Meaningful: Waxing
Yesterday, I had Mr. Miyagi in my head as I was helping my husband wax his truck. "Wax on" Miyagi tells Daniel-san in The Karate Kid guiding one hand in one direction. "Wax off," he says, guiding it with the other. It’s one of my favorite scenes... not for that moment, but for what it foreshadows. Daniel’s frustrated, convinced he’s just doing chores. But later, he realizes those motions have built the muscle memory he’ll rely on in the ring. Moves he didn’t even know he was mastering. That phrase - wax on, wax off - has been lodged in my brain ever since. It reminds me that some of the most powerful lessons don’t reveal themselves until after the fact. This year’s been one of those moments for me. A few years ago, I started writing these emails because I couldn’t not write them. I was in the thick of my own mid-career reckoning... figuring out what mattered, what didn’t, what the next version of work might look like, what would make my second-half more meaningful. Since then, I've coached people who’ve outgrown their titles, their companies, or the stories they've told themselves about what’s possible. But recently, something else has become clear - even the smartest, most experienced professionals still struggle to say what they really mean. And it turns out, the frameworks I developed over two decades in creative direction and advertising? They weren’t just for campaigns. They were for this. For real conversations, real decisions, real clarity. Like Daniel, I didn’t realize those reps were building something deeper until a client asked me how I used to pitch ideas to CEOs and boards. I started explaining and thought, Oh… this is a thing. I know how to teach this. It was my own wax-on/wax-off moment. So this summer I’ve been finding new ways to share what I’ve learned not just through 1:1 coaching, but through new formats. And I’d love to invite you to one (or both!) of these upcoming sessions: Message Makeover Office Hours Own Your Message: How to Show Up with Clarity & Confidence If either one speaks to you, I’d love to see you there. And if you’re in a season where your work history feels like a mismatch for what’s next, take heart. You might be sitting on strengths you haven’t fully named yet. The things you’ve done over and over (maybe without even thinking about it) could be exactly what’s needed in the next version of your career. Sometimes we just need someone outside the jar to help read the label - to spot the throughline, the value, the pieces you can carry forward. That’s the kind of work I still love doing with mid-career professionals... helping you make sense of where you’ve been so you can step into what’s next with clarity and confidence. If that speaks to you, send me a note and we'll schedule a chat to explore options. Whatever path you take, trust the wax-on, wax-off of your own life. You know more than you think. You’re ready for more than you realize.
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