Work Your Jam
Sharing wisdom from life & work experiences across 3 continents & multiple careers/industries. Get my weekly newsletter, for songs and stories to light your way.
The grace of office
Hi Reader, Work can take a lot out of you. It can be physically strenuous, or emotionally draining. When we were in the thick of the recent pandemic, I remember watching the healthcare workers in the news, and wondering, "How do they do it? How are they able to care for their patients, day after harrowing day?" Well, many of them were overwhelmed. They were just too professional to let it show. Behind the scenes, they sought therapy, or found comfort in support groups. Some of them sang to...
How to do your best
Hi Reader, "Did you do your best?" It was school report card day. Time for my mother to pose her usual question to me. No matter what my grades were, that was all she wanted to know. And thus, the desire to fulfill my potential was born. And, of course, to make my Momma proud along the way. At every life stage since then, in every job, and with every community role I take on...I've held the intention to do my best. Sometimes, I took that desire a little too far. By working longer and harder...
Sharing my USP
Hi Reader, Galactic things fascinate me. Not because of Star Wars - though that certainly plays into it - but because of the unending mysteries of the cosmos. When I say "May the 4th be with you," I first think about my two favorite Star Wars characters - Yoda and Princess Leia. They represent two key parts of me. Yoda's Zen vibe is alluring. It reminds me of the wisdom I seek to gain, and then to share with others. Princess Leia kicking butt when and where it counts? Sign me up. Then there's...
Doin' This
Hi Reader, It's an exciting time to be doing this music thing. For the third year in a row, I've had a (virtual) front row seat to two of California's biggest music festivals - Coachella and Stagecoach. Go livestreams. ✌️ It's meant me blocking off three full weekends in April, and staying up crazy hours to catch the streams before they're taken down. But for this lifelong music fan, and a lifelong student of, well, everything...it's worth it. 🎶 It's been a musical buffet in more ways than...
The healing power of music
Hi Reader, Have you ever wondered about the role music plays in our lives? As the Coachella music festival winds down this weekend, I've thought about this question a little more. If our favorite tunes are a Spotify stream away, why do we still want to watch those songs performed live? After all, it's (technically) the same notes and chords...maybe with some new flourishes from the musicians. What's in it for us to gather, in the tens of thousands, to hear a song one more time? There is magic...
Magical mashup
Hi Reader, What do Beethoven, Laufey, and LL Cool J have in common? They were all part of an iconic set at this weekend's Coachella music festival. The LA Philharmonic Orchestra, or LAPhil for short, displayed flair and artistry at their Coachella debut. No, they didn't pay me to say any of this. I'm just an excited music fan right now, wowed by how imaginative their music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel is. (That's him in the picture, wearing a bucket hat that's part of rapper LL Cool...
Purpose first, productivity second...
Hi Reader, I used to be an expert on productivity tools. My work life began and, for many years, continued in fast-paced industries. I was in constant sink-or-swim mode, adjusting to new projects, new clients, or new marketplace shifts. So...to stay on top of all the tasks I had to juggle, testing and using the latest productivity tools became a mild obsession. When the work stakes were so high, it was crucial to squeeze every ounce of efficiency out of my day. The adrenaline rush was fun. My...
I got a new attitude...
Hi Reader, Sometimes, old songs take on a new meaning. I'm feelin' good from my head to my shoesKnow where I'm goin' and I know what to doI tidied up my point of viewI got a new attitude (from "New Attitude" by Patti LaBelle) This tune popped into my head earlier today. Songs tend to do that. It's like I'm wearing an invisible crown...only it's more like a radio station antenna. I reflect on something going on in life, or in the world and, poof, a song drops into my consciousness that...
Spring can really hang you up the most...
Hi Reader, Do song lyrics ever just hit the spot for you? Doctors once prescribed a tonicSulfur and molasses was the doseDidn't help a bit, my condition must be chronicSpring can really hang you up the most (from the jazz standard "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most") These words no longer ring true for me, thanks to a long journey back to my core, and to my life purpose. But they definitely reflected my inner reality, for many years in a row. Even when gorgeous cherry blossoms were a...
The importance of being earnest(ly musical)
Hi Reader, Western stories travel further than you might think. When I was 17, I was cast as Lady Augusta Bracknell in my high school's version of the comedic play "The Importance of Being Earnest." According to the Google, Lady Bracknell is between 50 and 65 years old. So, it made perfect sense to cast Dame Judi Dench (a celebrated British actress) in the movie version of the role when she was 67. Me...playing it as a 17-year-old, in a high school in Asia, with tickets open to the public?...
Sharing wisdom from life & work experiences across 3 continents & multiple careers/industries. Get my weekly newsletter, for songs and stories to light your way.