Lessons From My Father

I have never watched The Big Bang Theory. I know people who love it, and I see the cast at awards shows. When Young Sheldon was introduced as a prequel series, I thought I had no reason in the world to ever watch that show. And I didn’t for 6 years.

For some reason I watched Young Sheldon on Netflix and became hooked. All of the characters have their upside. The father especially strikes a chord with me.

Set in the late 80’s “George” is a high school football coach. He and my dad have nothing remotely in common: George didn’t graduate from college. My dad graduated from OSU in the 40’s, when college graduates were less common. George comes home from work, pops open a beer, sits down at the only TV, and that is it for the night. Except when he takes his seat at the local bar.

My dad was the opposite: never drank a beer or anything, never sat down until later in the evening when his “chores’ were done and he was done fixing something. Never left the house to go to a bar.

Yet there is something so “Herbie” about George.

Both were committed to their family. George tries to do and say the right thing for each of his children, even when he has no idea in the world what is the right thing to say. He tries and tries. The football coach has a child prodigy for a son. While he has no idea what to say or do with him, he keeps trying.

My dad didn’t have a child prodigy. I think having two girls when he was raised with brothers, we might as well have been from another planet. He kept trying.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I don’t have a musical bone in my body. I may have been the only cheerleader in history who had no sense of rhythm.

Yet when I heard and saw Humble G da Fiddla perform, I was enchanted. You can’t take your eyes off of him.



In a world where people name themselves Notorious, Ludicrous and Thee Stallion, Humble G stands out. Here is a sneak preview and a break for your day

"Eighty percent of success is showing up." - Woody Allen

1. In Person Versus Zoom



It pains me in some ways to quote Woody Allen. This decades old quote is even truer today than when he said it in 1977 because we have so many more options as to how we show up. Recently two Forum 360 guests on different shows chose to come in-person although zoom would have been more convenient for each.

Lesson Learned:  These two guests had not met prior to their chance studio encounter. When they met there was an immediate connection that would not have happened if they had chosen to show up on zoom. I don’t know what they will do together in the future but there will be something. What does showing up mean to you?

2. How You Show Up on Zoom

At the January Video & Vino one participant shared that she had been overlooked for promotions several times and didn’t know why. For over a decade she has worked remote, largely on zoom. She also shared that she usually wore T-shirts and sweatshirts during the “work day”.

Lesson Learned: One of the values of Video & Vino is that participants share and hear input from the other participants. We will name her Karen, said to the remote working participant in reference to her work/zoom attire, “that’s why you don’t get promoted”. Showing up is important. How do you show up on zoom?

3. Say YES to Opportunities

I attended an event where Humble G tha Fiddla performed. Although I own the fact that I don’t have a musical bone in my body, I could appreciate Humble’s energy and enthusiasm while playing the “fiddle” (which is a violin). I reached out and invited him to Forum 360.

Lesson Learned: To my surprise he immediately said yes. So immediate I needed to make immediate room for him. He said YES to this email request as has nationally known journalist Mark Halperin, “Go the F*** to Sleep author Adam Mansbach, and Netflix director and writer Daniel Cohen. What opportunity can you say YES to?

Dogs can be humbling.

As a Communication Coach I preach “control the 3 things you control” in communication and in life. We all tend to focus on things we can’t control such as the weather and traffic. It is ourselves, our message and our environment to a degree that we have some ability to control over.

I take Tevi to Lowe’s twice a week to practice what we learned in class that week. PetSmart is way too much stimulation. Lowe’s is large enough there are some distractions that I have distance between me and the distraction.

Recently I thought I would take our skills to TJ Maxx. Still less canine distractions than PetSmart, but more of a test than Lowe’s. Tevi didn’t do well. As much as I want to blame him, I have to look at what I DID or DIDN’T do when the meltdown happened.

To feel a little better about my canine skills, I took Benji to TJ so I could have a success. When you look at an underperforming team member, where do you point the finger?

Video and Vino

March 7, 5pm - 7pm

We would be excited to have you join us at this unique session. Each participant will be taped, we will play it back, make suggestions, and tape you again. You will see immediate improvement!

You learn by doing and by observing others. Guess what? You have fun throughout the process!

• This session will prepare you to be ready for your time in the spotlight whether it is in person, on TV, a podcast, Tik-Tok, YouTube or Zoom.
• Leave with VINO and a gift bag!

HorseTalk: Lessons in Leadership

June 7, 9am - 4pm

Come and join us on Friday, June 7 for HorseTalk: Lessons in Leadership.

HorseTalk is a unique approach to learn about yourself and/or your team.  In fact you can learn more about yourself in one day than most people learn in a decade. This day incorporates one of life's natural leaders, the horse, along with a human coach to create a safe setting for exploration about your communication and leadership skills. The horses provide immediate feedback and insights, allowing you to learn quicker and move faster in your development process.

When: June 7 - 9:00 AM – 4 PM

Where: An Arabian Horse Farm in Richfield, Oh

Results: What you can get out of this full day:

• Heighten your awareness of leadership styles
• Learn to communicate "no" when you mean no & "yes" when you mean yes
• Uncover behaviors that negatively impact your forward trajectory
• Earn trust more quickly by aligning what you do & what you say
• Try new leadership methods in a safe environment

Cost: Can attend per person or your entire team Quoted upon request.

Click here for more details on HorseTalk: Lessons in Leadership

RSVP: To reserve your space at the stable, email at [email protected]

Ask me about my 10 in 10!