Lessons in Reinvention, Belonging, and the Journey of Becoming

When I was growing up, my dad ran a summer camp, which was a wonderful thing for many reasons.

My early social skills were—shall we say—underdeveloped. I had a knack for saying and doing the wrong thing, which is impressive considering I grew up in the Chicago area, where being blunt was practically a way of life.

How bad was it?

In second grade, my mom had just had a baby and was in the hospital. I had a new Sew Perfect sewing machine and, without adult supervision, had sewn myself a skirt.

The sewing wasn't the problem. Having the audacity to wear it to school was.

And no, it did not hold together. No, I did not bring a change of clothes. And yes, as Dolly Parton taught us in Coat of Many Colors, schoolkids are observant and vocal little buggers.

Now imagine a series of similar experiences, and you'll have a pretty good window into my elementary school years.

Suffice it to say, the road to popularity was not on my early map.

Which brings me back to summer camp.

The wonderful thing about summer camp—as opposed to school—is that the group of kids changes every week. Just when you've thoroughly embarrassed yourself in front of one group, a whole new batch of unsuspecting children arrives.

For me, camp was a little like the Tom Cruise/Emily Blunt movie Edge of Tomorrow, in which Tom Cruise's character gets stuck in a time loop, repeatedly dying painful deaths while trying to figure out how to defeat an alien.

Only my aliens were elementary school kids, and my mission was to figure out how to survive socially.

Each new camp session gave me another chance to try out a version of myself, suffer a painful social death, and work through the kinks.

I hit the metaphorical jackpot when I moved to a new state in middle school and there was no institutional memory of my previous social blunders. 

A fresh audience and a fresh map are a beautiful things.

Through those early years of painful trial and error, I learned that the key to successfully starting over is having a North Star—a destination, or at least a sense of who you want to become.

I've found that discovering your North Star involves two things:

1. 🧭 Get clear on what you want.

In my early years, like most kids, I wanted to belong. In my mind, everyone else had figured out how to belong except me.

In hindsight, I realize I wasn't the only one trying to figure out the social piece.

Even today, as a middle-aged adult, I think we are all still figuring things out.

We're all works in progress.

2. 👂 Listen to the feedback.

If we want to reach our desired destination, listening to both internal and external feedback is paramount.

💛 Internal feedback helps us get into alignment with our true nature, so that when we reach our destination, we're fulfilled in every sense of the word.

Again, Dolly Parton is a poster child for this. She's managed to be unapologetically herself while creating a life and career that reflect who she is.

🌎 External feedback helps us understand how we're showing up in the world. The way we think we are showing up and the way people are receiving us are not always aligned. 

The trick is figuring out which feedback helps us grow and which feedback we should ignore.

I share all this for three reasons.

One: Because if you ever find yourself in a social mess, I've got your back.

Two: If you find yourself in need of starting over, I've got your map. 

Three: Because I'm hosting listening sessions again, and I want to hear what you have to say!

I held some sessions earlier, and now it's time for another round.

This time, I'm going with themes, food, and fun because, why not?

🍂 Save the Themes! 🍂

🎃 October

Boo R U 👻

🦃 November

The Stuffing Dreams Are Made Of 🥧

🍷 December

Wish and Wine ✨

More details, including locations and times, are coming soon!

✨ In the Meantime … Come Dream With Me!

You're Invited - this is a great place to start over! 

The Dream Lab

The first Dream Lab will be September 30 at 7:00 p.m. at Chapel Hill Public Library.

If you—or anyone you know—could benefit from some time to reflect, dream, plan, and connect, I’d love to have you join us.

3 Reasons to Come to The Dream Lab

1. You’re ready to think about what’s next.
Maybe you’re at a crossroads, feeling restless, considering a career change, dreaming about starting something, or simply wondering, Is this really what I want to be doing? The Dream Lab gives you an hour to step out of the day-to-day and explore what might be possible.

2. You have ideas—but haven’t given yourself time to explore them.
We all have those little “What if I…?” thoughts. Start a business. Change careers. Write the book. Move somewhere new. Take up something completely different. The Dream Lab gives those ideas some room to breathe.

3. You want to feel more connected to yourself and your possibilities.
This isn't about having your five-year plan figured out. It’s about reconnecting with what makes you curious, energized, and hopeful—and seeing where that might lead.

3 Reasons NOT to Come—and Why They’re Moot

“I don’t have a dream.”
Perfect. You don't need one. The whole point is to discover what might be calling your attention.

“I’m too busy.”
That's exactly why you should come. Giving yourself one hour to step back and think can be more valuable than spending another hour checking email, scrolling, or solving everyone else’s problems.

“I have no idea what I want to do next.”
Excellent. You don't need answers before you arrive. You just need a little curiosity. We’ll start there.

Our world is changing with A/I. Those who know how to work with it are at a distinct advantage in the work place. 

I had the priviledge of interviewing Jeremy Schifeling, author of Unbreakable: How to AI-Proof Your Job Search, Career, and Future.
In this conversation, you'll discover: 

• How to use AI as a career coach—not a ghostwriter.

• The four skills that can make you unbreakable in an AI-powered world.

• Why human connection and networking matter more than ever.

• How to reinvent your career, find your purpose, and turn experience into new opportunities.

• The technique that gives you a 20X advantage over other job-seekers - even in the toughest hiring market

#WeThePeopleRise #AIandCareers #CareerDevelopment #Unbreakable #FutureOfWork #CareerChange