​ ​Welcome back to Magic in the Messy Middle. This is part of the Messy Middle Archetype™ Series, six issues, each with a...

Welcome back to Magic in the Messy Middle. This is part of the Messy Middle Archetype™ Series, six issues, each with a companion podcast episode, walking through one Messy Middle archetype at a time. You don’t need to catch all the others to get something out of this one. We’ve covered the Juggler and Quietly Burning Out so far; this issue, we’re looking at a season that can feel almost embarrassing to admit to: the Restless Achiever, when nothing is really wrong, and yet you are craving…

Welcome back to Magic in the Messy Middle. This is part of the Messy Middle Archetype™ Series, six issues, each with a companion podcast episode, walking through one Messy Middle archetype at a time. You don’t need to catch all of them to get something out of this one. Last issue was the Juggler; this time, we’re looking at a season that can hide in plain sight: Quietly Burning Out. I think I had three different bosses in four years. It eventually became seven in eight. There was constant…

This is part of the Messy Middle Archetype™ Series: six pieces, each with a companion podcast episode, one for each of the six Messy Middle Archetypes™. You don’t need to see yourself in all of them. Think of each one as an invitation to name the season you might be in, not to define you, but to reflect you. We’re starting with a season I know well: the Juggler. I had just stepped into a big role with a brand I loved. At the same time, I was a new mom. I was learning a new organization,…

I’m a human being, and yet I know many times I showed up as a human doing, and still do sometimes.Doing mode prevents us from being able to focus on the most important things because we are too busy scoring points checking the little things off the list. They may add up and give us a false sense of accomplishment but we fail to prioritize what really needs our attention. We also miss a lot. Doing mode keeps us from being in the moment and sends us on a beeline for THE solution before we’ve…

If things are feeling messy and you are wondering how you will survive this season, I have an invitation for you. I know we don’t always want to resurface our past messy moments, but they actually are incredibly instructive when we face a new one. I know this from personal experience. 1. Promoted into a role from the inside, where jealousy surfaced along with the challenge of leading those who once were my direct peers. Learning: Don’t diminish myself due to others’ discomfort. 2. Hired to…

“…the longing for awe as a path for self-growth and transformation is universal, a shared need to connect with the mystery of who we are.” — Marcelo Gleiser, The Dawn of a Mindful Universe This is benefit of Choosing Awe when smack dab in the middle of a messy season. When we choose awe we embrace the tension between exhilaration and fear. Often these are messy seasons that ask new things of us. They invite us to look at things we’ve perhaps shoved under the rug and out of view. They also…