I've been thinking out loud in public for longer than I've called this work what it is today. When I look back at the talks, there's a thread I didn't set out to make, a steady pull toward what we notice when we slow down, and what becomes clear when we stop forcing it.
In 2009 I gave a talk about cloud formations: what they show us about ourselves, if we take the time to watch. Years later, a conversation about leadership came down to one idea: you can't guide someone through ground you've never walked. Same instinct, more than a decade apart. Pay attention. Make room for things to emerge. Hold enough structure, and stay close enough to what matters, to find direction, without pushing so hard you miss what's right in front of you.
That's still the work.
Meditations on Leadership with Don Carpenter · June 2026
A conversation with Don Carpenter for his podcast Meditations on Leadership, about leading through uncertainty without pretending to hold a map for ground you've never crossed, and what it takes to stay honest about that as a leader.
Listen →SheSpeaks · February 2015
An early talk for SheSpeaks, the women's gathering led by Lael Couper Jepson, on how we find our way, and what a map shows and hides. The early end of a thread I'm still pulling on.
Watch →A few other talks, listed for the record:
I love being in the room. If you're planning an event, a retreat, or a leadership gathering and want someone to speak or lead a conversation about the work of navigating change, I'd love to do that. Tell me what you're putting together and what you want people to leave with.
And if something here resonates and you'd just like to talk, I'd welcome that conversation too.
Let's Talk