Blog

Goodbye 2019 and Hello 2020!

On / Blog

Hello friends. Is January 14th too late to wish everyone a Happy New Year? I think I am still safe, right? I hope you and yours had a wonderful New Year’s. I have to say 2019 has been a year like none other for me. Being able to reach the important milestone of getting my story out into the public via Beyond the Golden Door brought with it many exciting, heartwarming, and challenging moments. I thought I would share some of the key highlights, my learnings, and what’s ahead for 2020: 1. What I am most thankful for? In 2019,

A Call to Thankfulness Amid Turmoil

On / Blog

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving which is one of my favorite times of the year (Christmas is #1), and we will have all of the kids under one roof which is a rarity these days. During this season, I have been contemplating the many reasons I have to be thankful. Even today, while running a few errands, I turned on BBC World News radio, which quickly put life into perspective in terms of how thankful we should all be for where we live and the freedoms and privileges we enjoy. I was saddened to hear about the Albanian earthquakes that just hit

5 Keys to Success You Didn’t Learn in College (Part 5 of 5)

On / Blog

Find a Sponsor and Know your Role as a Protégé Sponsors—I’ve had them throughout my career. In my early days, I didn’t know that’s what one should call them. Nor did I fully appreciate the crucial role they could play in one’s advancement. To better understand this sponsor-protégé relationship, let’s first go over a common misunderstanding. What a sponsor is not: A sponsor is not a mentor. These two roles should not be confused. While at times the same person can wear both hats, a mentor-mentee relationship is generally one where someone with greater experience offers advice and coaching to

5 Keys to Success You Didn’t Learn in College (Part 4 of 5)

On / Blog

Build Your Personal Brand Everyone has a “personal brand”—you, me, and that new hire who sat right next to you at orientation who made all that nervous small-talk. Each of us are either building up our personal brand or letting it dissolve. So what is a personal brand anyway? Personal brand refers to the first thoughts, feelings, or images that people immediately think of when they hear or read your name. Let’s play a game to help elaborate. I will throw out a name, and then suggest their brand. See if you agree or disagree: Steelers fans may vehemently disagree