Feedback is the breakfast of champions.  –Ken Blanchard Today I spoke on a panel at the Society For Human Resource Management Conference (SHRM) on what a CEO wants from their HR team.  We talked a lot about how an HR team needs to be more than just the group cutting payroll checks and enforcing compliance …

“Haters don’t really hate you. In fact, they hate themselves because you’re a reflection of what they wish to be.” – unknown Today was World Day for Bullying Prevention, so it seems appropriate to share some past thoughts I’ve shared about bullying: Haters, bullies, mean people – they all suffer from one of the following: …

Last week I flew to Washington DC to meet with Charles Koch.  My husband and I have been blessed to get to know Charles and Liz Koch over the last several years and they are an inspiration to us because Charles and Liz spend their time finding ways to help others to excel and they’ve …

It’s time for a semi-annual REFRESH!  That’s right…every six months an entire weekend is dedicated to refreshing, renewing, and re-centering your spirit!  It’s the BEST!  This semi-annual conference is a live broadcast that streams over the internet over a weekend every October and again every April, and this weekend is the October conference! I’M SO …

One of the easiest ways to get incredibly smart really fast is this – seek out people that are experts on a subject and ask them to explain what they know to you – if they start explaining it in really big words and technical terms stop them and ask, “Can you do me a …

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Einstein If you don’t like the way something is going in your life you can’t sit back and expect someone else to fix it for you. You’ve got to be willing to fix it yourself. For example: If you don’t like …

Today I went and spoke at the Intro to Entrepreneurship class at Brigham Young University.  Speaking to the students is one of my very favorite things to do because I look out into the crowd of young faces and I see so much about them that they haven’t even begun to recognize yet.  I’ve sat …

I’d packed and unpacked my suitcases so many times this last year that I wouldn’t even finish unpacking for one trip before I began packing again for the next one. Then I finally got around to unpacking them after my last trip but I left my suitcases sitting open on my bedroom floor because I …

I sat staring at the computer screen.  It was an empty page to begin typing todays blog onscreen and I sat watching the curser blinking at me.  I thought to myself “What can I write about today?”…several more minutes went by as I just staring at the screen….that’s when I realized “I got nothin’”…My mind …

I spend a tremendous of my time helping with charitable causes with missions I believe in.  And given that I get approached by countless charitable organizations wanting donations I’ve learned a thing about what they do to solicit donations that works and what doesn’t work . In the spirit of helping charitable organizations in their …

Yesterday was the official start to FALL!  I personally like to say Autumn rather than Fall because it just sounds so much prettier to say…and pretty is exactly how I’d describe Autumn.  There is very little that compares in beauty to seeing a full array of fall colored leaves on the mountainside – it’s truly …

Tonight I hosted the female students that are in my Amy Rees Anderson Academic Entrepreneurs program at The Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University in my home for a dinner and some girl chat. I also invited two of my female friends from the business community to join me and the students …

Last Friday night I was invited by my dear friend, retired US Senator Orrin Hatch, to hear Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch speak at BYU at an event being put on by the Hatch Foundation.    Introducing Justice Gorsuch was President Dallin H. Oaks (the First Counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of …

“Time heals almost everything, give it time.”  -Unknown  “How are you doing?” I asked.  My friend proceeded to tell me of the tremendous hardships she’s going through this week and then concluded by saying “Sorry you asked I bet.”  I wasn’t at all sorry I asked – I was grateful she trusted me enough to …

Tonight my husband and I were able to go to an event to hear Dr. John Gottman & Julie Gottman, renowned relationship and marriage experts and founders of the Gottman Institute, speak. I first heard about the Gottmans when a couple we are friends with went to a two day marriage retreat in Seattle. They …

“There is no passion to be found in living a life that is less than you are capable of living.”  -Nelson Mandela Today I had the opportunity to speak on a panel to a group of women at Utah Valley University. The students submitted great questions for the panelists on things such as overcoming obstacles, …

“If you suffer from worry, from grief or shame, from jealousy, disappointment, or envy, I have something to tell you. Somewhere near your home there is a vacant corner lot. Although adjoining yards may be well tended, a vacant corner lot somehow is always full of weeds. There is a footpath across it, a bicycle …

Last Friday I was humbled to receive the Leadership in Business Award from the YWCA for my business accomplishments and the work I do championing women and girls through my foundation (the IPOP Foundation).  They put on a beautiful event of around 1,200 attendees Friday and I told them it was the sweetest way to …

Tonight I came home to find my children had come together to write a blog post for my birthday present – best birthday present in the world! Here it is: To the Woman who Does it All, Happy Birthday! Often our mom dedicates a special blog to each of us on our birthdays, and we …

Remember when you were a kid and you thought being an adult would be fun?  HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA LOL That quote literally made me laugh out loud when I read it because it’s so hysterically yet painfully true!  As little kids we couldn’t wait to grow up…to be old enough to “do whatever we want”, and stay …

I’ve been drowning in tax return prep today so it was a huge relief when my thoughtful daughter-in-law Alexis emailed me tonight to share a story she’d wrote today that could be used in a blog post. The story is an awesome example of how good customer service pays off – It makes a person …

As I shared in yesterdays blog, last week was nuts for me with my big University board conference I was in charge of.  By the time the weekend came I was completely exhausted but was feeling super relieved that the conference was done and I’d get to focus on catching up on all the other …

Last week was crazy for me – during the week I had dinner with Utah Governor Gary Herbert, the First Lady, Governor Scott Walker (Wisconsin), and a few other business leaders at the Governor’s mansion to discuss the importance the States need to play in driving Washington to balance the federal budget.  After the dinner …

Trying to put my skinny jeans on again after a summer of going on trips and constantly eating out is a painful experience!  Both physically and emotionally.  “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels”, at least that’s what Oprah Winfrey says. Clearly she’s never eaten my famous Lake Powell Trail Mix full of M&M’s and …

I believe strongly in the importance of paying attention to details because I know that the details can make the difference between something being okay and something being AWESOME. And I always prefer AWESOME! I once shared a story about an experience that happened when my daughter was 14 years old that shows how the …

“Giving is not just about making a donation. It is about making a difference.” – Kathy Calvin There are so many great causes that are in need of help these days that it can be difficult to narrow them down in order to pick the ones where you feel the best about helping.  And the …

“Sometimes you need to step outside, get some air, and remind yourself of who you are and who you want to be.”   -Unknown That’s why I love holidays so much! They give you the chance to disengage from normal life for a day, step outside, get some air, and remember what you are like when …

It was 12 years ago today…my friend Steve and I pulled into the parking lot of a shopping complex to meet up with two guys driving down in a second car that were going to follow our car down to Lake Powell for a houseboat trip.  When the other car pulled in an the man …

What a whirlwind of day today was!  My day began at a board meeting with the amazing Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne for her Amar Foundation www.amarfoundation.org which is an award winning charity that works in the Middle East helping improve the lives and livelihoods of some of the world’s poorest and most disadvantaged people. …

Back in my twenties I was invited on a trip with a group of people that didn’t know each other.  When the group arrived, one of the young men in the group started sharing his thoughts on a controversial political subject, speaking in a manner that assumed everyone else in the group shared his same …