Morning Brew: The Last Cup of 2025

This is a special one — the final Morning Brew of 2025.Instead of rushing into goals or resolutions, today’s episode is an invitation to pause. To reflect. To acknowledge who you’ve become over the past year — not through big, dramatic changes, but through the quiet, everyday choices that shaped your growth.In this holiday-inspired episode, we slow down to look back with honesty and compassion, celebrate what you carried and what you learned, and create space to close the year gently before stepping into what’s next.Grab your coffee, take a breath, and join me for one last Morning Brew of 2025 — a moment of gratitude, reflection, and intention as we turn the page together.Happy holidays, my friend.

In this episode of Leading Yourself, I sit down with Erin Dewsbury-Ribeiro, DEI officer and author of Dreaming in Color, to explore what allyship looks like in real life—not in theory.Erin shares how her journey began with a simple virtual book club that evolved into deeper conversations about racism, empathy, and understanding after the murder of George Floyd. We talk about the power of curiosity, the courage it takes to connect across cultures, and how diversifying what we read, watch, and listen to can completely shift our perspective.You’ll hear practical steps for becoming a more intentional ally, why examining your consumption habits matters, and how Erin’s Instagram community, Let’s Read Diversely, is helping people broaden their lens through literature.This is a conversation about listening differently, learning with humility, and choosing connection in a world that often feels divided.Grab a copy of Erin's book here: https://amzn.to/3YhJC1nConnect with Erin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreamingincolorthebook/

“90% of success is not getting distracted” 

Today’s episode is a special one — we’re looking back, not to reminisce, but to understand what actually moved the needle this year.Because 2025 wasn’t shaped by big dramatic changes.It was shaped by the small things—tiny, ordinary habits that didn’t feel impressive in the moment, but quietly transformed my energy, my confidence, my mindset, and the way I show up every day.I realized something powerful: lasting change comes from simple, sustainable habits, not overhauls.In this episode, I’m sharing the seven small habits that made the biggest difference in my life this year—habits that don’t require extra time or money, just intention and awareness.My hope is that one or two speak to you and spark your own shift.

“The relationship you have with yourself decides the quality of every relationship you enter.”

Can you believe we're in the final stretch of the year?The last month always feel complicated. There's excitement, but also exhaustion. Gratitude, but also overwhelm.And if you're anything like me, your evenings can start to look like this: Dinner. Maybe a glass of wine. A scroll through social media. One episode of something, okay maybe two, and then suddenly it's 10:30 and you're too tired to do anything meaningful before bed.Sound familiar?For years, that was me. I told myself I was unwinding. But in reality, I was numbing out, not recharging.And as I started reflecting on what it means to end the year strong, I realized: it's not just about what we do during the day. It's about how we spend our evenings.Because your evenings set the tone for your mornings. And your mornings set the tone for everything else.So today, I want to talk about how to reclaim your evenings, not just to rest, but to reconnect with yourself, so you can finish the year not drained, but deeply fulfilled

“When you are grateful for what you have, you receive more to be grateful for.”

This week I am seating with Susan M Barber to discuss the importance of visibility in career development.Susan shares her journey from a long corporate career to becoming a coach, emphasizing the need for individuals to take charge of their careers and be intentional about their visibility. We explore various frameworks and exercises from Susan's books, including the five-step framework for visibility and the career clarity framework, and also talk about common visibility mistakes, the difference between bragging and authentic visibility, and the impact of cultural expectations on personal visibility.Grab a Copy of Susan's New Book here: https://amzn.to/4o0stnr

“Time is the only currency you spend without knowing your balance.”

Real talk:We’re in the final stretch of the year.And this is the season when your energy can either feel focused and intentional — or completely scattered and drained.Between holiday plans, wrapping up work projects, social gatherings, and trying to finish the year “strong,” it’s so easy to end up spending your energy everywhere — but not really investing it anywhere that truly matters.So today, I want to pause with you and ask a powerful question:👉 Are you spending your energy… or are you investing it?Because how you manage your energy in these last few weeks of the year — not your time, not your to-do list, but your energy — is what determines how you’ll step into the new year.So grab your coffee, take a deep breath, and let’s talk about what it really means to invest your energy in what gives you life — instead of draining it away.