A few months ago, Henry and I attended his 50th college reunion. And we had a ball! It was a fabulous weekend. Henry reconnected with his classmates, and I met many of his friends for the first time. It was super fun. Lots of catching up and lots of stories. Plus, there were lectures with university faculty which was awesome. And presentations by several classmates in various fields. One session was appropriately called, “A Conversation About Aging Well.” However, what stay

A few weeks ago, Henry & I went to a presentation with about 100 people. The speaker walked to the front of the room and held a microphone and said, “You know, I have a mic here, but I don’t think we need it. Do we? Can everybody hear me?” And of course, people politely said, “Yes.” But not everybody could hear him, especially when he started pacing to the other side of the room. After his opening remarks, he invited the audience to participate, which was great. But when

Hi you guys. I’m glad you guys are watching this video. When you’re finished, let me know what you guys think. What’s wrong with those sentences? Not everybody watching this is a guy. Now, I can hear some people saying, “Tracy, don’t be so sensitive. ‘You guys’ is just an expression. It’s so normalized that most people don’t even hear it. Or if they do, they let it go. It’s just the way it is.” That’s true. And… words have power. For several years, I was part of a wom

Last month, Henry and I were in Sedona, Arizona, visiting Henry’s college roommate and hiking the beautiful Red Rock trails. We did Cockscomb the first day about 8 miles with some slight elevation. Look at those views! The last day, we hiked Bell Rock. Check out those views. In between, Cathedral Rock. More elevation and more magnificent views. Our daughter, Kathleen, had recently hiked Cathedral. And she said, “Mom, near the top it gets steep, and then narrow, and there’s a

here’s a moment nearly every leader faces on stage. You ask a thoughtful question… and the speaker keeps talking. Learn what to do.

One morning a few months ago, I woke up and thought, “Whoa. I gotta go. Let’s get out of bed. I gotta get up.” I skipped my glass of water and headed straight for the bathroom. And the next thing I knew, I was coming-to on the bedroom rug, flat on my back, completely dazed. Henry was right there. I heard him say, “Tracy, honey, wake up.” And then he went into full “coach” mode. Henry’s a lifelong athlete and coach, so he knows concussion protocol. “What day is it?” “Who’s our

Dear 2026, Happy New Year to you! How did you get here so fast? Is it because the world keeps moving at warp speed? We text. We email. We post. We respond instantly. It’s addictive. But all that activity isn’t what we really need. What we need from you, 2026, is PEACE. Not perfection. Not constant reaction. Peace. Peace and quiet. Peace of mind. Inner peace. Peaceful discourse. Making peace with a decision. This kind of peace takes time. Time to think deeply. To focus without

2025 was “The Year of The Wedding” for Henry and me. Between May and October, we were invited to seven weddings. Seven! And I’m happy to report that love is alive and well! All seven couples are terrific matches. One of the highlights was when our niece, Maddie and her fiancé, Joe asked us to officiate their wedding over Memorial Day weekend. As Henry joked during the ceremony, “When you two asked us to be your officiants, you may not have known exactly what you were getting

Last month, I talked about grammar mistakes around “me, myself, and I.” And wow! Many of you had opinions. So, this month, I’m sharing your grammar gripes. Godfrey from the U.K. wrote, “I find myself shouting at the TV, especially at news presenters who should know better, even on the BBC. Where are the standards?” I agree with you, Godfrey. When professional communicators get it wrong, it’s distracting and I think, “If they can’t get grammar right, what else are they g

Several years ago, my daughter, Eleanor spotted a pillow in a small shop in Denver, Colorado. She sent me this photo. “Good grammar is...

Welcome to my garage! Several years ago, during Covid, Henry and I started writing down on huge Post-it Notes everything that we...

A few months ago, a former client emailed and said, “I’d like a few refresher sessions with you.” We’d worked together about five years...

Recently, a friend called and said, “I have bad news—I’ve been laid off.” She was shocked. And so was I. She’d had a strong career, she’d...

A few weeks ago, I joined nine other business advisors and coaches from around the country for a weeklong experience called The Focus...

Last month, I spent an unforgettable day with a living legend—Patricia Fripp, the presentation skills expert. Imagine an amateur golfer...

Last month, a woman I met years ago, let’s call her Tara, asked me to introduce her to Tom, someone I know well. They had both worked at...

It seems like everybody I talk to lately is saying, “I can’t believe it's March already!” I feel the same way. March has several...

A few days ago, I decided to update my contacts on my cell phone. You know, people move or get a new job with a new email address, or...

Raise your hand if you’ve ever been ghosted. You know that frustrating feeling when someone doesn’t reply to an email? Or, at the end of...

Henry and I belong to an athletic club in town. It's a beautiful facility with lots of members of all ages -- busy, young...