We all saw some of the viral videos that circulated during the lockdowns earlier this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. People participating in Zoom calls would stand up to stretch . . . and they didn’t have pants on. There was even an instance in which a woman took her phone into the bathroom when “Mother Nature called.” (You should never need Zoom for that kind of call.) If there is one positive aspect of social distancing, it’s that it has cut down on commute time to work for some … [Read more...]

Much has changed in the employment marketplace and the job market since the beginning of the year. This, of course, has mirrored what has happened across the country and throughout the entire world since the COVID-19 pandemic started. What’s been more challenging about the changes in the employment marketplace is that those changes are still in the process of playing out. The market is still very much in flux, with an abundance of uncertainty and a lack of concrete strategies for meeting … [Read more...]

I recently had the opportunity to go on a family mission trip. These types of trips are actually difficult to find. That’s because many trips won’t allow children or they’re cost prohibitive, running into the thousands of dollars, including the cost of travel. My recent mission trip sparked a thought in my brain about the role of community work and community service in the marketplace. And of course, the generation that is currently dominating the market in terms of sheer numbers is the … [Read more...]

The loss of a job can cause a very real grief response. This feeling of grief can be compounded by the stress of the holiday season. If you’ve suffered from this response or are currently going through it, please know that you are NOT alone. There are amazing “job clubs” and networking opportunities out there, and most recruiters can point you in the right direction. My friend Lori Marshall recently shared her story with me . . . A “workforce reduction” was the benign name assigned to the … [Read more...]

(Note: This blog post was co-written by Lori Marshall, who is a licensed clinical specialist and social worker in Kansas and Iowa.) There is a definite argument for having kids when you’re young. The argument is that it minimizes the chances that you’ll end up “sandwiched” between aging parents and young children. This is the world in which I’m living right now. I had my oldest daughter at age 31. She is now 17, and my parents are both in their 80s. (Oh, and did I mention that I also have a … [Read more...]

Comparison is truly the death of joy. I deleted the Facebook and Instagram apps from phone a few weeks ago because of this. One of my best friends is someone of which other women could easily be jealous. She’s accomplished, highly successful, crazy-smart, and athletic. Then, of course, let’s throw in that she’s drop-dead gorgeous.   She’s the girl in college who could go out and party and then come home and whip out a paper at 2 a.m. and get a 100% on it (while the rest of us were … [Read more...]