Jessica's Friday Five

Hi Reader, Over here, this "Maycember" season is kicking my butt. If you've got friends with kids in school who aren't being responsive to your outreach, it's probably because they are overwhelmed with way too many events and requests coming their way as the school year and sports seasons end. I shared on LinkedIn one thing I'm trying to help make Maycember a little less intense next year. Hang in there if you're in it with me. Rainbow Walk: I'm in a coaching program with the incomparable...

Hi Reader, Some of you might remember me mentioning a few weeks ago that we had a hive of bees set up in the wall of our home while we were out of town. We've been working with a local beekeeper to move the bees safely, and we had to cut a large hole in our wall to pull out what turned out to be a huge honeycomb (picture a 5-gallon bucket full of honeycomb). The bees and their queen are safely in a new space, and the keeper left us with some (hyper-local at an entirely new level) honey made...

Hi Reader, This week, we put up a Little Free Library in our neighborhood. It ended up being an even more fun and rewarding project than I expected, and now I love peeking at it every day to see which books have been dropped off or picked up by our neighbors. What a fun tiny little hobby. Last week, one of you (hi, Nikki!) rightfully called me out for mentioning in last week's Friday Five that we are caring for foster kittens and neglecting to share pictures of them. My bad! Scroll down for a...

Hi Reader, We came home from a week away to a swarm of bees 🐝 having set up in the wall of our home. The first clue was about a dozen dead bees in our bathroom (we've never before seen a bee in our house, so this was...unusual). So we've learned a lot about bees this week and are grateful to the local beekeper who is helping us move the bees to a place where they will thrive that is not inside our house. We also welcomed 4 foster kittens 🐈 and their mom into our house for the next month or so...

Hi Reader, Guess what, Friday Fivers? We surpassed 13,000 subscribers to this email newsletter earlier this week. We have now got ourselves a little tradition, and when we reach a new milestone like this, each of you can enter a little raffle to win a book (you can watch me pick the winners back in March, the last time we did this). If you'd like to join, scroll to the bottom, and I'll pick 3 of you using a random wheel of names. I'll send the 3 winners each a book of your choice from a local...

Hi Reader, Spring has officially arrived here in my corner of the world, and I've been enjoying the longer daylight hours and less need for the space heater under my desk. The weekend before last, we planted some seeds in little pots in our kitchen - a small but meaningful connection to growth and the season. Let's get to your Monthly Management Memo - as always with something bold, something new, something borrowed, and something to pursue. 🔥Something Bold - Be Careful Where You Ask Staff to...

Hi Reader, This week, we celebrated my youngest's 9th birthday - the highlight for him was the lucky coincidence that his basketball league had a trip to the Warriors vs. Spurs that night, and he got to be on the court before the game started. One of the Spurs players (Stephon Castle) even passed him a ball - I have a feeling it's a night he will always remember. Let's get to your Friday Five, shall we? iPhone Alarm Setting: If you use an iPhone as a wake-up alarm, you might want to check the...

Hi Reader, The news continues to be distressing with frequency these days, but good things are happening, and making time to celebrate those bright spots matters so that we can create more of them. This word from Luvvie has me reflect on where I can be more public in my backup of those standing up for what's right. Let's get into this week's Friday Five: Join Me Next Week: One of my most popular workshops for client companies and nonprofits is "How to Plan Your Week (and then Adjust When...

Hi Reader, I'm writing this earlier in the week than normal because, as you're receiving this, my family and I are in DC housesitting for some cute pups and one cat (I always love Trusted Housesitter + credit card points for making trips like this possible). If you're in the US like me (and especially if you do not consider yourself an activist), I encourage you to watch this video with some excellent advice. Let's get to your Friday Five! Print this for April Fool's. If you want to have a...