Resources

This page is here for people who want to think on their own for a bit.

You don’t need to be ready to make a decision.

You don’t need to be working toward an outcome.

You don’t need to do anything with what you notice yet.

These resources are simply places to pause, reflect, and pay attention to what matters.

Noticing What Matters: a guided journal

A guided journal designed to help you notice patterns without trying to fix them right away.

It isn’t about goal setting or productivity.  It’s about creating space to see what’s showing up in your work and your life, and deciding what you want to do with that information when you’re ready.

This is a good place to start if you want quiet clarity without outside input.

Weekly check-ins and reflection prompts

These are the kinds of questions I return to myself, especially during periods of change or uncertainty.

You don’t need to answer them all. One is often enough to help you process.

♦  What has been taking more energy than it should?

♦  What am I tolerating that I want to eliminate?

♦  Where do I feel most like myself right now?

♦  When do I feel discomfort?

♦  What do I enjoy that I want to experience more often?

♦  What am I avoiding?

These prompts are designed for noticing, not explaining. They stay with what, where, and when, and leave the “why” for later, if it’s ever needed.

Meditative drawing (Zentangle® inspired)

Sometimes thinking isn’t the right entry point.

I practice and teach a form of meditative drawing, inspired by the Zentangle® method, that helps quiet the part of your brain that wants to constantly be doing something.  You don’t need to be artistic.  You can do it anywhere (I frequently draw on conference calls and in meetings).  And you don’t need to know what you’re trying to figure out.

This introduction explains the practice and includes two videos so you can try it for yourself.

Book and and other media to consider

These are books and essays I return to, not because they have answers but beause they ask better questions.

They are especially useful when you’re thinking about work, identity, and how to make decisions that fit the life you’re actually living.

You don’t need to read everything.  One thoughtful voice at the right moment is enough.

Books worth spending time with

How Women Rise, by Sally Helgesen

Names common patterns that hold successful women back wihtout shaming or dramatizing them.

Playing Big by Tara Mohr

Helpful for noticing where you’re waiting for permission, even when you don’t think you are.

Brag: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It by Peggy Klaus

A practical, human take on claiming credit without feeling like you’re posturing.

Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman

A grounding reminder that time is finite, and that urgency is often a choice, not a fact.

The Good Enough Job: Reclaiming Life from Work  by Simone Stolzoff

Challenges the idea that work has to carry all of your meaning to be worthwhile.

Podcasts and conversations worth listening to

These are not “listen every week” recommendations.  

They’re “dip in when you want a different way of thinking” resources.

The Long Game 

Thoughtful conversations about careers, ambition, and decisions that play out over time.

How I Work (Dr. Amantha Imber)

Quite, practical reflections on how people actually work, not how they’re supposed to.

The Ezra Klein Show 

Long-form conversations that help you think more clearly about systems, choices, and tradeoffs.

ReThinking (Adam Grant)

Useful for noticing when it’s time to reconsider beliefs you’ve been carrying for a long time.

When reflection leads to questions

Sometimes reflecting on your own is enough.  Sometimes it brings up questions you’d rather talk through out loud. 

If you’d like to learn more about how I work or what a first conversation looks like you can explore ways to work to work together.