Listen, I’m no dummy. I know golf is a beast. It’s a game that can tear you down and build you up in one stroke. If I was going to make it out alive, I would have to focus on three things: my attitude, my coachability and the beverage cart.

Seems like everybody’s on summer break so we decided to keep it light for the month of July. Today is the first of four light-hearted ‘lists of the things’ that keep us smiling over here. Enjoy!

Feeling any overwhelm, work weary, or worn down? Well, here are some tactics you can take using a strategy known as the 90-second refresh.

I’m passionate about reinvention. My own experience has convinced me that catching new waves leads to a more rich and fulfilling life.

Yes, it’s true the Great Resignation has gotten a lot of air time recently, but that’s not how I see what’s happening. I see this as a moment of reinvention. The Great Reinvention is the real story we should be following.

Today, I want to talk to my cheerleaders who are standing on the sidelines holding bottles of water and signs that say, “Find Your Happy Pace!” I know you mean well, but be careful you’re not unintentionally slipping into the realm of “cruel optimism.”

Changing jobs can be the best thing that happens to you. I know. I’ve made a career from reinventing myself many times over…but before you hit send on that resignation email, hear me out.

Okay… I’m not a long-distance runner. Never have been…never will be. Marathons are built for a special kind of person. But as I continue to interview executives for my series on burnout, one analogy keeps coming up.

Your personal fulfillment isn’t the responsibility of your CEO, your manager, or your board of directors. Your happiness should not be on your partner’s to-do list. It should be on your ‘to-do list. Let’s talk.

Recently I had the opportunity to sit down with Rashida Hodge, Vice President of Data and AI Customer Success at Microsoft. It was easily one of my favorite conversations of the year. Here are the highlights.

If you’re like me you can feel the changing tides. We’re squarely in a people-centered movement. Employees are embracing a renewed sense of agency and leaders have the opportunity to connect and engage with their teams like never before. The doors of honest conversation have been thrown open – the question is, who’s brave enough to step through.

The Great Resignation, which participants agreed was more of a “Great Reshuffle,” has prompted more talk about how to attract workers who have already left their old jobs or are willing to consider something new.

Some down time has brought me back to a book called Burnout – the Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Dr. Emily Nagoski and Dr. Amelia Nagoski. I’m rereading it, and like most things, it’s taken on new meaning in this season. Here are a few of my key takeaways.

Triangle executives, small business owners, members of my cohort and employees across all levels are telling me: “Jes, we’re tired. We’re crispy-crunchy burned out.”

I’m a huge fan of sprints—for work, hobbies, and even workouts. Sprints keep me engaged, excited about my work and full of anticipation. But so often in my conversations these days, people are still talking about their day-to-day as if they are training for a marathon. Let’s talk about the advantages of sprints.

Generally, we default to our impostor archetypes when we’re feeling threatened, insecure or are questioning if we are ready for a new challenge. The question that rattles us so deeply is: “Do I really belong here? Do I have the right to be in this room?”

Here’s a thought to start: “Perfectionism is a self-destructive and addictive belief system that fuels this primary thought: If I look perfect and do everything perfectly, I can avoid or minimize the painful feelings of blame, judgment, and shame.”

That’s from author Brené Brown, and, sure, we could just drop the mic here… because, well, Brené. But, I still have more than 400 words left in this column, so let’s get after it…

Natural geniuses, we love your BRILLIANCE. But don’t stop there. Take the opportunity to dig in when it gets uncomfortable and expand your knowledge in new directions.

Battle Cry… a visual poem, commissioned, produced and performed to inspire women everywhere.

How do you know if you default to the expert? Well, you probably lean hard on credentials and believe more letters behind your name validate you. Here’s how it shows up in your everyday life…