When I joined The XLR8 Team, Inc. back in 2002, I, too, benefited by participating in our week-long “Leadership Excellence” retreat. I’m a firm believer in “walking the talk” and experiencing our program first-hand was essential to my own development and subsequent coaching of others! While the markers have changed over the years (and a few of the passions have been re-aligned as well), here is the most recent “compass” which guides me both personally and professionally: Passion #1: Having peace and harmony present daily!
Quite honestly, this has always been a work-in-progress for me. Using DISC as a reference point, imagine an “I” living with two “D’s” most of her life ~ you need to pick your battles and not sweat the small stuff. It’s also given me great insight and perspective as I coach many “D’s” on a daily basis. I still feel best when I end my day with peace-and-quiet ~ letting the drama and noise slip away! It re-energizes me for the day that lies ahead . . .
Passion #2: Appreciating the health/well-being of those I love!
It’s no secret that I always enjoy great conversation, but combining great conversation with exercise (a three-mile daily power walk with my girlfriend) is THE best! Since we all enjoying cooking in our household, exercise is a must along with creating healthy and well-balanced meals in order to stay fit! I’m also blessed to have a close-knit family and two loving parents (84 and 77) who are still active in their kids (5) / grandkids (9) / great grandson’s lives. Even though we don’t all live in the same home town, we enjoy meeting regularly to celebrate special occasions. I’m not a “camper”, but we’ve been enjoying more of that with extended family as well as a way to stay connected with all the nieces & nephews (19 participated over Memorial Day)! Who could ask for more? . . .
Passion #3: Enjoying the “landscape” that surrounds me!
I always try to make the most of the environment I’m in at any given time! Whether it is gardening (my “think time”), golfing, power walking, reading, movies, biking or entertaining, it always brings me great joy when I’m sharing it with others!
Passion #4: Enjoying newfound freedom with Tom as empty-nesters!
While Tom & I lead very active lives, we still adhere to our “date night” rituals and often encourage others to do the same. I’ve coached several people over the years, whereby simply suggesting this very philosophy, they often report back that their relationships have become better for it! We’ll be celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary this Fall in Aruba ~ can’t beat that!!!
Passion #5: Coaching enthusiastic clients in reaching their full potential both professionally and personally!
I’ve been so blessed to have two very fulfilling careers: the first half was as a Human Resource Manager at Xerox Corporation and for the past 10 years as Executive Coach to so many through my work with The XLR8 Team, Inc.! We’ve included each of our three children in our “Leadership Excellence” retreats during their senior year in college! We are very proud of our “Teacher” @ Victor High School (Laura) / “Healthcare Coordinator” @ BOND Financial (Molly) / “Director of Business Development” @ The XLR8 Team, Inc. (Andrew) in helping them reach their full potential in the business world!
My business card holder says it all: “Doing what I love in the service of people who love what I do.”