OUR TEAM

What’s your favorite thing about the work you do?

Well, I get to work with incredibly intelligent and successful people who want to move forward in a powerful way. That’s as good as it gets. I can’t even call it work.

You’re the creative visionary behind these programs.  What inspired you to create them?

Actually, my own transition out of Big Law was the inspiration. It was a lot harder than I anticipated. Losing my identity and structure all at once left me feeling rudderless for a while. The inspiration for these programs grew out of some of the personal work I did to reinvent myself and my life—and the idea that we could accelerate and ease the process of transition through focus, intention, and planning.

If you could sum up your work in one sentence, what would it be?

“You can’t see the picture when you’re in the picture.”  We just help people get out of their own pictures. Then they see themselves and what they want so much more clearly.

As a lawyer yourself, you can certainly put yourself in the shoes of many of your participants.  How does that experience inform your work?

For most lawyers, myself included, competence and responsibility are strong values, so the status quo can feel comfortable. Transitions, by their very nature, force people out of their comfort zones. That can create real insecurity around meeting our own and other people’s expectations. For this reason, moving into the next thing without a vision and a plan can be pretty unsettling. So our work is about finding clarity and maintaining purposeful action throughout change, so that confident and rapid forward progress is possible.

What’s one of the big “takeaways” of working with people in transition?

Great question. Transition is a journey of sorts, and just like all journeys, there’s where you are now and there’s where you want to go. If you don’t know where you want to go, how do you take the first step? Unless you want to leave your destination to utter chance, the safer thing to do is to stand still. So we’ve learned that defining an appealing set of objectives is the key to moving forward. We all thrive when we are moving in our chosen direction toward something we find exciting.

You work with people on an individual basis for two days. What happens in the room?

Stories, stories, stories.  We ask questions, listen to people’s stories, and synthesize what we hear into what’s important. Then we organize everything to lay the foundation for really powerful creative thinking and planning.

Do you work with lawyers only, or is anyone fair game?

We work with lawyers a lot—and of course I can relate to their experience of being in an intense, demanding and high stakes career. But we’ve worked with lots of other industries—private equity, doctors, executives, accountants—among others. So, yes—anyone is fair game.

What’s your favorite thing you hear from the people who come through your program?

Well, I love hearing about all of the cool things they’re doing over time, of course, but my favorite thing is hearing them say “that was fun!” I don’t think people necessarily expect to laugh as much as we do in our sessions.

How do you stay grounded and energized so your life reflects your work?

Easy—my family. I have the incredible privilege of working with my husband, David, who is also truly my best friend.  And we have four amazing kids who keep us inspired and on purpose in our own lives. I appreciate every day for what it has to offer, but I get a kick out of imagining how life can get even better.

I notice you speak with an accent. Where does it come from?

I was born and raised in southern Africa. So that’s the accent.

You refer to yourself as a “global citizen.” What do you mean by that?

Well, I was born in Zimbabwe, spent my school years in South Africa, and worked in France after graduating high school. Then I graduated from college in the United States, and spent the first five years of my professional life in Japan. I suppose what I mean by being a “global citizen” is feeling at home wherever I am.

So you must speak more than one language?

Yes, I’m fluent in four, and I can get into trouble in a couple of others.

You’re the non-lawyer on the team. How does that play into the mix?

Whether we are working with a lawyer or another professional, I come at this work from a completely different perspective. My experiences are all in business and real estate, and I’ve lived in multiple cultures throughout my life. This is usually pretty different from everyone else in the room. That creates lots of fresh ideas and new ways of looking at things—not to mention some pretty colorful stories.

Let’s focus on your business experience. How does that help?

My forte has always been managing projects from inception to realization. That involves not just the strategic vision, but also planning, execution, and tactics. I’m usually the one driving results, so those skills really help when we get into the practical aspects of creating structured action.

What’s it like partnering with Elizabeth in these sessions, given that she’s also your wife?

That’s actually one of the most enjoyable aspects of this work. I have a deep respect for Elizabeth and her abilities. So it helps our work—we’re pure professionals in the room, but our deep relationship creates a powerful synergy.  We have great chemistry, and our participants tell us that all the time.

What’s your favorite thing about the work you do?

It has to be meeting the caliber of people that I do. The people who come through our programs are just as impressive as the firms they work for. Without exception, every one of our participants is highly accomplished—not just professionally but also personally.  They’re humble, curious, and striving to excel at whatever comes next. It’s pretty inspiring stuff.