Category: Article

An Authentic Expression

With more than 20 years in the well-being profession (12 as a coach), I’m biased in saying — this is a magical field.

It is not enough to amass coaching skills. I have learned I also need to practice deep self awareness — to enable vulunerabravery — a conscious choice to be in a place of discovery with clients. 

As a member of several coaching communities, at a year-end meetup, I was offered a provocative, exploratory question: “What will it take to see my value in 2024?” 

I paused.

Then I reframed the question, “What will it take to continue to see my value in 2024?”

Words matter. They connect us to one another and to ourselves. 

Making the question my own allowed me to process it deeply, reflecting and listening to my inner wisdom. 

Exploring my current narrative, which contained narratives with limiting barriers, I internally asked in what ways am I aligning my values with my actions. 

That additional question resulted in a quasi-circular infographic of my core value — where I acknowledged “treating myself with love and confidence that exemplifies what I value”.

In what ways are you listening to yourself?

A hallmark of overall well-being is the ability to listen to oneself, trusting one’s instincts, while quieting the external and internal noise that create limiting barriers.

A form of self-trust.

This self-trust is an awareness of and understanding of who you are — an authentic expression of your agency. 

It calls for vigilance to not slip into false positivity or overly negative self-thoughts. 

It calls for discernment — peppered with wisdom — lifting up your self-knowing.

It calls for us to ask uncomfortable questions, while affirming your truth and what is meaningful, and checking in with your innermost thoughts.

The shoulds, woulds, coulds, and societal expectations are cleared out as self-awareness and confidence are developed in a nonjudgmental way regarding our thoughts and feelings. 

Listening to yourself is about cultivating a relationship with our being.

Start by understanding what we value by looking at our life and choices, and what brings both meaning and purpose. 

Then, ask the questions that allow for decluttering or quieting of the inner critic. 

Questions that allow us the opportunity for tapping into our wisdom while releasing what is unnecessary.

For example, the question posed to me by coach Mo Ali, “What will it take to see my value in 2024?” allowed me to reflect on what I value in this season of my life…

Redefining the value proposition I bring to my coaching & consulting practice. 

What question is calling you to give voice to your inner voice?

Head over to my LinkedIn page to read about the latest!


I am happy to report that I received a wonderful response to the request for pro bono coaching clients. 


I will be well on my way to having two recorded coaching sessions for submission to the International Federation of Coaching (ICF) Master Certified Coach (MCC) Credential.


Thank you for your response!

Finding Joy in the Unexpected

Wrapping up a week of museum outings, enjoying the burgeoning spring days, and visiting with friends, reacclimating to a schedule of deadlines has been slow going. 

It is a privilege to interrupt one’s [hectic] pace to intentionally slow down. A privilege that many cannot realize for various reasons.

Even how I traveled (by train, which was more money and a longer travel time than by air) was a practice in being unhurried.

Only one activity planned for each of the seven days with lots of room to engage in what emerged fully.

Csikszentmihalyi writes that if one uses leisure to engage … flow will be present. For me, flow happened through immersion in creative spaces, concentrated time with friends, and the delight of a relatively unstructured schedule, to be.

We could say I was engaging in relatively effortless flow experiences. With the primary action of choosing to engage.

In a society where doing is prized, being leisurely can seem luxurious. Leisure time may signal that we are unproductive! Not being a contributor. Playing instead of working. A binary mindset of this or that. 

“Leisure is not refreshment-for-work but something completely different that exists for its own sake,” writes Jenny Odell in Saving Time.

Although I started off talking about leisure time, the crux of this blog is how to s.l.o.w. d.o.w.n. to be in the m.o.m.e.n.t. to experience (be in) the landscape of our lives. And I don’t believe you must leave your home to do this.

Taking time for a slower, non-work pace can be difficult if we are paid to produce using our intellect. The speed at which we produce and how we are rewarded, whether title or salary, can be external signals of our worth. Our success.

What would slowing down allow you to experience when you’re not driven to produce? 

This slow-flow adventure was sparked by an NPR Report on the reopening of the National Museum of Women in the Arts—with the desire to see the Sky’s the Limit exhibit. 

Unfortunately, I was three days late; the exhibit had closed. Yet being in the museum’s space sufficiently quenched my disappointment.

There were multiple moments of serendipity within my seven days of adventure; visiting a bunch of museums, connecting with friends, and walking around a new city. The edges of Chronos‘ time, greatly influenced by Kairos‘ time.

On my final day at the National Museum of the American Indian on the National Mall, there was an announcement that playwright, Rhianna Yazzie, would be in the auditorium to offer a talk. With no previous knowledge of her or her work, I decided to attend.

During her talk, she dropped many gems. I was particularly struck by one of many questions she posed, which I offer to you for reflection:  

How do you create a composite for yourself? 

After experiencing a life tremor (a long overdue change) at the end of 2023, I deliberately paused before moving forward to the next thing. As I navigate this period of re-evaluation, I’m finding deeper purpose aligned with my values, shaping my journey ahead.

With many factors outside my control, I wanted to give space around this life shift. After managing some time-sensitive matters, I gave myself the gift of what I like to call my “slow-flow adventure”.

Despite many aspects being beyond my direct control, I still have the power to determine how I respond to life’s twists and turns.

Check out my Slow Flow Visual Diary

Head over to our LinkedIn Page.

Check out our monthly highlighted book.

Here is a sampling of the books read in the past three months.

Being Present In Life’s Rhythms

After some internal dialogue about the need to ‘get cracking’ and put my thoughts down, coherently, for this monthly issue, it wasn’t happening. 

Looking at the calendar and realizing I was behind schedule (according to the artificial timetable I had established for myself) — and asking, “How would I be able to pull something together in a timely fashion”? — resulted in a little quiver. 

BETA’s communication strategy is charted 14 months in advance, driven by Chronos‘ time mindset towards a drive to have a time-bound plan. I felt this pull to plow through and write something for this month’s installment. Something was better than nothing, right? 

Would that something be of value to me to share with you, our readers? 

The idea of not producing a monthly blog made me feel like I was falling short.

Curious about the lesson in this discomfort, I reflected on potential factors that might explain this feeling.

To be honest, I took to heart the communication engagement report I got — it showed low views and readership. I interpreted as the content I was writing about wasn’t good enough to appeal to the reader. I questioned myself, “didn’t I just write about that”? 😊 “How come I wasn’t heeding my own advice”?

There is enjoyment in writing content that I perceive you, the reader, might find useful — and that enjoyment does not appear in algorithms.

Plus, the occurrence of daylight savings time was not helpful. While many welcome the change of time (longer daylight this time of year), I dread the changing of the clock. My biological clock gets confused for a few weeks, which can be destabilizing. 

After some self-coaching, a good night’s sleep, and a clearer head, I gave myself permission to change course.

Listening deeply to my inner wisdom resulted in modifying the communication strategy established six months ago — a conscious choice to flow with the now.  

This issue is an invitation to embrace our natural pace — being in Kairos time — to see where in your life you can change course to give yourself space and grace to be in the moment. 

Head over to our LinkedIn Page.

Check out our monthly highlighted book.

Here is a sampling of the books read in the past three months.

Seeking two pro bono coaching clients.

I will petition the International Federation of Coaching (ICF) for consideration for the Master Certified Coach (MCC) Credential* this summer.

A requirement of the process is the submission of two recorded coaching sessions. I am seeking two volunteer coaching clients to participate in four (4) one–hour coaching sessions over two months (commencing May 2024), with a fifth debriefing session. 

The sessions will be recorded, and two will be submitted to ICF for review.

If you are interested in participating in these sessions and can commit to the five sessions, please complete this Coaching Intake Form by April 19th. We are scheduling a 30-minute meet and greet for the week of April 22 to determine ‘coaching chemistry’. 

*A Master Certified Coach (MCC) demonstrates mastery of the International Coaching Federation Core Competencies for coaching and its Code of Ethics. The MCC distinguishes coaches who demonstrate a depth of knowledge. It is designed for seasoned, expert coaches who provide coaching services as a primary focus of their professional practice and engage in advanced level coaching education throughout their career.

When Good Enough, is Good Enough

For most, we want to be the best and do our best. And, we hold that expectation with pride. 

I like to say that my high expectations [which are subjective] of myself allow me to produce the best outcomes. 

Even as a play in my mind what it means to be the best — to want the best — there is tension between the desire and the realities of day-to-day life that will allow this desire to come to fruition.

There is a cost to being the best, or at least striving towards a future self, which is ever-changing. We see this with Olympic athletes who achieve … death-defining feats … becoming the fastest person on the planet, Usain Bolt, only to have that record bested by another athlete, Noah Lyles. 

Subjectively and societally, being the best can be viewed as a constant movement toward maximization.

Like the high performer at your organization. Which could be you!

Sometimes, we just have to choose to be good enough. 

Rarely do we see the complete picture of what it would take to be the best; to perform at one’s maximum.

In a culture where excellence takes center stage, good enough is usually not good enough.

And that starts with understanding the goals and capacity of the ‘it’ we are moving towards. 

What is it that you wish to achieve?

Answering this question calls for introspection — identifying the value and purpose contributing to the goals — and the strategies that will enable you to obtain the established completion point.

Once a choice is made, there is a need to gather information to inform its achievement. The trick is to seek reputable sources, given the plethora of conflicting information on the World Wide Web and conflicting practices. 

There is plenty of information out there that signals what the best looks like.

So, filtering our extraneous information calls for a consciousness of our values, while limiting input. Not everything we desire requires our attention; therefore, we need to be intentional about where we place our attention.

Learning to be selective in exercising our choices supports our well-being. 

Discernment and critical thinking are called for when assessing the information that will inform our choice. 

Making a decent enough decision will be facilitated by examining the options and being clear about what matters and how much they matter. 

Always keeping in mind that mistakes may be corrected and decisions can be reversed; perfectionism is not required. 

Good enough is the knowledge that we are not seeking perfection. It honors the emotional and intellectual capital it took to achieve what was achieved, be it a stretched project at work or a personal milestone.

To be sufficiently good involves consistent discipline with the satisfaction of a task well done. It was not perfectly done, not done to our maximum capacity, yet done with confidence that it was adequate.

An element of good enough is accepting our efforts are a work in progress. 

While we have an eye on the task and doing a ‘good job,’ we also hold expectations with ease, and we can let the work go at a designated completion point. 

For some, good enough is at 80%. For others, it is 95% of the desired outcome. 

Understanding that these benchmarks are a construct of the mind — a nimble roadmap — to respond appropriately to unpredictable conditions is a good strategy.

It is highly unlikely we will be able to anticipate with 100% accuracy how a choice will make us feel. 

Good enough takes into consideration:

  • The long work hours of research (data collecting and analysis) in making the decision.
  • Wading through the increasing list of options and the cognitive toll associated with not making a mistake.
  • Anxiety due to constantly navigating towards the best. 
  • Time away from loved ones.
  • Less leisure and downtime to be creative and play.

Acceptable in standard requires, on some level, humility, patience, discipline, and a balanced perspective. It is not about perfectionism or maximizing what we’re doing. It is subjective and based on a future feeling that we hope will come to fruition, yet we cannot guarantee it.


In a culture where the focus is on excellence, good enough is usually the best we can do.

What principles will guide your choices to be good enough?

HBR’s 10 Must Reads publications are an excellent way to gain perspective on a business theme — be it On Change Management, published in 2011. 

It is safe to say that most of us in the world of work might have experienced an organizational change initiative, whether mass layoffs, mergers, restructuring, technical adaptations, or new performance standards.

Beer and Nohria state in “Cracking the Code of Change,” about 70% of all change initiatives fail because they exert a heavy toll on both the talent and the finances of the organization.

With the high failure rate of change initiatives, what can we learn?

Transformation takes time and demands leaders to emulate and personify the core values of the organization. 

Leaders who model the new change, while providing coaching and support for their talent, have greater success in their change initiative. They understand their talents and their competing commitments — a sense of loss for what is known, having insufficient input into the process, or not having a forum to express concerns. 

The case studies presented show commitment to change is uneven. And, understanding the complex behaviors of those engaged in the change is an improvisational art of walking the talk, listening, learning, and applying the appropriate strategy for the situation. And so much more. 

Managing change initiatives is tough. Those who are being asked to change must recognize what needs to be done, and must also want to do it. 

Leaders have a great responsibility to guide the vision of the change, while encouraging an environment of learning how to learn. 

These articles are pre-COVID, and it would be intriguing to read how the pandemic has impacted the ways in which organizations approach their change initiatives now.

Resist Unnecessary Urgency

Exploring the “how” more deeply requires slowing down to examine the way in which the organization’s cultural behaviors are [mis]aligned with its values and purpose. 

The speed of the changes our society is experiencing calls us to be curious about why something is the way it is, and be open to gaining a deeper understanding to guide how processes are evaluated:

  • By questioning the status quo.
  • Marshaling your critical thinking about what is working and what is not.
  • Coming to meaningful conclusions. 

This rests on the ability to listen more — hearing as many perspectives — while suspending judgments. It calls for “radical candor,” which embeds psychological safety.

Even writing the phrase “radical candor,” I sense some hesitation in my body. 

Given my professional experience, I recognize radical candor is on the spectrum. Also, each person brings their history and expectations to the conversation. As well, the person will only exhibit as much candor as they feel safe to do so, because individuals and organizations demonstrate behaviors that indicate it is safe to do so.

And we are all leaders in our own rights, even without a title.

Leading is a social process that involves a willingness to challenge the status quo, use critical thinking, and demonstrate humility, while being supported by a team.

No single leader has all the attributes needed to curate radical candor in their organization nor the ability to reflect the entirety of all, with all, for all, while remaining reasonable for most. 

By infusing psychological safety into the organization, leaders ensure and show their willingness to expand their understanding, the belief that it’s okay to be uncomfortable and encourage team members to get to the essence of difficult topics in an open and supportive manner.

A powerful social element of leadership is that it can inspire individuals to bring their best to the organization. Radical candor — psychological safety — benefits the organization and the workforce’s well-being. It imbues a feeling of being seen, heard, and respected, resulting in less stressed employees.

Resist Unnecessary Urgency

And organizations shoot themselves in the foot when they push their talent to be more productive by pressing them to work longer hours — totting up their key performance indicators (KPI), a dressed-up phrase for productivity — at the cost of their employees’ well-being.

What would happen if, as leaders, we took into account how we encourage and measure goals that prioritize employees’ well-being and how we motivate performance?

With the byproduct of a well organization, which is purpose-driven, creative, and healthy, inspiration occurs when new possibilities are seen.

There is a receptivity to outside influence, and there is a feeling of being energized. 

Inspiration is inspired by purpose.

And when leaders reveal their purpose and how it aligns with the organization’s purpose — they inspire their talent to do the same.

Leaders who encourage employees to define their passion by aligning their actions with the organization’s purpose recognize the impact their work has on others and experience greater satisfaction.

As Gartner’s research shows, employees want a more “human value proposition.” They are asking for autonomy over where and when they work, engaging and applying themselves in a purposeful way.

A well organization values their talent.

They curate a culture by understanding what inspires and increases the performance of their talent.

When leaders slow down to speed up — they take care to care for their talent. Employees are less stressed, enjoy achieving good results, and are comfortable being themselves. 

Employees can only bring their full abilities to bear when they have time to process and think creatively.

In our hypervigilant, hustle culture, where productivity is supreme and time is a status, how are we leaving space for what’s difficult and uncomfortable by redefining what it means for you and your organization to engage and inspire performance?

Counterbalance Productivity

I like it when my disciplined actions result in desirable outcomes, and one might say that is a form of being productive. One would say I have the affliction of a striver, attributed to my immigrant sensibility, where working hard is equated to being a valuable contributor. 

Although considered a high performer in many spaces, with the drive to do and accomplish more, as of late, I have found it troublesome when my desire to be a valuable contributor has been reduced to strictly an output. 

With the drive for greater output at speed and frequency that does not allow for the human systems to rest and recover — to be creative and innovate — I am challenged by the usage of the term productivity. And I do not have a replacement word to qualify that feeling of accomplishment for doing an activity well. 

The concept of productivity is a 250-year-old manufacturing construct that no longer serves our society of knowledge workers; individuals who engage their creativity and intellect, while collaborating with other humans to solve complex problems. 

Breaking it down, productivity is a mathematical equation of output divided by time. This concept has permeated every industry and adversely affected the way we work and measure our work. 

In some cases, it has reduced the individual to an object, churning out units. This is based on quantity output, while not considering if the individual doing the work is working at their full potential, in a purposeful way. 

For example, in the case of the healthcare system, doctors are incentivized to keep patient interactions between 8 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, patients suffer from not having their concerns fully addressed, as the doctor might feel stretched to see a high volume of patients.

This results in a check-the-box approach to care. It not only misses the nuisance of the patient, it negates the ways in which their psycho-social dynamics impact the way they care for themselves. 

Nothing good comes from treating the doctor as a machine — reducing their work to time bound interactions and paperwork; the central role of a doctor is to care for another human. 

How might we reframe this process to center both the doctor and patient for maximum care of them both?

  • The “how” of their collaboration.
  • The “how” of their needs.
  • The “how” of their satisfaction.

In your organization, how might you center the “how”?

I have been in discussions around how coaching can increase clients’ productivity, thereby driving the organizations’ productivity, framed as a return on investment. Since no two coaching clients [nor organizations] are the same, reducing the coaching process to a simple productivity equation leaves me perplexed. 

Productivity should not be the only measure of how well a contributor is working. 

In what ways are your talents invited to collaborate, bring their creative energy to influence the work, innovate across teams, and stretch in a new way?

We are living the aftermath of focusing so heavily on productivity, which might lead to decreased outcomes, disenfranchised employees, and lower employee engagement.

An organization that values inclusive well-being strategies will counterbalance this drive for metrics with a human-valued proposition to how work is designed and done.

What do you say, can you help me find another word to replace “productivity” that values the employees’ contribution and the organization’s health? 

More to come on this topic in the article, Resist Unnecessary Urgency.

In Search of Beautiful FreedomWhen I purchased In Search of Beautiful Freedom, I was excited about what the book’s title would disclose and because I could still clearly remember how engrossed I was in Farah Jasmine Griffin’s Read Until You Understand: The Profound Wisdom of Black Life and Literature.

At the heart of these essays is this — “freedom is a process requiring constant vigilance and the artist’s responsibility is to reveal injustice without sacrificing the craft.” 

In Search of Beautiful Freedom spans thirty years of Griffin’s writings exploring Black music, womanist/Black feminism, Black female authors, and how their artistry speaks to resistance and freedom. 

The teaching moments on these pages were numerous and palatable. What does it mean to step out on faith knowing your capacity and gifts? 

It’s clear that many of the luminaries featured in these essays were doing just that — stepping out on faith. Griffin quotes Angela Davis and June Jordan as defining wellness [well-being] as “that we take seriously our capacity to love”. This definition is consistent with BETA’s ethos, which is — in caring for the least well for the least well person, we are caring for [loving] everyone in our society.

Side note: The essays that resonated with me were: 

  • Quiet, Stillness, and Longing to Be Free
  • Wrestling till Dawn: On Becoming an Intellectual in the Age of Toni Morrison
  • Remaking the Everyday: The Interior Worlds of Kathleen Collins’s Fiction and Film 
  • Textual Healing: Claiming Black Women’s Bodies, the Erotic, and Resistance in Contemporary Novels of Slavery
  • That The Mothers May Soar
  • At Last …?

Read any books lately? Which ones sparked your joy?

The Intentionality of Choice

For many, this time of the year offers an opportunity to reflect on the past and make resolutions for a future reality. Even if you’re not inclined to make a new year resolution, I invite you to bring attention to what matters through the intentionality of choice, by bringing full consideration to the subtler vibrations of what is calling your heart! 

It is akin to moving beyond autopilot, engaging in every activity with the attention a pilot might give to landing a plane. 

As complex, multiple-dimensional individuals, we live in systems and have learned to adapt to their ebbs and flows through our moment-by-moment choices. Dr. William Glasser’s Choice Theory emphasizes that all behavior is chosen and is driven by the desire to satisfy the need to:

  • be free
  • have fun
  • to survive
  • be powerful
  • be loved and accepted

When individuals are intrinsically motivated, they behave and act from a sense of volition and choice. They recognize – they have control over their behavior – and the freedom to chart a course.

Oxford Languages defines choice as an act of selecting or making a decision when faced with two or more possibilities. 

Two possibilities might be too dualistic … pitting one off the other … so consider offering yourself enough possibilities to feel whelmed (yet not overwhelmed). 

When individuals are open to possibilities, they arrive at a place they want to go, that they may not have known they wanted to get to. 

Since organizations are comprised of individuals, when they are encouraged to be autonomous, self-determined, and connected to one another within organizations, both they and the organization thrive.

Encouraging autonomy with resources and accountability leads to mastery and engagement. 

Organizations that cultivate a culture that promotes autonomy grew at four times the rate of control-oriented firms and had one-third of the turnover. They encourage their employee’s choices of mastery, connection, and creativity of their talent. 

Individuals have different desires. The best strategy for a leader would be to figure out what’s important to each individual.    

From the individual and organizational perspective, what possibilities await you in 2024?  

With the opportunity to coach more than 1,000 individuals, I am uniquely positioned to understand the evolution of individual, interpersonal, and organizational choice management.

A central tent of BETA Coaching & Consulting is choice – working with clients to chart the pathway that will serve to satisfy their unique needs. This is fostered through an inclusive approach, being an intentional, trustworthy partner, and listening deeply, while partnering with the client to realize their insights.   

Rayner and Bonnici explore how intentional restructuring of social and environmental arrangements brings about social change — be it in healthcare, racial justice, or education reform — in their book, The Systems Work of Social Change: How to Harness Connection, Context, and Power to Cultivate Deep and Enduring Change. I draw from this book that system work is akin to purpose in action — embedded in principles and practices that cultivate a more peaceful and just world by engaging the primary actors in the change process while limiting unintended negative consequences.

Rayner and Bonnici offer many case studies of our individuals and organizations creating social change — each chapter offering a wealth of perspectives. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the day-to-day actions and relationships, and how they are as much about the ways we work as they are about the outcome we pursue. Centering the collective identity within groups — to explore new ways of seeing the current situation with new awareness to shift to a new perspective.

What will you be reading this winter? Love to hear from you. Share this with me on LinkedIn and let’s start a conversation.

 

Be Responsive and Intentional

This montage represents articles published in 2023, speaking to what was top of mind [heart] – and how these topics are attuned to our values – choice, transparency, and trust.

Share with us your favorite article – and what about the article that gave you pause for consideration.

And while you’re at it, what was a poignant moment for you in 2023?

For me, it is realizing that going slow allowed me to arrive more purposefully at a destination. Knowing full well that there would be zigs and zags – yet the slower pace allowed space to be responsive and intentional.

Download Montage

I have been reflecting on the books that have impacted my understanding and perception of the world this year. On average, I read fifty books and a ton of articles, receiving much enjoyment from the sheer pleasure. 

Sharing a short list of notable quotes and questions from the books that were most impactful on my psyche in 2023:

Download Book List

What You Need is Not Simply Their Hands

When an organization views its purpose as a commitment they are working toward, its impact can be far-reaching both internally and externally. A successful implementation process requires a purpose-based business strategy where the proposed shared values are made explicit.

An organization’s purpose statement clearly demonstrates what it stands for. It should not be a branding exercise, nor should it be intended to capture more market share. It is about the direction that orients an entire community of people toward an aspired future by undertaking a period of authentic discovery modeled on the organization’s values.

Employees need to understand what the company’s purpose means for them and how it connects with the business strategy. They need to explain it in their own words without changing the meaning. When employees feel integral to this experience, there is alignment with the organization’s purpose. If not, they will experience heightened stress or other well-being concerns and likely leave the organization.

Leaders who demonstrate curiosity to listen.

Organizations that have a deep sense of purpose and have achieved alignment with their employees’ purpose have a more engaged workforce that is whole-heartedly and fully involved.

❝ [Organizations] are truly made up of people.
So, if you want people to be fully engaged, really committed
… what you need is not simply their hands …
… but their head, heart, and hands …
It takes a commitment, usually to a shared mission and this thought
of a compelling vision that they’re looking toward.❞  ~ Shundrawn

Without good communication and implementation, an organization’s purpose will ring hollow. Communication is vital, linking the organization’s internal identity, actions, and stakeholders to its external identity, actions, and stakeholders.  Listening for actual or potential value alignment with colleagues allows them to feel seen and heard, which are different skills than those required for a tactical or strategic meeting.

Creating a safe enough space for colleagues to speak up and reinforce the organization’s values is key. Building these psychologically safe teams goes hand in hand with creating positive, ethical, and purposeful environments. As leaders, understanding what your colleagues are really all about is key to curating a purpose-driven organization that effectively engages all employees.

Coleman states, “corporate purpose is deeply connected to the ability of individuals to achieve greater meaning and engagement in the organizations in which they work. And for leaders who care about the well-being of their employees, and individuals who want to thrive at work, there is little more important than that.”

The happy-side benefit of aligned purpose is a flourishing, engaged workforce that knows what their organization stands for and supports it.  This is deeper than the messages listed on your website. It means prioritizing and following through with practices that willfully interrogate the actions and behaviors which support the stated values and tweaks flawed or outdated practices that no longer serve the organization. Purpose makes a difference in companies only when it changes how people operate.

How is your organization living its purpose?

I recently learned about Tony’s Chocolonely vision and was moved by its commitment to producing 100% exploitation-free chocolate. While your organization might not be in the chocolate business, its purpose can be equally dynamic, guiding internal and external stakeholders’ daily actions. This example is provided for your consideration as your think about your purpose statement.


This is a beautiful meditative read that I will revisit many times! Rick Rubin shares 78 thoughts in The Creative Act: A way of being, stating that being creative is a fundamental aspect of being human. We exist in a creative universe. A mysterious realm beyond our understanding in a society that wants to make meaning out of everything.

Being in the world and appreciating the wisdom of nature when it is noticed, awakens our creative nature. Our creative energy. Rubin inspires the reader to lean into their awareness of the multiple options available to them and become attuned to their intuitive knowing.

At the onset of the book, he states that nothing written here is known to be true … and each of the thoughts shared is an invitation for further inquiry, a zooming out or in for a new way of being. To create is about playing to play. It is about innovating and self-expression. 

How are you creating an environment where you’re free to express what you’re afraid to create?

Book A Discovery Session

A discovery session is largely influenced by a kaizen process, a philosophy based on the concept that change for the better is fostered through small modifications that create improvements. The session is centered on learning about one another, including your values, goals, and processes. 

The discussion will help determine our chemistry match and how collaborating will add value for you. There will be an opportunity to understand your needs and what is top of mind for you, especially what it is that you wish to improve upon. This is an opportunity for us to co-create a win-win partnership.

Some discovery session questions are:

  • What is your biggest challenge as it relates to ______?
  • How are you feeling about this challenge? 
  • What about solving the challenge is most important to you? 
  • How will you benefit from finding a solution to this challenge?

To schedule your no-obligation appointment, email novelette@betacoachingconsulting.com or visit our calendar to book an available time.

“What are you really about?”

It is the rare individual that has a singular life purpose. With the variability of life, we let go of what is not serving us, while making space for what will allow us to embrace our new sources of meaning. I’ve been thinking about my teen years, graduating from high school, and not having a clear direction in terms of the college experience. With no one in my immediate family to guide me, a cousin by marriage, directed me through the application process. I was accepted to a community college just before the fall semester started. Eighteen-year-old Novelette’s purpose was to realize and manifest a college degree, transition into a professional role as a nonprofit executive, and realize financial security. 

Since that time, there have been multiple shifts in the focus of my purpose, each revealing what needed to be released while opening to new possibilities. Moments of transitions—leaving an executive director role for graduate school, deciding to become a solopreneur, then going back for a second master’s degree, teaching at the college level, switching professions once again, and starting over in a junior role—were life shifts I created and manifested. The common thread that has run through these changes has been a desire to be of service throughout my personal and professional life while pursuing the elusive American Dream. 

The need in each of these transitions was [is] to have meaningful relationships, as a source of transformative change, while experimenting with options along the way. Each time navigating the new, while pruning away the old, keeping what was essential to my purpose while staying open (and I will confess that at times there was resistance) to what was being recrafted. Inherent in these changes has been a refinement of my needs, which also evolved during different stages of my life, which informs my personal ethos and coaching and consulting approach. 

Rarely does someone have one purpose throughout their life, because so much occurs over time. The daily activities that give meaning to our existence, help move us emotionally and inform our purpose. So, how are you living your purpose? I’d like to offer you this activity to explore the ways in which you have created your web of purpose. There are six domains listed on this web, but feel free to add to the list.

  • Which individuals are most important to you? These are the people you have positive relationships with. 
  • Our professions are central to how we curate purpose. What are the three to five elements of your work that you are most proud of and why? 
  • Hobbies and interests are pathways to feeling purpose, flow, and social connection. Which ones allow you to create and be in flow? 
  • What are the ways you create or experience beauty? How does it make you feel and in what ways does it bring purpose to your life? We each experience this differently and at varying levels.
  • How does your system of philosophy, belief, or religious tradition help you interpret the world and foster a sense of purpose? When you think of the divine, what comes to mind? 
  • In what ways do you offer service in the world? An integral element of purpose is service—whether it is extended to your family, your community, the organization you work with, or the larger society. 
  • There are two blank areas for you to list other ways in which you are cultivating purpose in your life.

Consider finding a quiet place and review these domains: positive relationships, professional occupation, hobbies, beauty, belief system, and service, then complete the purpose web activity. By identifying the ways in which you’re cultivating purpose in these domains, you will be better positioned to articulate what is meaningful to you.

Think about the ways your purpose has been recrafted, while being intentional to your needs, over time. Then answer the questions, “what are you really all about?” and “what creates purpose and meaning for you right now?” 

Tell us how you are curating your purpose and how you are living your purpose.

Stay tuned to next month’s newsletter, where we’ll look at purpose from the organizational perspective. We will dive deeper into the ways we meld individual and organizational purposes for belonging, and connectedness,  curating purposeful work environments.

The Mushroom at the End of the World, traces how the matsutake mushroom guides us to the possibility of coexistence in environmental disturbances. A sign of privilege, the matsutake is an artful reconstruction of nature and refined taste. It thrives in a disruptive environment as it transforms through the relationship with other species. It resists the condition of the plantation structures of the self-contained and interchangeable units. 

On the back jacket of the book, there is a thought-provoking question, “what manages to live in the ruins we have made?” This speaks to how the mushroom survives in areas of deforestation, and those who forage for the mushroom are engaged in dramatic enactments of freedom. 

It is an exquisite, deeply profound, and layered exploration of what it is to be on the brim of ruin and extinction, finding a way to transform oneself—be it the matsutake or the refugees who are foraging in the forest for their fortune.  I am intrigued by the way Tsing speaks to the multiplicity of who we are as people, of the matsutake mushroom, as well as how our current systems perpetuate inequities. “In order to survive, we need help, and help is always the service of another, with or without intent.” As we change to survive as the mushroom does in a deconstructed forest, how might we benefit from a multi-species approach?

Making Connections 

I proudly serve on MySerenitySanctuary (MySS) Board of Directors as Vice Chair. MySS’s mission is to support and advocate for the self-care and well-being of Black women and girls everywhere by providing online community support, self-care, mental and physical health programs, and events. They also advocate for policies that recognize and address the unique challenges faced by Black women and girls, including health equity, accessibility to services, and dismantling the stigma surrounding self-care and mental health in Black communities.

To learn more about how you can support the fabulous work of MySS, go to their website.

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