Come On Barbie-Let’s Go Bust Double Binds
When I first heard a Barbie movie was coming, I groaned. As a woman, don’t we already have so many impossible things to do in the world? Becoming Barbie seemed like another. And then I saw that Greta Gerwig was directing and producing it. I admired her work and was curious how Gerwig would make Barbie empowering. I marked the release date on my calendar-July 2023. . . . Two weeks after its premier, my friend Maria and I plopped into our seats near the front (because the theater was almost sold out even two weeks in), and a seven [...]
March Madness of the MOXIE kind
I remember as a little girl filling out “The Bracket” with my dad in hopes of winning some money for a neon yellow skateboard. I didn’t watch any of the basketball games, but I did win some money for my skateboard. This year, I watched more basketball than I have my entire life. One reason is because I’ve been working with female collegiate athletes, and I wanted to see my athletes play. Another reason is being an Iowa girl, I was keen to watch the three Iowa teams who made it to The Bracket: Iowa State, Iowa, and Drake. Next [...]
#EmbraceEquity
Last week, I was at a local community college celebrating International Women’s Day when I overheard three Gen Zers’s conversation. Gen Z man-looks around at all the purple signs, stickers, and booths celebrating #iwd2023, “When is it my day?” he asked. Gen Z woman, “Every other day,” she replied. Well-said. And my MOXIEmoment: International Women’s Day. What does #EmbraceEquity (the 2023 theme of International Women’s Day) really mean to me? Right now, it means four things. Pay equity: getting paid what you’re worth. I remember sharing the stat that 85% of women make less than men with the same title, [...]
WORDup, it’s your code word for 2023
“Word up, it's the code word No matter where you say it You'll know that you'll be heard.” Cameo, 1986 It's unbelievable how this is my tenth year of choosing words v resolutions. In 2014, I was in Singapore with a new business and new partner-my word was #possibilities. This year, my WORDup is #outdream . At first, my word got pushback from others (which I value). It was seen as competitive (I am), it was seen as impossible (it's not), and there was fear that I wouldn't be able to do it (I can). I saw this quote from [...]
Release What No Longer Serves You
I’m on #onehappyisland where it is sunny, 85, and everything feels Insta worthy. But I felt funky. Down. Out of sorts. I even canceled my therapy session. My therapist’s response, “Ok. Rest up and feel better! Day after Solstice is a day of releasing what no longer serves.” Inspired by her words, I took out my journal and wrote “Releasing what no longer serves me” at the top. My MOXIEmoment is embracing my funk, listening to it, and then learning to release it. This ritual reminds me of Johnny’s last words of advice to me, “Sis, relax. Breathe. Be cool. [...]
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Changemaker
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. Comet and Cupid and Donner and Bitzen. But do you recall that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer was a changemaker after all? To get in the holiday spirit and spend time with my niece who pretty soon may not want to hangout with us at children’s musicals anymore, we went to the Stages production of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical. Watching Rudolph with my niece and partner Michael brought tears of joy, nostalgia, and frustration. My MOXIEmoment is realizing that like me, Rudolph is a changemaker. He stands up for himself [...]
