Entrepreneurship has its moments. I’m a people person through and through. I can meet new people easily, talk to strangers, show up to events alone, work a room, and genuinely enjoy it. Networking, for me, isn’t usually the hard part. But recently, I had an experience that reminded me of something every entrepreneur eventually has to learn: Not every connection is aligned. And, not every “yes” is really a yes. When the Follow-Up Feels Like a Trap I connected with someone at a

There's a particular guilt that haunts leaders, especially those doing mission-driven work. It whispers: " How dare you rest when others are struggling ?" This guilt is not your ally—it's your barrier. I've observed this pattern repeatedly in organizational leadership: professionals who possess resources, education, or economic stability feeling unworthy of rest because of their comparative privilege. This guilt becomes paralyzing, eroding the heart , preventing the very res

Let me be direct: Traditional HR is failing us. After 20 years leading HR transformations, I've watched this pattern repeat: Organizations talk about culture while treating HR as a checkbox exercise. They preach best practices but fail to embody them. And when things break—and they always do—everyone acts surprised. The recent $11.5 million verdict against SHRM proved what many of us already knew. As I wrote in my post When the "Experts" Get It Wrong , even the world's larges

During a weekend date with my goddaughter, we watched Wicked: For Good together. And when I think about how far I've come as an entrepreneur and the dynamics of being a woman today, I see the parallels everywhere. The narratives shaped about women—especially women of color—are no different than the story we watch unfold during our casual movie night. From the start, we're set up as "other." Too risky. Too emotional. Too much or not enough. Just like Elphaba. But here's what W

"In every crisis there is a message. Crises are nature's way of forcing change—breaking down old structures, shaking loose negative habits so that something new and better can take their place." — Susan L. Taylor As I celebrate another year of life and reflect on entering 2026, I'm confronting an uncomfortable truth: I've witnessed countless professionals—myself included—burn out while believing exhaustion was a badge of honor. Let me be clear: rest is not laziness. It is re

Last year, I reflected on Martin Luther King Jr.'s words: " Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere ." This January—Slavery and Human Trafficking Awareness Month—I'm asking you to sit with a harder truth: 28 million people are trafficked worldwide right now . And Human Resources leaders have both responsibility and leverage to disrupt the systems that make this possible. I spent eight years as Chief People Officer at Polaris Project , the organization behind the