I came across the e-mail of a former employer yesterday and decided to send her a brief “shout out” (I hate that phrase). I never expected her to write back, but she did…and I’m so glad.
I miss her terribly…isn’t that an odd thing to say about a boss?
Several years ago, this woman hired me to work for her at a very large financial institution. While I have an extensive marketing background, which is what the job required, my previous job was at a large European luxury car company.
You can imagine that working all day on marketing details for a car …read more

If you are like me, you might consider saying something if you saw a parent hit a child, or if you saw a dog locked in a car, with the windows closed. But rarely does anyone ask this question: Would you say something if you saw a child hit a parent? You woldn’t dare, correct?
Recently, I witnessed a young mother and her two young children in the parking lot of a large supermarket with, with what looked like, a two year old boy in their cart and, a 5 year old girl walking beside them.
Suddenly, the five year old pushed …read more

Be honest, if you are not a parent, when someone in your office says they have to leave early to attend their child’s birthday party, or worse that crucial meeting occurs on a Tuesday, which is your colleague’s work from home day, your eyes roll a little, come on you know you do.
But if you are an employee who has children or you are the care-taker of an elderly parent — Flex time can be a life-saver.
In many companies, “Flex Time” is a benefit given to employees who need a certain amount of balance between their personal and …read more

Or how not to balance your work and personal life.
Just returned from a few days in Vegas. It was a great trip, but there were certain things that had me thinking vacation is a lot like the office. Here’s my list of observations…let me know if any of these ring true for you. Read vacation = office:

Vacation wardrobe worries = office wardrobe worries
Men can wear the same outfit 2 days in a row = men can wear the same outfit 2 days in a row
Fabulous 4 inch, silver strappy sandles = just as dumb a puchase as fabulous 4 inch …read more

Perhaps you’ve sensed that before my life as “stay-at-home Dog mom” and owner of my company, I spent most of my career in corporate America. We’ve all experienced this during our working lifetime…that one monumental moment that initially humiliates you and then subsequently haunts you for the rest of your life.
At my last position, I worked for an abusive, power-mongering, workaholic at a very large company (see my earlier posts about not fitting in). This woman had it out for me the minute she joined our department. Once, she flat out told me, “you don’t act like an executive…” What …read more

Have you ever stopped to think about how many different versions of yourself the world sees everyday? The you on the interview, the you as the boss, mom, wife, girlfriend, daughter, and of course the you in your car singing to Madonna.
I often wonder who is our “authentic” self? The real you. The you who is the most comfortable, and as a result, the most productive? I was talking to someone about how corporate life doesn’t fit who I am, I “don’t fit the mold”…I think outside the box…people have said. I have to tell you, it took many, many …read more