I hate to sound old, but back in my day, we didn’t go back to school until after Labor Day. 😂

And speaking of old, this month was a milestone birthday for me. This is the month I became eligible for Medicare! Yikes!  😱

The last time a birthday affected me like this I was 30! Can you imagine?

The best is yet to come and in some ways, I feel like I’m just getting started. Next month I’ll be taking a bucket list trip for my birthday, and I plan to take you along with me (in photos that is 😉).

Can you guess where I’m going?

Reply to this email and tell me your guess. There may be a prize in it for you if you guess correctly.

For now, here are some things I want to share with you that I’ve been enjoying in August. Let me know what you think.

Watching...

Pee Wee as Himself – HBO Max

Back in 1986, when I first became a mother, Pee Wee’s Playhouse debuted on TV. It was a funny, quirky kids show and I have the distinct memory of one of the characters (Cowboy Curtis) being played by Laurence Fishburne. Back then he was billed as Larry (lol). The first time I saw Laurence Fishburne as a serious actor, my first thought was “Isn’t that Cowboy Curtis from Pee Wee’s Playhouse?” 😂

Paul Reubens, the man behind the character of Pee Wee Herman, lived as his alter-ego, Pee Wee, in public. No one really knew the man behind the character. Until, one day he was arrested for lewd behavior in a movie theater and was disgraced. His career never really recovered from that incident.

The actor died a couple of years ago from lung cancer, but not before filming this documentary so that people would know the real him. There’s so much rich information in this documentary about how he got started (performance art), how he got famous (Pee Wee’s Big Adventure Movie), who were his colleagues in the early days (he best friend was Phil Hartman before SNL fame) how Pee Wee was created, and who he really is…. a fact he kept hidden from the public up until his death.

I find all of this fascinating and my heart goes out to those who don’t feel safe sharing who they really are in life.

It is now streaming on HBO Max.

Listening... 

Mel Robbins Podcast 

with Will Packer

Whenever I need some motivation and uplifting, my go-to is the Mel Robbins podcast. Recently I listened to her episode with the award-winning movie producer, Will Packer, called How to stop doubting yourself. In the episode, Will talks about his book “Who Better Than You”, which I just downloaded to read.

Great personal development nuggets in this episode and it was instrumental in me getting my grove back after traveling for the entire month of July. One of my favorite quotes from Will… “If you want to have what others don’t, you’ve got to be willing to do what others won’t.” 

I’ll be reading the book soon and sharing more nuggets. In the meantime, have a listen. 

Here’s the Spotify link.

Writing...

Latest from my blog

“There Are People Attached to Those Teeth” — What Dentistry Taught Me About Leadership

The hidden cost of performance without presence

Leadership is about how we connect with, lead, and inspire others. At least, that’s what I think are some critical elements of leadership.

I was recently remembering a story from my time as a dental hygienist when my boss said something powerful to me that changed how I showed up in every area of my life.

I shared this story on LinkedIn.

Ok, don’t forget to reply to let me know your guess for my bucket list birthday trip. I promise to send you something if you guess correctly.

Enjoy the end of summer!

All the best,