Ditch the Climate Shame
In my latest book, Why Bother?, I wrote about how I had been dodging my desire to do more about the climate emergency. As someone who has followed the climate crisis since high school (yep, that long), I had gotten in the habit of throwing up my hands and giving up. But not anymore. I […]
Continue readingHow Do You Balance the World’s Horror with your Calling?
Anybody else horrified by the events at the U.S Capitol on January 6? The shame of seeing white supremacists in the People’s House brought me to tears of rage and grief, and the leaden grief of not being surprised and not being in denial. It all feels so big, my mind and heart can’t yet […]
Continue readingWhy New Year Planning Fails
When I close my eyes, I can see the room at the retreat center. My student and I sit opposite each other. Everyone else is napping or hiking or reading. The silence has a physical presence I recognize as a sign of the sacred. “Everybody else gets what they need,” her voice is quiet and […]
Continue readingA Bright Pick Up For Your Heart And Mood
Let’s start with a hug, because I miss them. Try this: next time you pretend to air hug someone from afar, hug yourself and have them do the same if they wish. It feels good. It’s grim in our world right now. So I figured the best thing I could offer this week is a […]
Continue readingWhy “Just Do What’s Most Important First” Can Backfire
We’ve all heard the advice: do the most important task first thing in your day. It’s fine advice, but I often see it backfiring with people I work with. Why? You have to know what’s most important. Which means you have to be willing to name and own what you want. Sometimes that’s easy. You […]
Continue readingJen’s Gift Guide for You
Hello, Holidays! Oh yes, holidays are coming even if we may not be with our people. That absence is making me think about gifts and delighting my friends and family from afar a bit more than usual. I’ve made a list of things I love in hopes it inspires you, and I made a list […]
Continue readingHope is harder for the human brain
The day the U.S. election was called I was determined to savor my joy! The day after, I wrote this on Facebook: Torn between the rush of this new beginning–wanting to clean my dirty floors! Organize office! Start campaigning in Georgia!–and wanting to lie on the floor without moving an inch for the next week. […]
Continue readingMy Favorite Books
Reading is my solace, my excitement, my learning, how I ground myself. I read very widely, so get ready for an eclectic list of books. Some are new, some are not. I’ve only included my raves, because I have no desire to be a critic. Writing a book is too hard, as I […]
Continue readingResignation – That Mood that Kills
I recently wrote about how good it is to remember you are not your mood. Today I wanted to talk about a particular mood that nobody likes to admit to being in. Resignation. Yuck. So passive, so glum, so Eeyore. And so deadly. Resignation kills change, kills desire, kills your spirit. It kills the collective […]
Continue readingHow To Ask For What You Want
A friend was telling me about how hard it is for her to ask her family for what she wants. “I mumble and kinda slide from the room, hoping I can get upstairs to my writing before anyone asks me for something.” I got halfway up from my chair and mimicked creeping from the room. […]
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