RER Coaching

A huge advantage of contributing to a collaborative book is the chance to talk with other authors on their own journeys—and sometimes the journeys overlap. It was great talking with Lorna Hagen and host Rachael O'Meara in this author panel discussion for "Leading with Compassion: Cultivating Connection from the Inside Out." Lorna's a co-author on this book, and Rachael's an author on Changing Work's first collaborative book, "Leading with Self-Awareness." Topics included what compassion means to us and what inspired us to write for this book. Despite our very different stories, we found a lot of common ground, including living in New York City and breaking down walls so many of us build for self-defense. The link to the video is in the comments. If you'd like to buy copies of "Leading with Compassion" for your team, ERG or book club, DM me about a discount on a bulk order.

If you’re a high-achieving woman leader in a male-dominated industry, company or team, I’d love to hear from you: ➡️ What’s the #1 challenge you’re facing right now, and what do you want instead? ⬅️ When we don’t acknowledge our struggles, here’s what happens: - We carry them alone. - We push through, even when it’s exhausting. And burn ourselves out. - We tell ourselves it’s not that bad—until it is. You don’t have to say it out loud to the world. But at least don’t ignore it. If you’re not ready to share publicly, message me. No pressure, no agenda. I just want to listen.

What does leading with compassion mean to you? When I got the invitation from Changing Work to contribute a chapter to the second in a series of collaborative books on conscious leadership topics, this question took me deep. Already well into the first draft of my manuscript for my solo book, “Perceptive” (also coming out this year), writing my chapter for “Leading with Compassion” brought me back to periods of my life that I’d buried long ago. Experiences I hadn’t shared with anyone for decades. 📕 As I read through the chapters by the 24+ other authors, I’m both moved by the stories and fascinated by the breadth of interpretations of the topic—always part of the fun of collaborative book projects. Mark February 14 on your calendar for the release of “Leading with Compassion.” Let’s make this day about more than flowers and chocolates, and celebrate all of our love and connection. ✍️ Sign up to be notified about the book’s release, join the Changing Work mailing list, and maybe even contribute to a future book yourself. Link in the comments. #Leadingwithcompassion #Iamchangingwork #bookannouncement #changingwork #authornews

Leaders: Will 2025 be the year neurodiversity becomes a component of your inclusion efforts? Your team has super-smart, talented, highly competent members who probably aren’t achieving the levels of success they could be. And it might take only one or two small adjustments to create the conditions they need to thrive—and contribute hugely to the team’s overall performance and productivity. How do I know? Because research shows that these highly perceptive folks, who have a trait sometimes known as environmental sensitivity, or sensory processing sensitivity, make up about 30% of the global population. 30% is a lot. The trait doesn’t come with a diagnosis—it’s not a disorder. (There are online self-assessments, though; if you’re interested, DM me for more info.) But people don’t typically self-disclose, for a variety of reasons: -             They might not have heard of the trait themselves. -             Because of the lack of understanding of the trait, they might not realize they have it. It manifests in different ways in everyone. -             They don’t want to be associated with the very real stigma of being sensitive, at least in a work context. So many workplaces now hire for “culture fit.” Chances are, a lot of these people are masking to fit in—they can get very good at it. Their brains are working overtime, but the energy and effort required to hide aspects of themselves means they’re rarely functioning at their best. Ironically, they’re likely some of your top employees—but if things don’t change, you’ll never get their best work out of them. Want to learn more? Let’s talk. My book, “Perceptive,” highlights both the many strengths these team members often have and some of the challenges they face, especially at work. I need to raise another $3.4K by January 6 for my hybrid publisher to move forward—and the manuscript has already gotten great reviews. 🎙️ Book me for a virtual talk or custom workshop on high sensitivity, neurodiversity and inclusion or related topics for your team or organization at a huge discount by January 6 and start the team’s 2025 off right! You’ll also be helping get these important messages out into the world. What will you do in 2025 to make your work environment and culture more inclusive for all? DM me or use the link in the comments for more info.

Leaders: How do you inspire your teams? Telling stories to illustrate your vision and show how team members' roles connect to it is key, as I mentioned when Featured invited me to contribute to this article in High Net Worth Magazine.

It’s hard to resist looking at the year in numbers, isn’t it? If we can quantify it, it matters. Literally, it counts. Purely according to the numbers, 2024 wasn’t a good year for me. Although I’ve been coaching leaders for years, this was the first full year of running my own business. It’s been even harder than I expected. And… 2024 has been amazing on so many levels. Almost everything I did this year was out of my comfort zone. I learned a ton. A few achievements I’m proud of: ·     💪 Witnessed my clients learning to own their power in many different ways, redesign and realign aspects of their lives and work to align with their values and goals and start to thrive. ·     🚀 Launched another cohort of my G.R.I.T. Collaborative mastermind and am thrilled with the relationships that are forming and the insights we leave every session with. ·     👩🏽💼 Facilitated 14 executive roundtables with women corporate and business leaders who identify as highly sensitive or wired a little differently. ·     💬 Hosted a series of 5 public conversations about neurodivergence in the workplace. ·     🎙️ Guested on 12 podcasts and spoke to corporate women’s ERGs. ·     📗 Wrote a book! And launched a fundraising campaign to get it published. “Perceptive” is due out in summer 2025. ·     📕 Wrote a chapter for a collaborative book, “Leading With Compassion,” due out in February. ·     🌟 Named to inaugural 50 over 50 Women in Tech List. ·     🫶 Met, reconnected with, and deepened relationships with a lot of amazing people I’m thrilled to have in my life. The struggles are real, but I’m much happier doing what I love. Looking forward to so much more of the good things to come. 🩷 However you celebrate the end of the year, I wish you and yours a joyful holiday season and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2025! 🎉

As the year ends, many of us are planning events and hosting family and friends and doing holiday shopping and cooking as we're finishing work projects and tying up other loose ends. It can be a stressful, as well as joyful, time of year for so many, for so many reasons. Give yourself the gift of listening to what your body and soul need, and nourishing them just as you feed your family and holiday guests. I'm taking some much-needed time off for the next couple of weeks, so won't be quite as active here, although I'll still be checking in. What will you do to take care of yourself over the holidays?