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Tag: Goals

The Season Is Changing — And So Are We

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Fall has arrived in Wyoming, and with it comes that familiar shift in the air — colder mornings, earlier sunsets, and the quiet reminder that nothing stays the same for long. Seasons change, and so do we. Sometimes gently, sometimes abruptly, sometimes in ways we didn’t choose.

This month, I’ve been reflecting on the ideas in From Strength to Strength since I’ve been leaning into the book for a team facilitation— the invitation to move from our first curve into our second curve, from achievement into wisdom, from striving into purpose. It’s a transition that mirrors the season: a letting go, a turning inward, a readiness for what’s next.

And for many of us, “what’s next” feels very real right now.

Life Right Now: The Real Second Curve

The second curve isn’t theoretical. It shows up in the messy, beautiful, complicated places of our actual lives.

For me, it looks like this:

A body that demands gentleness.

Autoimmune challenges have a way of forcing clarity. They ask you to slow down, to listen, to stop pretending you’re invincible. My first‑curve strength was powering through. My second‑curve strength is honoring limits without losing momentum.

A senior year that feels like a countdown.

The last kid’s senior year is a season of nostalgia, pride, and tiny heartbreaks. It’s the quiet realization that the house will change, the routines will shift, and the role of “mom” evolves yet again. My first‑curve strength was managing everything. My second‑curve strength is savoring what’s left and releasing what’s next.

A marriage entering a new chapter.

Long marriages don’t stay static. They stretch, contract, renegotiate, and reinvent. With kids leaving, careers shifting, and life speeding up, the dynamics change. My first‑curve strength was partnership through logistics. My second‑curve strength is partnership through intention.

A career that’s expanding in unexpected ways.

Policy work, coaching, leadership development — all of it is evolving. My first‑curve strength was expertise. My second‑curve strength is influence rooted in wisdom, clarity, and service, and I must say…it feels good.

This is what the second curve looks like in real life: Not reinvention for reinvention’s sake, but a deeper, more grounded version of who we’ve always been.

Refocusing Our Strengths — Turning Them Into Powers for Good

From Strength to Strength teaches that our greatest impact comes when we use our strengths not to prove ourselves, but to serve others. And that sounds beautiful — but it’s also real work. Especially when life is heavy, complicated, or stretching us in ways we didn’t expect.

Here’s how that’s showing up right now:

My analytical mind → becomes clarity for others.
Even when the policy landscape is noisy, political, or emotionally charged, I’m offering steadiness and truth for my consulting clients. That’s a power for good.

My coaching identity → becomes a catalyst for reinvention.
I’m helping clients navigate transitions, identity shifts, and energy patterns — even while I’m navigating my own. That’s a power for good.

My leadership voice → becomes a bridge.
I’m creating alignment in rooms where tension, urgency, and competing priorities could easily take over. That’s a power for good.

My personal resilience → becomes grace in motion.
I’m moving through autoimmune challenges, house construction chaos, senior‑year emotions, and evolving marriage dynamics — and still showing up with humor, compassion, and presence. That’s a power for good.

And yet… sometimes grace is hard.
There are days when the body hurts, when the house feels too loud, when the senior‑year countdown feels too fast, and when marriage requires renegotiation instead of routine. There are moments when grace feels like something you reach for, not something that flows naturally. And it’s hard. Patience is thin. When emotions sit too close to the surface. When the second curve feels less like a calling and more like a cliff. But even then — especially then — your strength is in the returning.

The softening.

The choosing again (in the mindfulness space, we say, “simply, begin again.”)

The willingness to keep showing up with intention, even when grace doesn’t come easily.

That, too, is a power for good.

Three Questions for Your Second Curve

Use these as journal prompts or quiet reflections:

Which of my strengths are ready to evolve with the season I’m in?

Where am I being invited to shift from achievement to wisdom?

How can I use my strengths this month as powers for good, not just tools for performance?

A Quote for This Season

Fall teaches us this every year: Let go. Turn inward. Prepare for what’s next.

Closing Encouragement

You are in a season of profound transition — physically, emotionally, professionally, and personally. None of it is accidental. All of it is shaping you for your second curve. Pay attention.

Your strengths are not fading. They’re transforming. And the next chapter isn’t about doing more. It’s about doing good, better.

Here’s to stepping into this season — and your second curve — with courage, clarity, and a deep sense of purpose.

Do More Good, Better

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Every once in a while, someone drops a phrase that hits you right between the eyes—in the good way. Recently a colleague told me about his personal mantra which he has engraved on a favorite pen, “Do more good, better.” And I thought, well… yes. That’s it. That’s the whole assignment.

Not “do more.” Not “do it perfectly.” Just… do the good you’re already doing, but with a little more intention and a little less chaos.

If you’ve ever worked with me, you know I love a mantra that’s both inspiring and practical. This one checks both boxes.

What “Do More Good, Better” Really Means

Let’s be honest: most of us are already doing a lot of good. We’re raising families, leading teams, showing up for our communities, trying to be decent humans in a world that occasionally feels like a group project gone wrong. The invitation isn’t to add more to your plate. It’s to refine what’s already there.

When I’m coaching clients, this often sounds like:

  • “Let’s slow this down so your effort actually lands where you want it to.”
  • “You don’t need to do all the things—just the right things.”
  • “Your presence is more powerful than your productivity.”
  • “Let’s make sure your energy is aligned with your intention.”

Doing good is easy. Doing good well is a practice.

A Little Theo Energy

I just finished reading Theo of Golden, and while I’m not diving into religious themes here, I will say this: Theo is a masterclass in grounded goodness.

He listens deeply. He responds thoughtfully. He moves through the world with a kind of steady, quiet clarity that makes people feel seen.

And honestly? That’s the kind of energy I want for myself, my clients, and anyone trying to “do more good, better.”

Theo reminds us that goodness isn’t loud. It’s not performative. It’s not about being the hero in every room. It’s about being the person who shows up with intention, kindness, and a sense of grounded presence.

You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to be aware.

Doing Good Without Burning Out

Here’s the part I emphasize with clients all the time: You cannot do good work from exhausted energy.

You can’t be present when you’re stretched thin. You can’t be compassionate when you’re running on fumes. You can’t be wise when you’re overwhelmed.

Your “better” comes from:

  • Rest that isn’t performative
  • Boundaries that actually hold
  • Work that aligns with your values
  • Conversations that nourish instead of drain
  • A pace that lets you breathe

Theo didn’t sprint through life. He walked. He noticed. He chose. And we can too.

A Gentle Challenge for July

Ask yourself: Where can I do the good I’m already doing… just a little better?

Not bigger. Not louder. Not more.

Just better.

And if you want support refining that goodness—your leadership, your boundaries, your presence—you know where to find me.

With steadiness, humor, and a whole lot of heart, Erin.

Books by My Bedside:

Them – Why We Hate Each Other and how to Heal,  
by Ben Sasse

It’s election season and the perfect time to read this book. If you’ve ever felt like the world is getting louder, meaner, and more divided—Ben Sasse’s book Them will feel like someone finally turned the volume down long enough for you to think straight. It’s not a political book in the “pick a side” way. It’s a book about belonging, community, and why humans are wired for connection even when we behave like we’re wired for combat.

And honestly? It’s exactly the kind of grounding message we need in an election season.

Sasse argues that the real crisis in America isn’t political polarization—it’s loneliness. Not the “I need more friends” kind, but the deeper, quieter loneliness that comes from losing:

  • community rhythms
  • shared purpose
  • meaningful conversations
  • the ability to disagree without detonating the relationship

As a coach, I see this all the time. People aren’t actually craving more information or more arguments—they’re craving belonging, clarity, and connection that feels safe.

Sasse’s point is simple: When people feel disconnected, they cling harder to identity groups, outrage cycles, and “us vs. them” thinking.

Sound familiar?

Election seasons tend to amplify our worst habits:

  • We assume the worst about people we disagree with.
  • We talk at each other instead of with each other.
  • We let fear hijack our nervous systems.
  • We forget that most people want the same basic things: safety, stability, opportunity, and a future worth investing in.

Sasse’s message is a reminder that politics doesn’t have to be a personality test. And disagreement doesn’t have to be a relationship‑ender.

In coaching sessions, I often help clients:

  • slow down their reactions
  • separate identity from opinion
  • stay grounded in their values
  • communicate with curiosity instead of defensiveness

This book reinforces those same principles.

Theo approved mindful practices…

Them and Theo of Golden share a similar thread: Goodness is relational. It’s how we show up with steadiness, kindness, and clarity—especially when things get tense.

Here are a few “Theo‑ish” practices that align beautifully with Sasse’s message:

  • Listen longer than feels comfortable
  • Ask questions that soften the room
  • Assume complexity instead of caricature
  • Stay grounded in your values, not the noise
  • Remember that people are more than their vote

These are the same tools I encourage clients to use when navigating conflict, leadership challenges, or emotionally charged seasons.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the election season, Them offers a steadying reminder: We can choose connection over combat. We can choose curiosity over caricature. We can choose to “do more good, better” even when the world feels divided.

And we can practice being the kind of person who brings calm, clarity, and grounded presence into the room—no matter what’s happening on the news.

What People Say

“Working with Erin gave a me a different perspective on why I need balance in my life and how to achieve it. Not knowing what to expect, working with Erin was one of the best things I ever did!”

– K.L.

Welcome In

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Graphic that reads: "Welcome in"

Well, here we are…the holidays are in the rearview mirror, school is in session and everyday life is back to the old grind. And January. Is. Already. Over. How on earth did that happen?

In my ideal world, I should have already finished my 2023 reflections and mapped out my goals and intentions for this year. Did that happen? Sort of. Here and there. Kind of. Not all at once. Sound familiar? Surely, I am not alone in this boat. But I have been thinking about it. A lot.

What’s resonating to me right now? I told my teenage kids that I was considering writing about getting comfortable with being uncomfortable, a fairly popular concept embraced by the likes of the United State Marine Corp and the high school soccer team alike. 
 
They both groaned. We’ve all heard that before.

Back to the Drawing Board

So, I went back to the drawing board and gave it more thought while driving across Wyoming- such a journey providing the perfect opportunity – and recalled my morning meditation. It centered on fundamental ideas like non-judgment, acceptance, curiosity, and embracing the discomfort of uncertainty. In essence, it emphasized the idea that everything is welcome. The meditation app referred to it as “welcome to the party,” but I personally likened it to the feeling of entering a retail store, where we’re often greeted with a warm “welcome in.”
 
My co-worker, the one who always annoys me, is annoying me. – welcome in.
 
I didn’t like the tone of my husband’s text message – welcome in.
 
I hate the way these pants look on me – welcome in.
 
Our perceptions of a situation are shaped by a combination of experiences, emotions, interpretations, judgments, thoughts, and physical reactions. These elements frequently influence the decisions and actions we choose to pursue. When marred by judgment, non-acceptance, and a lack of curiosity, we often find ourselves stuck in a cycle, not presenting ourselves in the manner we aspire to. 

But what if there was a way to circumvent that? What would it be like to welcome in distressing feelings, judgmental thoughts or physical reactions? Welcome in whatever is taking you below the line. What would it feel like to say nothing is not welcome?
 
Perhaps there is opportunity to learn. And perhaps there is an opportunity to accept. Perhaps, even an opportunity to move beyond a treasured and prized opinion that you know is certainly always right.
 

Welcome in. 


This concept has earned a spot in my intentions and goal setting process for the coming year. I plan to use it as a mantra.
 
Welcome in.

MINDFUL MOMENTS

I’m a big proponent of practicing the pause – Let’s add one more step – during that microsecond, say to yourself, “welcome in” to whatever is taking you below the line. Acknowledging and accepting the thoughts or emotions, one can create space for a more measured and intentional response, fostering better communication and decision-making. Integrating such techniques into daily interactions can contribute to personal growth and more positive outcomes for us all.

Give it a try.

Welcome in. You’re safe here.