louder than words. 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑚? The team will follow, support, and immediately have their leaders back. 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑡 𝑎 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑤ℎ𝑜 ℎ𝑎𝑠

This past Sunday, I had the honor of supporting the worship service at All Souls Church, Unitarian in Washington DC. One of my contributions included leading the “Time for All Ages” where I offered a Kwanzaa story called “Seven Spools of Thread, written by Angela Shelf Medearis. This story reminded us about the value of cooperation, communication, and creativity in achieving shared goals. As I reflect on this worship service, I am acutely aware of how powerful it is to celebr

For years, I spent the bulk of my free time volunteering at my progressive, social justice-oriented church. It felt so good. I learned so much…about myself and about this world in which I was a part. I was surrounded by mostly retired people who nurtured and mentored me. I benefited from their wisdom and encouragement. I eventually grew envious of their ability to spend their retirement pouring into social justice and caring for the wider community. Something inside me said,

Tomorrow isn’t promised. We can never get back time. I am sending positive energy your way so that you can use these next few days to spend time with those you love and/or on pursuits that fulfill and fuel you. 💞 My gift to myself is living a life with little to no regrets. 🎁 If you spent the last few days in gift-giving mode, I invite you to consider this: 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛? If gifting yourself feels uncomfortable, try this: 𝗪𝗵𝗮