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Tracy Bianco

Stop Hating Mondays.

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Leadership Responsibility: Say Goodbye to ‘What is’

February 1, 2023 by Tracy

Self-Checkout and Herd Mentality Do you remember when self-checkout became an option at stores like Wal-Mart? It started with just a couple of lanes dedicated to customers scanning their own purchases and eventually got to the point we’re at now with far more self-checkout stations than cashier-led options. For a while, I saw others’ negative […]

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Leadership Recognition and Appreciation: A Yearlong Opportunity

January 1, 2023 by Tracy

Every year in December, I enjoy the many social media posts of appreciation and recognition from leaders to their team members. Business owners, C-suite leaders, directors, managers, and supervisors post pictures and praise for the hard work, the dedication, and the exceptional results their teams achieved over the course of the year. Posts of praise […]

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Stop the Mindset of ‘That’s How We’ve Always Done It’

November 26, 2022 by Tracy

The Notoriety of ‘If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It’ “That’s how we’ve always done it.” A stance that’s notorious for being the most dangerous one in business. A stance that’s been shared with distaste five times with as many of my clients in the past month.

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Create Your Leadership Legacy

October 25, 2022 by Tracy

Danny Tanner and Man Behind the Character Until the beginning of this year, anytime Bob Saget’s name came up, I’d think of my early adult years. Danny Tanner, Bob Saget’s character on Full House, was on in the background of my home frequently back in those days. In January, though, when he unexpectedly passed away, […]

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Questions for the Leader of ‘Quiet Quitters’

September 26, 2022 by Tracy

The ‘New’ Phenomenon The concept of quiet quitting has gotten a lot of airtime in recent months. In its simplest form, quiet quitting is the practice of doing the bare minimum at work and nothing more. When I began reading about this ‘new’ phenomenon, it felt eerily familiar to me. Then I remembered the Seinfeld […]

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The Leader’s Guide to Emotional Bank Accounts

August 25, 2022 by Tracy

Fill those buckets. “Bucket filling.” My grandson answered very matter-of-factly when I asked him what he did on his first day of kindergarten. My mind visualized a group of five-year-olds filling buckets with blocks, small toys, sand, or water and then discussing the differences they noticed. Right when I was telling myself no teacher would […]

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3 Steps to Greater Leadership Understanding, Curiosity, and Open-Mindedness

July 24, 2022 by Tracy

The Ideal Situation Read any article or book about effective leadership, and you’ll find exceptional listening and clear communication to be two tips offered. It makes sense, right? When your team member comes to you with a challenge, the best thing you can do is listen. Without interrupting. Without chiming in with solutions. Then when […]

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Employees Going Silent? Try These Practices!

June 28, 2022 by Tracy

The Letter of Resignation You Never Expected Perhaps you’ve seen this quote attributed to Tim McClure on social media: “The biggest concern for any organization should be when their most passionate people become quiet.” Sometimes it happens over the course of time, and you don’t even notice it. That is, until the day that passionate […]

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10 Tips to Add Some Calm for the Type A Leader

May 27, 2022 by Tracy

Showing Up as a Stressed Leader I’d been working with Adam for a month when he described a situation that had his stress level at an all-time high. As Director of Operations at a rapidly growing company, Adam is ambitious, goal-driven, willing to take risks, and organized. When I was initially hired by Adam’s employer […]

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The Accountable Leader

April 26, 2022 by Tracy

Lack of Accountability: It’s Not a Good Look I recently had a poor experience with a company I hired to complete a project. Over our three-month engagement, I repeatedly felt pushed aside and insignificant. The company’s phone system sends its customers straight to voicemail, and after leaving messages on several occasions, I never received a […]

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Survival Mode Doesn’t Have to be Your Forever Mode

March 28, 2022 by Tracy

The Common Theme That’s Far Too Common I noticed a theme in three recent conversations. Convo 1 was with a client who shared she feels like she’ll never “catch up”. She works 60 – 70 hours each week, and in her long workdays, she rarely gets up from her desk to take a break of […]

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Feelings, Leadership, & the Workplace

February 26, 2022 by Tracy

The Normalization of Feelings “I’m okay. I’m not scared. I’m brave.” I smiled hearing those words from my four-year-old granddaughter as I tucked her into bed on a recent Saturday night. I’d turned the lamp on low, surrounded her with stuffed animals she’d brought from home, kissed her, and asked if she was okay. And […]

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Decision-Making, Leadership, and Technology’s Part in It All

January 25, 2022 by Tracy

What-If Questions and the Choices We Make What-if questions are never scarce on social media. They give you the space to ponder decisions you’d make in various, unlikely circumstances: If you had a superpower, which one would you want, and why? If you won the lottery, would you keep working your current job, give most […]

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10 Focus Areas for Leaders This Holiday Season

December 22, 2021 by Tracy

As 2021 winds down, it seems like the perfect time for some reflection. In my work with leaders, I have found most are at either end of a wide spectrum. Some go the route of completely chilling out and relaxing after the hard work they’ve put in all year. Others choose not to extinguish the […]

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Leadership and Compassion: A Dynamic Duo

November 28, 2021 by Tracy

Compassion is a Must-Have As part of my own professional development, I joined a group focused on relationship building. The coach who leads the group recently asked us to share a message of who and how we help. I shared my message: I help evolving leaders build a motivated, effective team by embracing not only […]

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Ghosting in the Professional World

October 26, 2021 by Tracy

A New Kind of Ghost As a young girl, I was used to hearing about ghosts in the month of October. Of course, right? Skeletons, goblins, jack-o-lanterns, and ghosts. They’re all part of the scariness and fun of Halloween. In recent years, though, ghosting has taken on a new meaning. It first made its presence […]

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Decide and Override the ‘What Ifs’

September 28, 2021 by Tracy

Ordinary Joe and Parallel Stories I’ve become obsessed after only two episodes of the new NBC show Ordinary Joe. In it, the main character Joe has three choices in front of him on his college graduation day: spend the day with Amy, a girl he just met; spend it with Jenny, a girl he’s known […]

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Invest in Your Employees and Thrive

August 30, 2021 by Tracy

The Tweet That Got Me Thinking Dan Price, CEO of Gravity Payments, recently tweeted: “An Ohio factory raised pay from $13.70 to $18.25. Its staff grew 35%. Profit doubled. The extra labor helped them fill more orders. After I doubled minimum wage at our company, our revenue tripled. Invest in your employees, and your business […]

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Just Say No to the Quick Fix

July 20, 2021 by Tracy

The Joy of Harmonious Dialogue You know the feeling of talking with someone and realizing in the course of the conversation that you and that other person ‘get’ each other? You speak the same language, have like values, and see the world in similar ways. I got to experience that feeling recently when I ran […]

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Leadership Lessons at the DMV

June 22, 2021 by Tracy

The Devil is in the Details The line was 15 people deep outside the DMV when I arrived to renew my license and get my REAL ID. According to the paperwork I’d received from the Secretary of State, Illinois residents will need the REAL ID to board domestic flights beginning October 1, 2021. I’d spent […]

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Decide Like a Leader

May 23, 2021 by Tracy

Making decisions was once a kid’s game. As summer draws near, my mind goes to the carefree summers I enjoyed as a kid. For those three months from sunup to sundown, my siblings, neighborhood friends, and I would create nonstop fun from one back yard to the next. One of our favorite summertime games was […]

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It’s Time to Say NO to the Hustle

April 25, 2021 by Tracy

It’s a Zoom world we live in. I joined a Zoom meeting along with 67 other professionals last week. Tiny Brady Bunch squares popped up all over my computer screen, most of them with a simple first name to represent who was ‘behind’ the square. Only a handful of faces looked back at me. The […]

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3 Tips to Refocus and Reframe Your Leadership Beliefs

March 23, 2021 by Tracy

The Superhero in the Lego Bucket When my first grandson was born 10 years ago, our toy collection was quite small. Just a few stray toys from my own kids that I’d never managed to donate all those years ago. A decade later, that toy collection has grown quite a bit as has the number […]

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4 Steps Out of the Safety Trap That Holds You Back

February 21, 2021 by Tracy

Gifts from the Universe It seems the older I get, the more I notice the gifts the Universe provides for me. Case in point—One day last week I saw the following quote on social media: “A ship is safe in a harbor, but that is not what ships are built for.” This comes from the […]

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Courage and the Scooter Crew

January 25, 2021 by Tracy

The scene was set. I saw the running. I heard the honks. I felt the energy. But I still wasn’t sure what was happening. The action was about a block and a half down the road along my daily walking route. With my less-than-stellar vision, I could see two girls, one running and one zipping […]

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5 Ways to Look at the JOY Side of 2020

December 23, 2020 by Tracy

2020. A year that will go down in infamy. In the year 2100, kids who are currently five years old will be telling their great grandkids about remote learning, masks, and the vaccine that turned things around (fingers crossed). It’s true this isn’t the year any of us imagined when we celebrated on January 1. […]

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Invest in YOU and Win- But Only Every Time

November 22, 2020 by Tracy

The Love Language Phenomenon The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman has been around since 1992 and has sold over 12 million copies. That means for almost 30 years people have not only been learning about their own preferred language when it comes to love; they’ve also been encouraging their partners to take the quiz so […]

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I’ll Take My Feedback with a Period and No Comma, Please

October 20, 2020 by Tracy

As a student, English was one of my favorite subjects. I enjoyed learning about grammar and fondly remember diagramming sentences in fourth grade. Those memories came rushing back recently when a client told me, “I used a period, not a comma, and it was incredible!” She wasn’t talking about English class, though. She was talking […]

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Save the Costumes for Halloween

September 22, 2020 by Tracy

Saying goodbye to summer seemed to be easy for many this year. I’m not sure if it’s the desire to scoot 2020 along as fast as we can with the hope that 2021 will bring blessings this year hasn’t or if it’s just that I’m around more people who prefer pumpkin spice lattes to the […]

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Leadership Wins in the Time of COVID-19

August 18, 2020 by Tracy

Sure, the negative effects are there. COVID-19 is responsible for many negative effects that we’re reminded of daily in what seems like an auto-repeat format. On TV, the radio, and online as well as communication from friends, family, and colleagues, the talk of COVID and everything horrible about it is anything but scarce. But does […]

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Uncertainty is THE Gift of 2020

July 20, 2020 by Tracy

What a year it’s been. To say that 2020 has been a different year than any other in the 5+ decades I’ve been on this earth would be a gross understatement. I think about the person I was on January 1st of this year—the goals I set, the plans I made, the resolve I had […]

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The ABCs of Leading Through Change

July 1, 2020 by Tracy

leadership in changing times

This year is a year for leaders to shine. You can shine, too. The year 2020 is a year many may want to forget. I believe 2020 is a year for leaders to shine. It’s a year where leaders have even more opportunity to grow their leadership abilities. A year where leaders can show their […]

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Step 1 to Leading Others Effectively

June 1, 2020 by Tracy

Tracy Bianco leader

How to become an effective leader starts with your containers. I have a confession to make. I am obsessed with containers. Big or small, round or square, plastic or metal—they fascinate me. I’ve always attributed this obsession to my need to be well-organized. After all, who doesn’t enjoy opening the pantry door and seeing crackers, […]

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5 Tips for Leading Your Teams to Work From Home

April 14, 2020 by Tracy

lead-work-from-home

A new darkness has come over the world, it seems. A darkness that brings with it uncertainty, fear, anger, sadness, and impatience. And yet in the midst of the darkness, some normalcy remains for there is still work to accomplish, projects to complete, deadlines to meet, and client relationships to nurture.

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3 Tips to Help You Lead Yourself and Others

April 1, 2020 by Tracy

tips for leading tracy bianco

I clumsily stepped onto the escalator. As I adjusted my carry-on bag to fit on the step with me, I simultaneously hoisted my laptop bag more securely over my shoulder. Chicago O’Hare is a busy airport so I was mindful of keeping my things close to leave space for the sprinters who may run past […]

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Did You Know Your Mind is Like a Rubber Band?

March 1, 2020 by Tracy

Our minds are powerful. The older I get, the more I’m in tune with the power of the mind. I’ve heard people compare a mind to fertile ground. Whatever is planted in it will flourish. I’ve also heard the mind compared to a rubber band because of its ability to stretch and grow. That growth […]

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3 Practices That Helped Me Rewrite My Story

February 1, 2020 by Tracy

The Real Tracy Bianco

Rewrite your story with inspiration and action. I expand in abundance, success, and love every day as I inspire those around me to do the same. I read that affirmation, or ultimate success mantra (USM), last year in The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks. The content of the book taught me so much, but it […]

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4 Tips for Committing to Change in a New Year

January 1, 2020 by Tracy

sticking with change tracy bianco

Are there areas of your life you’re working to change? We needed new furniture. The set my husband and I had had for several years was in dire need of retirement. When guests would come over and sit on our couch or big, comfy chair, I worried they may not be able to get back […]

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You’re a Tortoise. Now Let’s Apply That To Your Life.

December 1, 2019 by Tracy

focusing on feelings tracy bianco coach

Now that you know your approach, it’s time to learn from it. Last month we talked tortoises, hares, and ostriches. Sounds a bit like Dorothy’s lions and tigers and bears, and maybe it is just a bit. Dorothy and her friends feared the lions, tigers, and bears they thought they may encounter, and we, too, […]

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I’m Taking All the Actions and Still Not Getting Results. Now what?

November 1, 2019 by Tracy

image of a tortoise and a hare to signify two approaches to getting results you want

You’re working on changing your story. You’ve put in the work and taken all the action you should take. But you’re still not getting the results you want. What do I do now? You’re not alone. This is one of the most frequent statements coaches hear from their clients. The client hires the coach to […]

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Are You Making Room in Your Life to Fulfill Your Needs?

October 1, 2019 by Tracy

human needs tracy bianco

Allowing Room in Our Lives for our Needs I am a woman of routine. I eat the same five or six meals with no desire to venture too far out of what I know and like. I stay in touch with the same friends I’ve had for decades—the ones who have known me through many […]

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The Ditch of Despair, Part 2: How to Cross the Ditch

September 1, 2019 by Tracy

how to cross the ditch of despair

Crossing from Unsatisfied to Fulfilled Last month, I shared the importance of getting our feet muddy while going after desired changes in life and crossing what I call the Ditch of Despair. This month is all about the how-to portion of crossing that ditch. How exactly do we get from the side of the ditch […]

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The Ditch of Despair, Part 1: Understanding the Work of Change

August 1, 2019 by Tracy

change-requires-taking-a-leap

Change starts slowly. Women hire me because they long for change. They want to feel more fulfilled in their relationship with their significant other. They want the business they started to be more successful. They want to be fully present with their kids after the workday is over (even when emails and texts continue finding […]

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“Following Your Passion” Isn’t for Everyone

July 1, 2019 by Tracy

tracy bianco passion vs purpose

Passion and Purpose Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of Eat, Pray, Love suggests there are two types of people in the world: we all either fall into the jackhammer or the hummingbird category. When I first heard about her theory, it intrigued me.  So what is this theory? To understand that, we first have to understand the […]

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Decluttering Part 5: Spiritual Clutter

June 1, 2019 by Tracy

Tracy Bianco spiritual clutter

What is spiritual clutter? With the popularity of Marie Kondo and her Netflix series Tidying Up, many of us are paying more attention to the physical clutter in our lives. Some of us are even clearing out that clutter. Marie’s goal, according to her website, is to help more people tidy their spaces by choosing […]

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Decluttering Part 4: Emotional Clutter

May 1, 2019 by Tracy

emotional clutter tracy bianco

Emotions Impacting Your Life I am a life coach. When I share my profession with people, I get a variety of responses. I know when I’ve met someone who gets what I do when I hear this: “Great! I need to ask you something!” And this post is dedicated to those people. The questions they […]

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Decluttering Part 3: Clearing Out Mental Clutter

April 1, 2019 by Tracy

no mental clutter tracy bianco

Mental Clutter Clutter. When we hear the word, we most often think of physical things—the stuff that literally gets in our way, the papers that cover our dining room tables, the boxes full of we-don’t-even-remember-what on our shelves. It’s another type of clutter, though, that is responsible for holding us back and getting in our […]

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Decluttering Part 2: Digital Clutter

March 1, 2019 by Tracy

decluttering your digital life

Digital Clutter In the five decades I’ve spent on this planet, technology just keeps making life easier. We no longer need to unfold that huge map in the car when trying to find our vacation destination (thank goodness). Wondering what the outside temp is? No need to walk out the front door, look in today’s […]

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Decluttering Part 1: Physical Clutter

February 1, 2019 by Tracy

declutter your stuff bright side

Clutter from All the Stuff I think we can all agree we have too much stuff. For the few who may not be in agreement, here are some startling statistics from becomingminimalist.com: Storage units are part of a billion-dollar industry. The average American home holds 300,000 items. 25 percent of people with two-car garages don’t […]

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Clearing Our Clutter for an Extraordinary Year

January 1, 2019 by Tracy

declutter

A New Year with Less Clutter A new year. A fresh start. It seems January is the one month of the year we all agree to set ourselves up for success in the year ahead. We wipe the slate clean and energetically jump into the new year with resolutions and goals to achieve. That energy? […]

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4 Tips for Committing to Change in a New Year

January 1, 2019 by Tracy

a woman looking committed and content

Are there areas of your life you’re working to change? We needed new furniture. The set my husband and I had had for several years was in dire need of retirement. When guests would come over and sit on our couch or big, comfy chair, I worried they may not be able to get back […]

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Change Your Old Pattern of Coping with the Holidays to Enjoying Them

December 1, 2018 by Tracy

changing patterns

Recognizing Old Patterns The holiday season is upon us again. For some, that fact brings thoughts of delicious food, memorable songs, fond traditions, and amazing time with family. For others, not so much. In fact, according to a survey from Think Finance, forty-five percent of Americans would actually prefer to skip Christmas. There are probably […]

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Making Lasting Change in Your Life Starts with Nourishing Good Habits

November 1, 2018 by Tracy

habits

Recognizing Old Habits I raised a son who is an analyzer extraordinaire. When our family (eight adults and five young kids) decided to spend a week together in one house for a vacation we’d never forget, our son got to work finding the perfect house for our crew. He pored over the listings and finally […]

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Becoming a Leader Part 3: Practicing Self-Care

October 1, 2018 by Tracy

Ocean self-care

Effective Leadership Requires Many Skills, Including Self-Care Leadership is difficult. It involves a daily lineup of needed skills and responsibilities. Diplomacy, accountability, problem solving, decision making, delegating, goal setting, team building, innovative thinking… The list could go on for days. Effective leaders—the kind that leave a positive imprint on our professional slate—understand that consistently bringing […]

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Becoming a Leader Part 2: Embracing the Hard Truth

September 1, 2018 by Tracy

Differences

Be a Better Leader by Knowing Your Truth The truth. It’s what we expect from others, and yet, it’s often difficult to accept when we do receive it. Life teaches us that sometimes the truth hurts. And often when it does, that’s exactly what we need to create a new, better truth. What is a better […]

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Becoming a Leader Part 1: Winning Trust with Curiosity

August 1, 2018 by Tracy

qualities of leadership

Qualities of Leadership A 45-minute break between client meetings typically means I head to the nearest coffee shop. Once inside I’ll cover my lap with a napkin for warmth from the frigid air-conditioned atmosphere of noisy espresso machines, people chatting and the clacking of laptop keyboards. On this day, though, I decided to practice the […]

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3 Unexpected Lessons on Making a Lasting Impact on Others and Yourself

July 1, 2018 by Tracy

making an impact

Understanding I watched an acquaintance from afar for a few months. First, I noticed she’d been dropping out of activities she’d always been part of. Someone who had been a steady presence in my circle of activities vanished, and I wasn’t sure why. She is the dynamo I’d always seen taking charge of committees and […]

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What Being an Introvert Looks Like for This Entrepreneur

June 1, 2018 by Tracy

introverts vs extroverts

Born Introvert Being the seventh of eight children, there were many traditions well underway by the time I came along. One such tradition was the baby picture from Olan Mills we each had taken at around a year old. The six pictures before mine each showed a baby smiling from ear to ear. Mine? Not […]

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3 Tips to Help You Take Charge of Your Time and Your Life

May 1, 2018 by Tracy

hamster wheel

The Hamster Wheel Wake up. Shower and get ready. Go to work. Do the work. Drive home. Make dinner. Clean up the mess. Go to bed. Repeat. And repeat again. And again and again and again. It’s the hamster wheel of life that we often don’t even realize we’re on. I remember running on that hamster […]

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3 Networking Tips to Help You Achieve Your Best ROI

April 1, 2018 by Tracy

dealing business cards networking

Networking. When you read the word, what comes to mind for you? Joy? Excitement? Eagerness? Anticipation? Or would you rather get a root canal than go to another networking event swarming with people focused on self-promotion and selling? I recently attended a networking luncheon with the intention of learning more about the topic being shared […]

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