'Tis the season to be jolly..." goes the old familiar carol. However, that rarely resembles reality, which is often jam-packed schedules, family drama, and immense stress for many.

While Christmas songs preach "peace on earth," many people frequently experience chaos, loneliness, and feeling totally overwhelmed. Family tensions can get exacerbated, and those without a strong support system can feel extremely isolated. And with a million extra events, your already overstuffed plate threatens to topple over.

So, how can you make it through the festive frenzy relatively unscathed? I've got just the strategy for you!

1. Schedule Mandatory You-Time

Taking time for yourself is especially crucial for the overscheduled and those navigating rocky relationships. We often deny ourselves true downtime, convincing ourselves it's an unaffordable luxury. But carving out solo recharge rituals, whether it's a quiet morning coffee, a workout class, or just putting your phone down for sanity's sake, can be a sweet respite from the chaos surrounding us.

2. Use Breathing Exercises

Let me introduce you to the stress-busting power of Coherent Breathing. It's a method of deep, controlled breathing patterns that involves inhaling for six counts and then exhaling for six counts in a rhythmic, slow pattern that physiologically calms your nervous system. If that's not your thing, any form of focused breathing helps clear your headspace.

3. Proactively Practice Gratitude

Consciously practicing gratitude isn't always easy, but when done on a regular basis, it can be transformational, especially for those struggling with loneliness. When I'm feeling isolated or melancholy, actively listing things I'm thankful for rewires my brain towards optimism. It's not about faking bliss, it's about building a muscle that gets stronger with conscious effort, empowering you to steer your emotions in a positive direction.


The holidays will always bring some version of a rollercoaster ride. But adopting simple routines to prioritize your mental/emotional well-being can be a game-changer. Remember, you can reclaim your peace of mind during the holidays, and there's hope in that.

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The seasonal hustle often mirrors the year-round juggling act of managing sales and marketing priorities. If you're drowning in fragmented processes and disconnected data, prioritize your sanity, too!

Book a 15-minute call, and I'll guide you toward optimizing (or reimagining) your CRM solution. With a unified system automating workflows and facilitating stellar customer experiences, you can say goodbye to frenzied chaos.

Book a call today!

Transitions--doesn't life seem to be overflowing with them these days?

We all have gone through difficult changes in our lives, some by choice and others not of our choosing.

There’s leaving a place, be it a job or physically moving, where we would love to have stayed but couldn’t.

And then there are the situations where bridges were burning down all around us, and we couldn’t get off the bridges fast enough! 

Either way, it’s not fun, but how you handle these situations can make all the difference in the world.

For instance, you can:

• Learn to recognize and then prevent “burning bridge” scenarios before they start
• Choose to leave situations (good and bad) both intentionally and graciously

By doing so, you can leave those situations with high levels of integrity, self-respect, and goodwill. Here are three things you can try towards this end:

1. Recognize When It’s Time to Leave

This may seem like a no-brainer, but sometimes when you're in the thick of things, it hard to recognize the signs that it's time to leave.

To make my point, how many of us have stayed in a job too long with poor results? It’s happened to me too frequently! Here’s one example:

I had just moved to Kansas City, didn’t know anyone, and had to take any job I could find. I landed a role as an admin at a good company. And I must admit that I admire admins for what they do because I am NOT good at it. I had a great boss, so I could tolerate it at the time. Even so, it was time to leave, but I wasn’t too motivated to make the change. Even so, I was experiencing the following:

• Increasing conflict within myself and with management
• Dissatisfaction with the status quo
• A yearning for something more

Out of this experience, I’ve learned to recognize these signs of when it’s time to leave and then to do just that.

Here’s my advice: Once you recognize signs like this, carefully consider if it’s time to make a move, and then decide accordingly. If you choose to stay, analyze why you’re experiencing these feelings and work towards a resolution.

2. Try to Keep Your Bridges from Burning Down

In this same example, things got intense when new leadership came in. They started me down the path of firing me. Thankfully, I was able to find a great job before they could.

Once I told them I was leaving, I decided to prove that I was not the slacker they thought I was. I prepared desktop procedures for my job, even though they didn’t ask me to. Throughout the whole process, I was respectful. I think all of this shocked them!

Management accepted my two-week notice and gave me the second week off. Woo hoo! In the end, it paid off!

My advice: If you are in a similar situation, be the bigger person--don't burn your bridges. Retaliation and non-conformance will get you nowhere. And you never know, you may have to cross those bridges at a later date.

3. Ensure Continuity

Next, do something like what I did.

Help the next person coming in to fulfill your responsibilities to be successful. A potential benefit is watching difficult leadership reframe what they think of you! Kill them with kindness, I say!


These tips are just scratching the surface. You can do many other things to leave intentionally and graciously. Doing so can bring a sense of satisfaction, self-respect, and higher levels of integrity. And who doesn’t want that?

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Speaking of burning bridges, many companies feel burned by past IT projects that didn’t succeed and now don’t want to step their toes into the water again anytime soon.

That’s one reason why Michael Cantu and I wrote our book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation! We wrote it with these rightfully cautious leaders in mind.

If you’d like to learn how to successfully plan for and execute IT projects, then click the button below!

With all the crazy stuff going on in our world, finding peace of mind and a serene center may be difficult.

I don’t know about you, but that’s certainly been the case with me lately. I've been playing catch-up after Michael Cantu and I launched our paperback version of our best-selling e-book, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation, last month. I have more than I can do at this point!

In times like these, I love to use the following techniques to help me feel more serene and present in my circumstances.

I’m sharing them with you in hopes they’ll help you, either now or in the future, when life gets crazy.

1. Practice the 5-Senses Grounding Technique

When I’m too excited about something or am stressed out, and my brain is going 90 mph, practicing these grounding techniques helps me. I’ll find a quiet space to focus intently on these five steps, moving slowly from one to the next.

5: Acknowledge FIVE things you see around you. ...
4: Acknowledge FOUR things you can touch around you. ...
3: Acknowledge THREE things you hear. ...
2: Acknowledge TWO things you can smell. ...
1: Acknowledge ONE thing you can taste.

You’ll hopefully feel calmer and more present in your circumstances when you finish.

2. Share Your Life with Friends

If you’re anything like me, I work from home with no one but my dogs to keep me company during the day. The isolation can sometimes get to me.

Since I am an external processor, I make it a point to reach out and share my life with friends to have in-depth, authentic conversations. Doing so helps me to stay more centered. And even in times of excitement, sharing your recent experiences with friends can be fun. That can even uplift them!

3. Journal

I’ve been journaling since my late 20s, and it has been my lifeline. If you have a myriad of emotions you’re experiencing, working through those with pen and paper can be therapeutic. It’s certainly been that way for me.

And there’s proof of how powerful journaling can be. Studies show that journaling can reduce the adverse effects of stress, decrease the symptoms of chronic health conditions, improve clarity, and help with problem-solving.

If you’re unsure how to start, there’s no set formula. Just start! You don’t have to think about what you’re going to say. Just let the words flow.


I hope these tips will help you reduce your stress levels. If you have a chance to try them out, I’d love to hear how they worked for you!

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Speaking of stress, are you facing challenges in your organization that seem unsolvable?

That’s where I love to come in! As a business transformation expert, I enjoy helping organizations solve their most pressing problems.

If you’re interested in learning more, I’d love to hop on a quick phone or Zoom call to help point you in the right direction.

Click the button below to get started!

With so many aspects of our world and business environment changing daily, many leaders face the challenge of remaining agile and adaptable. Doing so is ultra-important to navigate change successfully.

So what are some keys to becoming more adaptable and agile?

1. Realize a Change-Oriented Mindset

Business leaders must have a mindset that embraces change. Here's a great quote to reinforce the importance:

Most suffering comes from the failure to adapt and a resistance to change. – Debasish Mridha

Change is inevitable, and business leaders who embrace change will naturally become more agile and adaptable during times of upheaval. And as this quote suggests, realizing a change mindset can relieve the suffering of the business leader and, ultimately, the organization.

2. Develop a Plan

Now that you're ready to embrace change, develop an organizational plan to navigate it. This applies to both internal change initiatives and the fall-out of change occurring outside your organization.

For internal change initiatives, it's helpful to include an outline of steps you'll follow and a timeline for their accomplishment.

In addition to the organizational plan, a personal plan for navigating change (both internal and external) can also significantly help a business leader. For instance, if you know you have triggers associated with certain things that will most likely happen, such as dealing with disgruntled and argumentative employees, then develop a plan to deal with these encounters. Also, include several scenarios that could occur to ready yourself to deal with them.

3. Be Accountable in Your Response to Change

Having an outside sounding board can help business leaders become more flexible and agile during change cycles.

If you don't have a mentor or peer group with whom you can regularly discuss ongoing challenges, it's good to get involved with one. Not only will you have a forum to discuss these challenges, but you can also establish goals for which you can be accountable.

Finally, regularly check in with your staff to see how well you are doing with agility and adaptability. Having the humility and discipline to remain accountable in this way can reap enormous dividends for you and the company.


Did you like this blog? If so, check back during the coming weeks. I'll be sharing 7 Essential Skills for Leaders to Embrace. This blog is the second in the series. Other topics will include innovation and creativity, conflict management, and stepping out of your comfort zone, among others. So stay tuned!

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I've been talking about it for a while. The manuscript is reaching its final stages of approval for the release of Michael Cantu's and my paperback, No-Nonsense Digital Transformation! We're hoping to launch by the end of the month or early July.

If you'd like to learn more, click the button below!