I just sent my little ones off to college this past month. As I looked around the table at my graduating seniors of my non-profit, Alumni360, these seven young women (who started with me as kindergartners) were about to embark on a journey like no other; the undergraduate experience. While...
Births. Weddings. Funerals. These are the events that force us to stop, reflect and evaluate exactly what we are doing with our lives. Sadly, I had a funeral of a dear colleague I attended at the end of June. I saw her on the last day of school two weeks...
I should have been happy to see this but just I sighed. I sighed because in 2017, I did a TEDx Talk on why our students need creative and financial literacy to increase their success as productive human beings. *crickets* I sighed because in 2006, Sir Ken Robinson challenged America with the...
You are creative but here’s why you think you’re not. I am so passionate about this issue that I just quit my job to take on this quest. The terms ‘creative and ‘creativity have been hijacked. And I’m here to say we are taking it back. It has been misaligned and there...
When we think of someone who is lazy, an image of a person slouching on the couch at noon, eating cereal comes to mind. That’s an easy call. But lazy comes in many different forms. No matter how it looks, after reading this proverb, I discovered there is a...
GoFundMe Link If you've ever said, "I wish I had this information when I was younger," then you know how importance this project will be. Here's my story... I found myself, as a 30 year old, weeping on the carpet. In one hand I held a $60,000 student loan bill and...
“A thorn of experience is worth a wilderness of wisdom.’ This quote came rushing to me when I realized I have experienced yet another painful lesson in my financial journey that got my attention faster than all the books I read on the topic. If you’re a teacher who is investing,...
The knees quiver. The heart quickly beats. The hands palpitate. All of those symptoms can arise when you're about to ask. Whether it's approaching that beautiful girl for a first date, petitioning your boss for a raise or, in this case, requesting funds on behalf of thousands of teachers,...
“I acknowledge my white privilege,” said Sarah Chadwick, a Florida Parkland student. Sarah and her Parkland peers were meeting with the Peace Warriors, a Chicago based student group that teaches students how to resolve conflicts peacefully. The Peace Warriors have been working on eradicating gun violence in their Chicago community...
“Teaching is like being stuck in a bad marriage. You’re only in it because of the kids.” The first time I heard this quote, I chuckled. It was funny (though there’s nothing inherently funny about being trapped in a failing marriage or comparing the profession of education to it). But still,...
As we celebrate International Women’s Day, I want to share this experience of how the arts can change your perspective on the way you see yourself and your position in life. As women, we often struggle with seeing ourselves as worthy, as beautiful, as competent and strong. Especially when...
Dear Genein, You’re 18 and I am now 38. I don’t know if I should be writing you… my younger self. I’ve watched Back To The Future many times and I know what happens when you contact the ‘younger’ you. It never ends well. Nevertheless, I’ll take that risk if...
Time is money - well at least it is in Justine Timberlake's world in the movie, 'IN TIME'. In the film, Will Salas (Timberlake) is a poor man who rarely has more than a day's worth of life on his time clock but the wealthy had the resources to...
This is the number every household should know. Ours was -$50,000! Trust me. Watch the video, learn from our mistake and start your journey of getting your financial life on track. In debt? Stuck? Looking for financial coaching? Start here!