EdgeworkLife
Blog, articles, stories, and thinking out loud
“Your experience can profoundly affect the people around you whether you are aware of it or not.”
- Brené Brown
At the heart of edgeworklife is the sharing of our stories and experiences.
Whether in our personal life or our leadership role, showing up authentically as ourselves, succeeding and failing greatly, being brave, and forging our own path is what it’s all about. And sharing our journeys through stories and writings allows us to process these experiences, understand what we have learned, and recognize where the journey has brought us.
There is power in the storytelling. and not only for ourselves, but also for those around us.
Sharing our stories and ideas, whether through storytelling or writing, requires courage and vulnerability, and through these processes we revisit many of the same emotions we experienced on the journey itself. There is tremendous vulnerability in sharing and reliving our passions, mistakes, self-doubt, shame, and confusion - and it is worth it!
Getting Comfortable with Discomfort
Our tendency is to seek comfort even when it's counter to our well-being and growth. By leaning into edgework - uncovering our fears, reflecting on where we are, getting clarity on what we want, and understanding our strengths - we can embrace personal and professional growth and take the next step. Ultimately, we thrive when we have a deeper awareness of what’s keeping us our comfort zone. And, therefore, keeping us from growing.
Rebuilding Ourselves
I am rebuilding the cantilevered decks at my condo in Seattle. Like most significant changes, this has required careful planning and prep, the destruction of what was, and a commitment to a new version that's even stronger than before.
The rebuild of our careers (whether we’ve chosen to make a change or the change comes unbidden) also involves some degree of planning and preparation. Significant change also involves the creative destruction of what was.
And then we rebuild. And we are stronger than before.
As I coach the team at St. E’s, I ground myself in five core beliefs. Dive in!
The Power of Why
I was recently working with a client who was wrestling with a familiar question: should she stay in education — continue doing work she loves and is good at – or follow a passion and try something new?
It's a question I hear often. And what I notice, almost every time, is that the energy is entirely focused on the what. What should I do next? What are my options? What makes the most sense?
The what is important. But it isn't where I start.
I start with why.