The women in my family have a common problem: we can never find pants that fit right. Our waists are considerably smaller than our hips, which often creates a giant gap between the small of our backs and the pants’ waistline. Belts don’t help. They just make things bulky.

So imagine my delight when I stumbled upon Talbots. I tried on a pair of their pants and they fit perfectly. No gap. No bulk. Just clean lines and a sleek look.

That was in 2008. A few weeks ago, though, I ventured into Talbots and tried on several new styles. This time the hips were snug but the waists were about 3 or 4 inches too big (and I’m the same exact size I was in 2008). Read the rest of this entry »

The other day I was having dinner with my parents at an outdoor café. Shortly after we sat down, a loud man sitting behind us was talking with his family. Imagine my surprise when he belted out my grandfather’s name followed by some interesting adjectives.

Although we couldn’t hear all of the details, my mom, step-dad and I got wide eyed and really quiet as we wondered who they were and what they were talking about. As the conversation became more colorful, we became more curious. Read the rest of this entry »

Give People a Taste & They’re Likely to Want More

Years ago, during a visit to New Mexico, a friend and I decided to take a day trip to an old mission church north of Taos. After touring the sacred site, my friend and I proceeded to walk past a dusty outdoor stand where a local man was selling dried chili peppers. Read the rest of this entry »

On Saturday, July 3 I flew from Oakland to Minneapolis. During the journey I met Jonathan, a man who was travelling for work.

I’d intended to use my flight time to write about the difficulties introverts have in promoting their work, and I thought I could write about this on the plane. But Jonathan was a funny and engaing guy, so I decided to talk with him instead. Turned out to be a good choice. Read the rest of this entry »

When clients seek my help in finding a lifework focus we always start by discussing their lives from a holistic perspective. We look at their past and present, then explore their future visions. We review their struggles, gifts, talents and skills. Then we find a way to put all of that together into a lifework path that inspires them and simultaneously fills the needs of a niche population. Read the rest of this entry »