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No sirens called, no trumpets blew,
No distant figure split the sky in two.
No hand reached down, no map unfurled
Just silence and the ache of waiting.

I lit candles for guidance,
set out chairs for mentors not arriving,
prayed for signs, for rescue,
for someone to name me worthy
of my own becoming.

And then in the hush between breaths,
a voice. Not loud. Not foreign.

It was mine.

Cracked but clear,
familiar as old shoes,
unexpected as spring in the desert.
It said:

No one is coming.
Because no one needs to.
You …

“Silence isn’t emptiness. It’s where everything essential begins.”

We are born into a world already humming with noise. It is not just the sounds of life itself, but the constant static of expectation, distraction, and performance. From the moment we arrive, we are saturated with messages telling us what to do, who to be, and how to succeed. And most of us, understandably, spend years trying to tune in, adjusting ourselves to fit the bandwidth of the world around us. But every so often, we encoun…

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do that.”

After more than 10,000 hours sitting across from founders, executives, change-makers, and seekers, listening not just to their goals but to their challenges, tensions, and unspoken longings, I have come to believe this: Most people are not trying to become something new, they are trying to remember who they were before they forgot. Leadership, it turns out, isn’t just about acquiring skills or managing better; it’s ab…

“The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not mad.” — Salvador Dalí

This surreal image, featuring Salvador Dalí mid-air as cats, water, and furniture fly around him, isn’t a composite. It took 28 tries, real thrown cats (no CGI in 1948), and a wildly creative photographer (Philippe Halsman) to pull it off. What we’re seeing isn’t just an absurdist spectacle; it’s a full-body commitment to imagination. Dalí called it “painterly physics.” But more than that, it's a lesson in what’s …

“As I speak, I create. As I create, I become.”

There’s a quiet kind of power that most people overlook. It’s not found in strategy decks or performance reviews. It doesn’t come from hustle or productivity hacks. It begins in something more elemental, more ancient – something we do every day without fully understanding its potential. It starts with our words. What we say, out loud or even just to ourselves, doesn’t merely describe our lives; it shapes them.

You may know “abracadabra” as a magician’…

What if slowing down and looking carefully could transform how we lead, connect, and collaborate? In this deep and reflective episode, museum educator and Visual Thinking Strategies (VTS) expert Dabney Hailey shares how structured observation and shared dialogue can spark insight across fields—from classrooms and galleries to corporate teams and healthcare settings. Drawing from her years facilitating art-based inquiry, Dabney explores how listening, uncertainty, and slowing down can deepen ou…

“True power lies in the tension between control and surrender.”

There’s an art I have fallen in love with, one you might not expect from a leadership advisor. It’s not particularly common or practical, but I find myself returning to it again and again as a metaphor for everything I believe about how great leadership is formed. That art is glass blowing.

Several years ago, my wife gave me a class as a gift. I stepped into that workshop as a curious novice, surrounded by fire, fragile material, and …

“In the midst of movement and chaos, keep stillness inside of you.” — Deepak Chopra

We live in a world saturated with noise—not just the audible kind but the subtler, more insidious noise that fills our inboxes, our minds, our calendars, and our inner narratives. The mental chatter that says you are behind is the most challenging noise we have to deal with. The open tabs that split your attention, the pressure to respond quickly, decide faster, and achieve more—noise is everywhere. And yet, real,…

Workplace culture isn’t just about perks and policies—it’s about designing the conditions where people thrive. In this thought-provoking conversation on workplace culture, Bree Groff—author of Today Was Fun and senior advisor at SYPartners—dives into how leaders can craft environments where workdays are more joyful, sustainable, and human. From navigating “squiggly” career paths to finding fulfillment without burnout, Bree unpacks how purpose, fun, and culture intersect in the modern workplace…

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” — Rumi

Adaptability is one of humanity’s greatest superpowers. We’ve evolved over billions of years to survive every imaginable environment, from deserts to frozen tundras, to jungles, and even skyscrapers. But that very strength carries a hidden danger: We can adapt to almost anything... even what slowly kills us.

Walk through the streets of New Delhi, one of the most polluted cities in the world,…