Commit to Recommit

One of my commitments to myself this year was getting to the gym to lift weights 3 times a week. My husband and I established a routine of going first thing in the morning on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and it was working. Despite my initial resistance, a neck injury and travel, I stayed pretty…

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The Freedom of Choice

“My choices determine how I feel and the space I’m in.” Does our well-being, how we feel about ourselves really come down to this simple and powerful statement? I think it could. Last week I completely overcommitted myself, powering through all my activities, resulting in exhaustion and grumpiness. All because of my choices. The freedom…

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Retreat to Recover

Diane's team

Last month my team and I spent 3 days in the mountains for a retreat, the first time we were together in person in two years! Even though I have been leading retreats for 25 years, every single one reminds me of the importance of getting away to recover. We all agreed this one was…

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Are You Overfunctioning? ONE Thing to Help

Nurse with mask on

After coaching many nurses and leaders over the last year, I have noticed a common theme. When nurses are feeling overwhelmed or out of control, we tend to overfunction. Our inherent role as caregivers and problem solvers make this an obvious way to manage our stress, but it is not a sustainable one. Overfunctioning is…

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What Are You Feeding?

Wolf howling in winter

Last month, I had a period of not sleeping well causing me to lose my energy, focus, and perspective. My erratic moods compelled my husband to ask me frequently, “Are you Good Diane or Bad Diane today?” It reminded me of an old Cherokee tale of two wolves: One evening an elderly Cherokee told his…

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Home for the Holidays: 3 Ways to Experience Joy

Holiday ornaments

Home for the Holidays has a new meaning this year. Many of us have altered our plans forgoing holiday travel, festivities, and gatherings outside our household. These changes are disappointing and require us to be very intentional to experience joy at work, and everywhere else. Whether it’s your relationships, career, or the holidays, experiencing joy…

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Living with Resilience: Flying Lessons

I was drawn to paragliding for years so when Tim, a good friend and experienced pilot, offered to take me, I said yes immediately. I’m really not a daredevil, but there was something about the freedom of being in the air, above all the noise and chaos that really attracted me. As we stood on…

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Living with Resilience: Self-Leadership

Monkey status see, hear, speak no evil

Before I gave a webinar to nurse residents last month on work-life balance, I asked them about their biggest challenges. They all shared a similar theme: the ability to leave work at work, without agonizing about what they didn’t know, get done, or anticipate. They want what we all want, to feel good about ourselves…

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The Lighter Side of Resilience

Mountain cabin for writing retreat

I started my new year spending 5 days with a dear friend on a writing retreat in the mountains. It was ideal in so many ways. Besides having uninterrupted space and time to write in a beautiful cabin, we experienced camaraderie and support for our writing projects. I so appreciated the relaxed and free spirit…

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20 Resilience Habits for 2020

Hand holding apple

Our habits build up or break down our resilience and today is a great day to examine them and decide what we want to let go, keep, and start, as we begin the new year. James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, defines habits as behaviors repeated enough times that they become automatic. Good habits get…

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