Yesterday a sea otter at the Portland Zoo brought me back to myself.

Today a podcast episode from my friends Angie Huber and Rebecca Rutherford on perfectionism helped explain why.

I am the only judge and jury of my career story. So are you.

Recently I met with a fellow professional woman over 40 who left her last job due to a #toxicwork situation and is now facing the challenge of finding a new fit that is better than the last.

Sometimes I feel like a loser in my #career. Do you ever feel this way? It can be paralyzing. Here is how I came to convince myself otherwise!

You are in the right place, you brave woman! Being in the workplace over 40 isn’t like starting off as a wide-eyed 22 year old. You have learned and seen things that may be hard to get past.

I want you to find career satisfaction, and so I’m going to do everything in my power to help you decide where that is!

#bullying. Does this word strike fear into your heart? Did you think it was restricted to 5th grade recess when your group of friends suddenly shunned you? 

It’s not. Bullying happens at work. It may go by different names, and likely the perpetrators are better dressed but I am here to tell you it’s real.

It’s Monday. You are looking down the long stretch of the week ahead with your stomach in knots. Your job is stressing you so much, you were awake half the night thinking about what to do. Stay? Leave?

It’s never an easy decision to know what to do about a distressing work environment.

Hiss! Spark! Crackle! Pop! The world above me bursts open into cascading wonder.

Those are the sights and sounds Americans are used to on the 4th of July.

Those also happen to be the sensations I wanted to evoke when I named my business “Fireworks Coaching.” I wanted to help people – especially women over 40 – feel energized, full of possibility and to get their spark back.

This image from a post in the Design Thinking group gave me the heebie-jeebies!

Who among us hasn't experienced one or more of these? And how many while at work- where we are all supposed to be on our best behavior?

Writers and coaches are often told the same thing: write (coach) what you know about.

I know about #toxicworkplaces. I also now know how to better identify when I'm in one. Like the frog in the boiling water story that doesn't realize how hot things are getting, I've spent far too much time paddling around without noticing.

I watch a lot of TV (you do too). But I often like the recaps even better (don't get me started on the comments!)

That was the case today when catching up with the Ted Lasso episode where one of the characters (Colin)comes out as gay to the team. One of the commenters said: "And I loved seeing Colin reborn in the second half as a full person who came to destroy the pitch."