How to Have a Crappy Conversation

Posted on February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 by Deirdre Maloney

This week brought an interesting theme. Two of my colleagues – and me - all found ourselves in a universally dreaded situation. We had to have crappy conversations. And they Stressed. Us. Out. (Nooooo sleeping here.) Colleague #1? He had to tell his somewhat-non-performing staff member who really loved working from home…that he would no longer be...

The Boomerang Effect

Posted on August 29, 2016September 13, 2017 by Deirdre Maloney

A recent work trip found me networking with two women I hadn’t met before. It didn’t take long before I noticed a pattern pop up. Let’s see if you catch it. Woman #1: Whew, it’s so great to be here because I thought I might not make it. My daughter just had her wisdom teeth out and it turns out they were all impacted… Woman #2: I know what you mean! My ...

Digging Out of the Talking-Trap

Posted on April 25, 2016 by Deirdre Maloney

I fell into a trap recently. A talking-trap. A guy-who-wouldn’t-stop-talking-to-me-no-matter-what-I-did trap. It happened while Hubbie and I were vacationing in a rented RV up in the wine country. It turns out the small-ish living space inside the RV had nothing on the teensy space outside of it. Case and point? Here’s a photo of our RV. Right next to ...

The Truth About Your Stuck-ness

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Deirdre Maloney

So…you may have missed it, but we recently passed through another holiday. Groundhog Day. It’s a funny little holiday with a funny little tradition, involving - some might say - a funny little animal. While most of us don't get too caught up in Groundhog Day, many of us do remember the famous Groundhog Day movie, where Bill Murray plays a guy wh...

Your Critical Choice for the New Year

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Deirdre Maloney

Well, the days leading into this fine new year had a bit of an unexpected flavor. I present to you two different scenarios, and invite you to figure out which one is true. Scenario #1 Just as we were getting down to the holiday, I pushed my body to the point where I caught a nasty head cold. It began right after Christmas and slowly eased into my c...

When Frustration Hits…Ask Yourself This

Posted on November 16, 2015November 17, 2015 by Deirdre Maloney

Recently I found myself engaging in an annoying pattern of behavior. In just the past two weeks there have been several instances when I’ve tried to open a package of some kind. Once it was a hotel bar of soap. Once it was a packet of Vitamin C. Once it was a bag of airplane peanuts. All three times I’ve attacked the package. I’ve tried to pull it apar...