The Official Life Coach of the Friday News Feedbag

How I Landed in a Feedbag

Learning the Hard Way

I’m Thankful for You!
Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. It seems to be the least commercialized, and in its intent it focuses on gratitude (although some would say it majors on food and football, and I do see that perspective!). While I believe we should acknowledge our gratefulness throughout the year, I find it helpful to have a day set aside for it too. And so today, I want to say thank you to you, my readers. Whether you’ve been reading my blog for awhile or have just stumbled upon it recently, I feel grateful that you’ve taken the time to read, and in some cases respond to, what I’ve written. I’ve received an enormous amount of encouragement, inspiration, and insight f

Lisa’s Ginormous List of Gifted Grownup Traits
As many of you know, I spent the past summer researching grownup giftedness. I have learned so much that I want to share that I’ve almost felt paralyzed! Where to begin? Well, as Maria from The Sound of Music would say, “let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.” (I’m very much about the wisdom of The Sound of Music!) The beginning seems to be in identifying what makes a grownup gifted. And boy howdy, do I have a list of gifted grownup characteristics for you! Before I begin my ginormous list, I’ll summarize by saying that giftedness is not about a number on an intelligence test. While high intelligence can

Lessons from “Open” Agassi: Live Your Own Life
Late last night I watched ESPN, and noted on the ticker a message about Andre Agassi confessing in his new autobiography to using crystal meth. I pointed this out with curiosity to my husband, and figured this was probably Agassi’s way of getting skeletons out of the closet so he can live his life freely. Surely enough, this morning on espn.com, sports writer Rick Reilly reviews Agassi’s autobiography entitled Open (from Knopf, written with Pulitzer Prize winner J.R. Moehringer). You can read the review here. And

Exploring Grownup Giftedness: What’s the Point?
Over the summer I had the privilege of prototyping my new coaching program for gifted adults with a couple of encouraging, engaged (and engaging!) friends. I was pleasantly surprised by what I learned, most of which supported the research I’ve done and the services I plan to offer. I was also surprised by the response of one friend’s husband. Himself a gifted grownup, he said to his wife (my prototype client) “Really? You’re going to look into your giftedness as an adult? Really?” In other words, “What’s the point?” Other than him calling into question the entire focus of my coaching practice, I understand. In fact, I

Letting Go for Sanity’s Sake
What’s this? Look over here! It’s my blog! A little dusty from neglect, but sitting here stalwartly as I endure the last dregs of our unusually long summer break. In case you haven’t yet heard my story, my kids have enjoyed a four-month-long respite from academia while builders finish construction on their brand new school building. After four years of leasing a strip mall, the school finally has its own beautiful–and big (hallelujah!)–home. Well, it will. In a few days. If everything continues to go according to schedule (oh please, God, let it go according to schedule). I began the summer with great intentions and perspectives. I des