Momentum 2024: Time to Reinvigorate

Are we back in business? Sort of. Hybrid? Some in person; some in the zoomiverse. It feels like halftime to me. And nobody gives up at halftime. They seek momentum. The dictionary definition of “momentum” is a driving force or impetus. The concept is that a moving body that keeps moving tends to maintain velocity…

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Goals? It’s All About the Game

I think of life as a contact sport. I even wrote a book about it. Commitment to our goals is a given. It’s how we play the game that counts. Three football lessons are my New Year’s resolutions. 1. Shake off the bad plays. When a quarterback throws an interception, or a receiver fumbles a…

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Are You Running Tough?

1983 – the finish line of my marathon. My running partner: Donna, a fellow HR trainer at Northrop Aircraft. Anyone who has run a marathon knows just how tough it can be. And it’s not about how you start, but how you finish. And it’s not even about HOW you finish, it’s just about finishing!…

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Artistry: The Art of Feeling

What moves you? What music causes tears to spring to your eyes, and a catch to your throat? For me, it’s a soprano singing any operatic aria… or the opening chords of Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer.” The competitive figure skating season has begun, and I am glued as always. Competitive figure skaters who win…

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The Tyranny of “Or”

Before attending “Stars on Ice” last weekend at the Honda Center in Anaheim, I asked myself, “Am I going to love this? Do I love figure skating for the competition or the artistry?” I had been glued to all the hours of televised coverage of competitive figure skating: the Olympics, the Worlds, the Nationals—all of…

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The “Free Skate” Is Not Really Free

Breathless and inspired, I watched every hour of coverage of the biggest annual event in figure skating: the World Championships. Best in the world. Foreshadowing the 2022 Olympics. What strikes me, now that I’m deep into coaching speakers for TED Talks and other speaking occasions, is there is an order to the skating program, just…

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Can Your Serious Speech Be Fun?

Last month, my blog was “Do I Have to Be Funny?” My conclusion is “Not necessarily – – but it wouldn’t hurt!” The gift of laughter connects you to your listener. Here are three humor techniques you can incorporate into your driest information: 1. The act-out This technique is widely used in comedy. You’ve even…

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Does the coach need a coach?

Does the coach need a coach? Female referee signaling time out

So the coach needs a coach…really? YES! Over a year ago, I was asked to do a SUE Talk—not TED—SUE. It stands for Successful Unstoppable Empowering women—and they are. As the website says, “Join us for one incredible evening of bold, passionate and inspiring talks by successful, unstoppable and empowering women changing the face of…

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Make the Second Half Count

Are you over 50? What if, for everything you do in the second half of life, you get extra credit? It’s true in figure skating scoring. I’ve been wanting to write this to you since the Olympics a few months ago. Not only do I adore figure skating, but I’m fascinated by this fact: In…

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Leave It All On the Ice

Like some of you, I just spent two weeks watching 6 hours a day of Olympic coverage. Whew! I love figure skating more than football or any other sport. I find the Shib Sibs (Shibutani siblings) synchronized twizzles (multi-rotational one-foot turns) in ice dancing moved me to instant tears, just as the running back who…

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