What I Did Last Week (and what I'm looking forward to)

One of the members of the Women’s Leadership Lab shared a habit this week.

Having always worked in ‘startup’ culture, she’s accustomed to logging 14 hour days, and ordering pizza for sustenance at 10:30pm.

At her new job, a different dynamic is at play: EVERYONE is out the door by 5pm.?

The new job isn’t asking for the ‘facetime’ either. Rather, they are results focused. Work wherever. Work whenever. But produce the results. Have balance.

Despite this ethos, she remains working, until at least 6:30pm.

In this week's edition of "What I Did Last Week (and what I'm looking forward to) I share an exercise, where I share what I did personally and professionally.

It challenges a person to think about the traits of their old identity. Even give her a name.

Then it challenges a person to think about the new identity she or he would like to assume. Give him or her a name.?

And now on to....

What I Did This Week

This past week, I hosted a vision board event.?

One woman’s board grabbed us by jugular and didn’t let go.?She had a desire to buy a vacation home in Mexico, and the azure blue of the pool was something everything could feel, even through a Zoom call.?

One woman didn't put any images on a board. She was in transition and questioned if she even deserved to have these dreams.?I wrote this blog post on “upping what you think you deserve .”

Later at the monthly meeting of?SheSuite. ?I shared the?5 journal prompts ?that helped me to realize most of what’s on my 2023 vision board. Sometimes, just because you have tasted success "doing things the way you have always done it," doesn't mean that's the prescription for success today.?I also offered an exercise I offer to my Mastermind members titled "Your Personality Isn't Permanent."

Saturday evening, Matt and I went to the movies. If you knew him, you would know “Barbie” was out of the question.?We saw the many women of “Mission Impossible.” They fight. They do stunts. They save. They are power brokers—all while perfectly coiffed and tailored. No damsels in distress here. But note, one 60- something-year-old Tom Cruise gets 3 younger leading ladies.

Sunday, I woke up missing being in Paris. I sat on the stoop outside the Brooklyn Heights based?L’appartement 4F ?with a coffee and croissant and watched the world walk by.

Monday, we celebrated some of Matt’s good news with dinner in the garden at?Vinegar Hill House. ?If you go, please have the?pet nat? and the Guinness chocolate cake, with cream cheese frosting. It’s so good.

Tuesday, I met up with former Women’s Leadership Lab member and interior designer?Tina Ramchandani ?at one of my favorite downtown restaurants,?La Mercerie. ?I had the steamed cod and a glass of chenin blanc. My business coach always reminds me to stop and celebrate a good business moment. I treated myself to these?brightly colored resin bangles ?from Dinosaur Designs from Australia on the way to dinner.

Thursday, I hosted a?VIP Day ?with a client who is launching her own advisory.

Friday, I hosted a second?VIP Day ?with a client who is working on the topic for her TedxTalk. I dipped into my favorite?Dumbo nail salon Plaza M ?afterwards for a wax before leaving for the annual Women’s Leadership Lab Sail Tuesday.? Matt and I made it a date night of seeing Oppenheimer in IMAX. Wow, what a witch hunt it became for the man who invented the atomic bomb.

What I’m looking forward to

Last year was a 7 day sail of the Dalmatian Coast. This year we are sailing the Turkish coastline in a vessel native to the country, called a "gulet." As always, I’ll be documenting the entire trip?on Instagram ?in my stories.

Preparing for a trip like this is like preparing for leadership. With 6 transfers, 4 flights, and 8 island stops,?this is my list of 24 essentials that are coming with me.

They include

1. Water shoes for the rocky surfaces while snorkeling
2. Exorbitant amounts of sunscreen and skincare (hey I'm 50)
3. Electronics for documenting it all

Hamptons for my next Mastermind lunch ?and mini business problem solving with other women leaders.