CAREER ADVICE

“It’s lonely at the top.” I was reminded of just how true—and how heavy—that can feel in a conversation last week with a senior leader I’ve been coaching. Our work often centers around solving real, tangible challenges—decisions, team dynamics, competing priorities. But just as importantly, I serve as something else: a sounding board, a mirror, a thinking partner. A space where he doesn’t have to perform leadership—he can simply be . This time, he paused mid-conversation and

I almost didn’t go. It had been one of those days – back-to-back calls, brain slightly fried. Low energy. The couch was calling. It had just started raining outside. And the event felt optional…at best. I stood in front of my closet longer than necessary. Changed once. Changed again. Checked the time. Considered texting an excuse. You can skip it,  I told myself.  You’ve already been productive today.   No one will notice. And deep inside of me, a familiar debate was playing

You’re asked a simple question. “What do you do?”  “What have you been working on?”  “What are you proud of lately?” And suddenly… your brain short-circuits. You  know  you have words. You use them all the time. But in this moment? Gone. You start talking, then stop. You hear yourself saying “um” more than usual. You’re halfway through a sentence and already wondering how to soften the ending. Your mind is racing:  Don’t sound braggy. Don’t make it weird. Don’t take up too mu

A client recently said to me, “I don’t hate my job… I just don’t recognize myself in it anymore.” She paused after saying it, as if waiting to see whether that was a reasonable thing to feel. From the outside, her career looked solid. A respected role. A steady income. A trajectory that made sense to everyone around her. The kind of job people point to and say,  “You’re doing well.” And that’s part of what made it so confusing. Internally, she felt disconnected — like she was

We’re often told that confidence is the key to career success.  “Believe in yourself,”  they say.  “Fake it ’til you make it.” Confidence is celebrated in interviews, in performance reviews, in leadership programs. We admire people who speak effortlessly, present confidently, take up space, and appear self-assured. But here’s the inconvenient truth: Confidence alone rarely changes careers. Confidence is a feeling—fleeting, inconsistent, and heavily influenced by circumstances

Part 6 in my "Behind the Glamour" Series - Confessions of a Fashion Headhunter Let’s talk about something the fashion, luxury and lifestyle industries refuse to confront head-on:  Ageism. Behind the curated campaigns and DEI pledges, there’s a silent but devastating trend playing out in boardrooms and hiring pipelines—where  brilliant leaders over 50 (especially women)  are being quietly pushed out or passed over. It’s not subtle. It’s not rare. It’s a pattern. And it’s getti

Part 5 of my "Behind the Glamour" Series - Confessions of a Fashion Headhunter “They let me go in a 10-minute Zoom after 12 years.” I wish that quote was rare. It’s not. It’s one of many I’ve heard lately — and it says everything about where the fashion industry is right now. Behind the runway shows, glossy campaigns, and DE&I panels, there’s a workforce that’s disillusioned, burnt out, and quietly watching loyalty disappear.  One restructure at a time. One 10-minute Zoom at