Resiliency through Change
When Life Gets Heavy, Emotional Intelligence Matters Most
by Odilia McLeod 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗸𝘆. Life doesn’t ask whether you have room for one more thing or whether you’re already holding everything together with caffeine, deep breaths, and a very optimistic to-do list. We’ve all had stretches…
Read MoreThings Will Work Out
by Odilia McLeod “𝗪𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗳𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿?” Of course I was! I’d spent decades building it. I wasn’t going to wake up one morning, throw caution to the wind, and say, “Well, let’s see what happens.” The question that usually followed was harder: “What if coaching doesn’t work out? Wouldn’t…
Read MoreYou’ve Outgrown Your Definition of Success
by Odilia McLeod 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂. You worked hard, reached the goals you set for yourself. You earned the title and built a career you once wanted. Yet what once felt meaningful now feels routine. The motivation that carried…
Read MoreThe Hidden Cost of Staying “Safe”
by Odilia McLeod 𝗪𝗲 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲. Safety and security have shaped many of my decisions. Some of that came from what I experienced when I was younger. I learned to think things through, avoid rash decisions, and minimize unnecessary risk.…
Read MoreThe Security Within
by Odilia McLeod 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁, 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘄𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. I’ve been reminded recently just how quickly life can throw some serious curveballs. Relentless, scary, destabilizing, life-altering curveballs. A plan falls apart. A role disappears. A relationship changes. The rug is…
Read MoreMaximize Your One Life
by Odilia McLeod 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗹𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗰𝘂𝗳𝗳𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲. It was the belief that I had more time. A client recently asked me what it was like to walk away from my 35-year corporate career. The honest…
Read MoreGetting Back Up After the Dust Settles
by Odilia McLeod 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. They begin with an event or situation that shakes us to our core. A layoff. A loss. A relationship ending. A health scare. A dream that didn’t unfold the way we imagined. In the beginning, there is often only dust and confusion. We find…
Read MoreWhat is Disappointment Teaching You?
by Odilia McLeod 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. I’ve been thinking a lot about disappointment lately. Some former colleagues were recently laid off. Some had invested a decade or more in the company. I’ve written before that work, at its core, is a transaction. You contribute your time, talent and expertise. In return, you are compensated. But…
Read MoreThe Power of Play
by Odilia McLeod 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆. Another lesson these kittens keep teaching me: 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆!!! Not productivity. Not efficiency. Not optimizing every minute. Just… play. Watching them has been fascinating. A crinkled piece of paper, a feather, a cardboard box, or a tiny ball can become the greatest adventure. They chase, tumble, wrestle,…
Read MoreBuild an Environment Where Your Teams Thrive
by Odilia McLeod 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘂𝗻𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗳𝘂𝗿. For a couple of years after my 22-year-old cat passed away, I couldn’t imagine having another pet. She had been with me through many chapters of my life. Career milestones, amazing moments, heartbreak, endings and new beginnings… Losing her left a space I…
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