Leadership Lessons From the Mat

Several years ago, my daughter and I enrolled in an Aikido self-defense class for women. We expected to learn how to protect ourselves through forceful, strength-based martial arts mindsets, skills, and strategies. Arriving at our first class, we were primed to practice blocking, striking, and overpowering opponents. Instead, we were introduced to a philosophy of […]

Teasing, Taunting, and Revenge: Lessons in Injured Pride

When The Ohio State University, a mega land-grant state school and a perennial football powerhouse, takes the field against a charter member of the Big Ten, the elite Northwestern University, the stadium buzzes with good-natured score-settling and rivalry. From their side of the field, Buckeyes’ loud cheers press the point that the Wildcats haven’t any […]

Three Lessons for Bringing Gratitude Into Your School

When asked what it felt like to receive a thank-you note, fourth-grader Leilani* at Sunset Beach Elementary School in Hawaii responded, “I feel good because someone cares about what I did. I feel like people care about me.” When she considered what it felt like to see someone else receive a note from her, she […]

5 Lessons About Change I Learned from Moving to a New City

“You may not be able to control every situation and its outcome, but you can control how you deal with it.” ~Unknown I recently moved to Florida, a decision thirty years in the making. Growing up in Haiti, I always longed to return to a warm climate. I remember being on our layover in Miami […]