In September of 2020, I spent two weeks alone on a farmstead in rural North Dakota at a writing retreat. I was 14 miles from the nearest town of 1,200 people. When I say alone, I mean alone. In 14 days, I saw three humans, a farmer, a census worker, and my husband who came to stay for one night. Those two weeks were the single most uninterrupted period of silence I had ever spent. Physically I had my devices. I had the internet. But psychologically, emotionally, spiritually I had stepped away from my demand ...

The average American life is over 40 million minutes. That's 40 million chances to laugh, to love, to make memories, and to make a difference. But somewhere around million minute 39 million society starts checking you for an expiration date like you're a carton of milk past its prime. They start asking questions like should she still be driving? Aging in America is not for the faint of heart. In some cultures getting older earned you reverence. But here, somewhere along the way, we decided that getting olde ...

Foreign Fore. Foreign. Foreign.Hello. wrong. Thank you.Have you ever had one of those moments in life where you just knew what you were meant to do for the rest of your life. I have. I was about 5 years old and I was sitting outside waiting for a friend to come over and play.And while I was sitting there, I was making up songs and singing them out loud like a lot of little kids do. But I have this really distinct memory of that moment thinking, I hope someone walks by and hears me and discovers me. I guess ...

This is a baton. In life, we're handed them and sometimes we drop them. Happens to the best of us.I'm taking you back to 2024 summer Olympics in Paris, France. The US men's 4x100 relay team is on the track ready to finish their last race to determine who are the fastest men in the world. They have prepared their entire lives for this moment.The world is watching them and the expectations to win a gold medal are unmatched. The starting pistol goes bang and they run around the track displaying athleticism at ...

Who are you when everything you've built your life around suddenly disappears. The marriage ends. The job vanishes.Lose a loved one. Loss doesn't just take the things that you love. It takes who you are.It shakes your self-worth. And then it asks if you lose this, who are you now. Today, I'm going to share with you what I've learned about self-worth.And it's not what most of us have been taught. 13 years ago, I stood on the edge of Lake Ko in Italy, handinhand with my husband, exchanging vows. It was my sec ...

The biggest lie wasn't actually Santa Claus. Um, and that is that we live in a meritocracy. Um, that is the idea that if you work hard enough, if you just persevere enough, then you know you'll make it.Turns out that that stuff's not true. Um, and that you'll get to places simply on your talent. I left university with that belief.Um, boy, was I wrong. I know it looks kind of awful. I'm reading myself.Um because here's what nobody tells you that success. Um this is quite awkward. I'm like talking to the othe ...

Just before I start, I just want to say a huge huge well done to each one of you. I hear a lot of people speak so often and each and every one of you has done it so well. Put me to shame.So I have to really up my game for this, but you've done a really exceptional each story is powerful, really resonated, very relevant to the current time. So thank you. Thank you for those insights.Um, ideas change everything. But is that true. And is every idea a great idea or are there bad ideas out there as well.I want t ...

James with us to change the way we judgments invites us to slow down question assumptions and see the full complexity of Please welcome JASON before I even started speak most of you made the decision about it wasn't intentional nor was it conscious. But somewhere in the back of your mind, you began filling in the gaps. Perhaps it was the way I walked on the stage or how I'm speaking to you right now.Maybe you decided what I believe, what I think is best, or maybe even what I'm about to speak to you today. A ...

unscripted. Let the future break and break. Self-help is not a passing fad in the United States.It's a$13 billion industry. We are an aggressively self-aware people. As a public speaker and an adult learning professional, my work overlaps with self-help.So, I've definitely contributed to this industry. But I bet most people in this room have as well. If you've ever read a book, if you've ever worked with a therapist or hired a coach to help you set better boundaries, you have also built the self-help indust ...

Close your eyes for a moment. I want you to picture yourself walking into a room. Maybe it's a big meeting. Maybe it's your first day at a new job.You've worked hard to get here. Your credentials are solid. You've rehearsed what you'd say when those hard questions come your way.And as you reach for that door handle, something tightens in your chest. A little voice whispers to you, "Hey, you don't belong here." You push that voice aside and you walk in anyways. Your heart is pounding into your ears.With ever ...