The most important tool in your toolkit for being a Conscious Conversationalist is being a good listener.  Skilled listeners are able to listen deeply.  What is deep listening?  It’s simple: deep listeners make a conscious choice to open their ears and close their mouths. In order to listen deeply, we

Not too far from our office, a 400-year-old bonsai tree grows in the National Arboretum.  What’s remarkable about this tree is not its age, nor its beauty.  The most incredible thing about the tree is its legacy. Every day since 1625, someone has lovingly cared for this tree, watering and

Conscious leaders are good gardeners.  They understand that most people have an inherent desire to learn and grow.  When we invest in ourselves, we can help others find their hidden abilities.  When we are generous with our time, knowledge, and relationships, we can get at the heart of planting golden

We all have a yearning for belonging.  Being part of a community makes us feel good.  We are simply happier and more productive when we are part of a group.  But how does it feel to be “connected” to everyone and no one at the same time? Our digital world

We are in the midst of a civility crisis.  You don’t have to look far to see people being uncivil to each other.  From political leaders to parents at soccer games, people are constantly at war with each other, even if it is only a Twitter war! The only way

We live in an age of acceleration.  This puts pressure on all of us to step up, to raise the bar on ourselves and our institutions.  In this rapidly changing world, everyone is challenged to expand their minds, and organizations are pressured to improve their performance.  Complacency and chaos are

Since our world is moving so fast, we must activate and amplify our senses in order to keep pace. Not just our five senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, touching and tasting, but we also need to put our mental senses to work.  Our mental “sonar” of listening, intuiting, feeling, and experiencing

Conscious people bring their best selves to everything they do, and have the courage to challenge others to be good human beings – with their families, work teams, and communities. Living your purpose allows you to merge doing good with achieving your goals whether you are a teacher, a parent, a

 The Job of Hijackers  In a disruptive and accelerating world, we are all vulnerable to being hijacked. Just about anything can throw us off center – disruptions and distractions, wanting to escape and avoid reality, getting lost in our emotions or simply being blinded by misguided thoughts. Hijackers function a