Sept 2025 Coaching Recommendations
Recently I was teased (fondly) for my monthly resource recommendations because the person could not fathom how I have the time to read / listen / use all of the ones I recommend, let alone the many others that do not make the cut!
I am currently sitting at a coffee shop in Ventura, waiting to give a CliftonStrengths presentation to over 30 law school students in their first year. So my own CliftonStrengths are definitely on my mind! If you are familiar with this assessment, I have Input at #5, and Learner at #7. Then if you throw my #3 Maximizer in the soup, maybe it makes more sense?
Input: I have a curiosity that fuels collective insight.
Learner: I have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve. The process of learning, rather than the outcome, excites me.
Maximizer: I focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence. I seek to transform something strong into something superb.
In other words, my mind is constantly spinning with thoughts, questions, things I have heard, quotes I just read, you name it.
I do not deny this quality can be annoying at times - I can be a font of useless trivia… but I can also pull something out of nowhere and bring it into a conversation in a way that proves helpful.
My Latest Favorites for Going Deeper, Reflecting, Doing the Work
With that introduction in mind (if I haven’t scared you away!), to quote my tippy-top childhood idol Julie Andrews, here are a few of my faves from August 2025:
📝 A Journaling Routine Worth Trying. I am a daily #journal keeper. As Suleika Jaouad describes it, "For me, the journal is where I begin. It’s where I lay things down—not to solve them, but to understand them." I recommend this post if you too are a journaler, perhaps need motivation to restart that practice, or would benefit from some ideas to get started. #reflection #selfawareness #writer #writing
🥱 You Need to Be Bored. Here's Why. I mentioned I am in Ventura as I write this. I took the train to get here. This route goes along the ocean for at least half the trip. I made it my goal to not look at my phone or even listen to a podcast as I traveled. Instead, I just looked at the ocean and let my mind wander. A small victory, but it is related to this video. It’s not even 6 minutes long. Please watch it.
📚 🤓 🎧 Is your "to-be-read" pile too long / big / impossible? I am hopeless in this regard. I flag email articles I want to read in my Google Tasks. I compile podcasts I want to catch up on. I make #wishlists of books I want to read. This article addresses this behavior and how to possibly deal with it.
🐌 The Slowdown. The title itself had me at hello. This is a BRIEF daily #podcast where the host shares a short intro and then reads a pertinent poem. The current host is Maggie Smith (the poet). I mean, COME ON! Do I always “get” the poem? No. Does it feel good to just start my day with Maggie’s friendly voice and a poem read well? YES. I am committed to keeping my morning routines fresh and engaging. This has been a great addition in the past month. Just try it.
Work-Related Shtuff
🧠 🌪️ Brainstorming AI prompt. I would say about 50% of the time, the incredible speed with which #AI seems to be taking over the world freaks me out. But the other half the time, I'm sort of fascinated by it, and it has helped me think through some real mental pickles. So I'm trying to lean in carefully with it. The link is to Colin Scotland’s website, who sends a weekly prompt idea that I often find myself recommending to my coaching clients. This is the prompt I found myself recommending this month for those who need some help thinking their way through a whirlwind of ideas, possibilities and questions (often related to the “what’s next?” in their career):
PROMPT: If you have a pile of resources, notes, or ideas, try this with AI:
"I have [describe your pile of resources]. Create a step-by-step pathway that takes me from start to finish for [specific outcome]. Each step should be clear, actionable, and ready to copy-paste into AI for execution."
Start with one outcome that matters most. Let AI turn your messy pile into a journey.
Clarity often emerges when the steps are right in front of you.
📉 📈 Starting a business. This article is basic, but surprisingly good. If the possibility of entrepreneurship have some appeal for you, your mind is likely spinning with so many details — this article gives a good fundamental framework to get started. To those who have an idea for a business, my main advice is to go slow and start it as a side hustle. Let it breathe over time. If you drop everything to do it, that often puts so much pressure on it that you won’t be able to have it grow organically.
↩️ Make a Mid-Career Industry Change with Confidence. I am calling our current workplace environment “hesitant-to-hire.” Nevertheless, I still recommend you give this interview a listen. The key: hit the “Transcript” tab, then copy-and-paste it all in a document. Then you can just listen and not worry about taking notes. I like the subtitle of this conversation: “Learn how to own your decisions, expand your network, and position yourself for success.”
Final Thoughts
I’m finding more than a few of my clients feeling a bit beaten down and discouraged. I am not going to offer you a pep talk. I just want to share this simple stanza from Mary Oliver. It never gets old.
“Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
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