Jessica's Friday Five

Hi Reader, This weekend, I'll get to see my daughter perform in her first middle school concert band performance before we get on the road and head to an annual camping trip we love to do with friends every fall. I hope you have something fun planned for the weekend, and if not, this video will probably bring a smile to your face. Let's get to your Friday Five! Appreciation activity: This simple activity can boost morale at your next team meeting—you can even do this at an upcoming gathering...

Hi Reader, With a ton of really devastating news across the world this week, I do hope that, if you are celebrating Halloween today, you take some comfort in the small joys that sustain us through hard times. Keep an eye out for a cute costumed kid or savor some of your favorite candy, and then check in on someone you love to see how they're doing today. Let's get to your Friday Five! Post-Halloween treat: We made these last year - total hit. Halloween candy cookies. Yes, ridiculous. I don't...

Hi Reader, This week, I finished a book that felt really comforting and lovely. If you think you need a read like that for this moment in time, try The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams. I'm so glad my book club chose it for this month—it's the first time I can remember we all unanimously loved a book. This weekend, we are bringing our community together for some pumpkin carving and a baked potato bar with all the toppings, and I'm hoping to finish my stack of letters to California voters...

Hi Reader, This week has felt like a rollercoaster for me - despair and disbelief about families being terrorized in their communities, hope in how communities are stepping up for each other, more hope that even America's most conservative-leaning and liberal-leaning news outlets are coming together to stand up against free speech violations, moments feeling proud about projects I'm working on in community like a Black History Month Oratorical, anger about a disfunctional Congress in my...

Hi Reader, I've been away from home for the last few weeks for family and work travel - it's been a delightful couple of weeks, and I'm always delighted to return home and get back into my routines. We got to visit this spot that I loved, and I'll never forget how much fun it was to watch my Swiftie daughter enjoy the new album release from Taylor (I took this picture to show my daughter while I was waiting for an elevator). Let's get to your Friday Five! Ask this at dinner: This week, I had...

Hi Reader, I'm writing this issue quite a while before it's landing in your inbox, as I've been out of the office this week, spending time with extended family while my children are out of school for fall break. Hopefully I've been successful in staying unplugged by deleting my email and other work-related apps so that I can get some real mental rest and come back rejuvenated. Let's get to the Friday Five! Simplify with a Single Sock Type: If you love having tons of different types of fun...

Hi Reader, In this month’s issue, consider taking just one idea that might be helpful in your leadership and finding a tiny action you can take to move it forward (send a note to a colleague, add something to a team meeting agenda, etc.). If there are more ideas you want to come back to, hit the Snooze button in Gmail or Outlook and let this email come back to the top of your inbox in a month or so, and consider the next thing. Let’s get to your Monthly Management Memo - as always with...

Hi Reader, Earlier this week, I was woken in the middle of the night by my earthquake early-warning app. If you're in California, Oregon, or Washington, MyShake is a helpful app that gives you a few seconds of notice before shaking begins, allowing you to take protective action for earthquakes of 4.5+ in magnitude (or, perhaps, maybe it just gets your adrenaline flowing sooner to help you react more quickly). Luckily, this one didn't cause much damage, but it was quite the jolt for my friends...

Hi Reader, I know we might have been saying this for the last 5 years, but the world is a stressful place these days. But also, people are doing good things every single day in every single community to make things better for each other. I mean, check this out (and be sure to stay until past the 30-second mark). And this. And this. What's the next small, good thing you could do? The opposite of hopelessness isn't hope - it's the choice to take action. Action creates hope. Which means hope is...