Tag Archives: example

What “Father” Means To Me

As a little girl one of my earliest memories of my Dad was how he’d tuck me in bed at night and I’d make him check inside my closet to ensure there weren’t any monsters there. Once Dad had performed his safety check I would know it was safe to go to sleep.  My Dad […]

Bad Things Happen To Good People

“That moment when you pour a bowl of cereal and realize there’s no milk so you sit there wondering why bad things happen to good people.” (tee hee) It’s so easy in life to think that because you are trying to live your life right and do good things that therefore nothing bad should happen […]

When You Lie Down With Dogs You Get Fleas

Throughout my career I have encountered many people in the business world:  Some are honest and good, and some are not.  The most important thing to recognize is this – when someone shows you who they are through their actions and their behavior – BELIEVE THEM!  If someone has shown a track record of honesty […]

Stop Defending And Start Listening

In yesterday’s blog I shared points from a Forbes article I’d written years ago on the importance of giving people honest feedback. Today I thought it would be good to share points from a follow-on article I’d written for Forbes on the importance of receiving feedback (The article was titled, If You Want To Improve, […]

Speak The Truth

Years ago I wrote an article for Forbes called Speak The Truth Even If Your Voice Shakes which talked about the importance of giving people honest feedback in a respectful way, even at times it feels uncomfortable or  intimidating to do so.  In the article I shared seven lessons I’d learned about giving feedback and […]

Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

I’ve spent my day sick and unable to get anything done, which is a real bummer considering I just got back from being gone ten days and then immediately went up to Logan to speak at the University so today was supposed to be my first day of catch up, but that’s clearly going to […]

To Fathers, Grandfathers, And All Those Men Who’ve Influenced Our Lives For The Better

This Sunday is Father’s Day and the subject of fathers is one that is incredibly near and dear to my heart today for several reasons.  One of those reasons is that my father-in-law is struggling still. He had his surgery last week but the nerve and muscle pain down his leg still hasn’t let up […]

I Wish I Spoke Spanish And So Did The People Trying To Translate My Speech

Today was an amazing experience for me. I was in the Dominican Republic to speak at the Convergencias Business Ethics & Integrity conference which brought together leaders from Government, Business, Media and Academia sectors from multiple countries in the region. The opening talk of the day was given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson on his time serving as […]

There Is No Such Thing As Just A Mom

Whenever someone asks a woman what she does and she replies, “I’m just a Mom” I want to yell out – “There is no such thing as JUST a Mom!” When I look back at my life there is nothing I have experienced that is more challenging nor rewarding than that of being a Mother. […]

May Your Future Be Worthy Of Your Dreams

Barbara Bush, who passed away recently, was an incredible woman and one who set a wonderful example of class and elegance. She was an amazing lady. Attending commencement ceremonies for my daughter-in-law’s graduation last week reminded me of a fantastic commencement speech that Barbara Bush gave back in 1990 at Wellesley College. It was such […]

Try Writing Your Own Eulogy

A eulogy is those words that will be spoken at your funeral someday reflecting back on the person you were, the things you accomplished, the things you did for others, and the example your life set and the legacy it has left behind. Have you ever sat and thought about writing your own eulogy?  Taking a […]

It’s the things that take the most effort in life that end up meaning the very most

22 years ago today, February 5th , my baby girl Ashley was born. Ashley was as beautiful as any baby could be. You see, most babies come out with their heads looking a bit odd shaped and their faces a little swollen, but not Ashley. That’s because while I was in labor giving birth to her, […]

Bitter or Better – It’s A Choice

Liz Murray grew up with parents who were both cocaine addicts. Her family ran out of food a few days into each month because her parents spent their welfare checks on feeding their drug addiction instead of feeding her and her sister.  So as young girls she and her sister would go from door to […]

When Good People With Incredible Talent Come Together

If you haven’t heard of The Piano Guys before then let me just tell you that you are seriously missing out.  These guys are a perfect example of what happens when good people with incredible talent come together…they create something truly magnificent, not to mention inspiring. Each of their talents are unique, and each one […]

An inspiring message on the importance of empathy from Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft

Friday evening it was my honor to be able to meet Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. He had come to Utah to be the keynote speaker for the UTC Hall of Fame that I was being inducted into and I had the privilege of getting to meet and talk with him before the event. Here’s a […]

Making Your Day Proactive Rather Than Reactive

I grew up with a father who would start every day with a 3×5 index card in his shirt pocket that held a list of everything he planned to get done that day, and throughout his day he would cross off each item from that 3×5 card as he completed it.  My Dad was absolutely […]

The Power Of Encouragement

“Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” –William Arthur Ward Today I was reminded of the powerful impact my mentors have had on me. I have had the privilege of […]

Living a life of fulfillment

Today I was honored to introduce one of my personal heroes, Alan Hall, for a speech he gave at Utah Valley University’s Executive Lecture Series. Alan Hall is someone I have had the honor of knowing for many years and he has been a significant influence in my life and is an incredible example to […]

Step Back And Give Things A Once Over

When is the last time you stepped back from your life and gave it a once over? Let me give an example that will illustrate what I mean: Several years ago an organization created a logo and a website that perfectly fit their needs for targeting the market they were focused on and using messaging […]

A Perfect Example Of One’s Ability To Change The World

Today I was privileged to attend the dedication of the Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Primary Children’s and Families’ Cancer Research Center, HCI’s newest 225,000 sq ft world-class facility that doubles their current research capacity dedicated to advancing research in cancer. As explained in today’s press release regarding the new expansion, “Research enhancements include a biotechnology center, complete […]

How To Achieve More Than The American Dream (Forbes Article)

“The essence of America – that which really unites us – is not ethnicity, or nationality, or religion – it is an idea – and what an idea it is: That you can come from humble circumstances and do great things.” – Condoleeza Rice The American Dream Awards is an event put on by the […]

See It Through

Over the years there have been many times I have been faced with situations where I needed to stand up for what was right. And many times I have had to be willing to stand up alone, which is never fun to do. It can feel daunting and even lonely to stand for what’s right […]

Wisdom from a 94 year old WWII Veteran

Over the weekend my family and I traveled down to Moab, Utah to spend a little time together. We also went to go and visit my Great Uncle Mel Dalton (he is my Grandmother’s brother). My Great Uncle Mel is 94 years old and he has lived an incredible life. Over the last year I’ve […]

What one successful entrepreneur said was the most important advice he could give me as I began my entrepreneurial journey

Yesterday afternoon someone I love dearly passed away.  He was Marion D. Woods to others, but he was Uncle Buzz to me and Buzz Woods to his good friends. He had been fighting cancer but unfortunately his body wasn’t able to fight it any longer and he passed away surrounded by his wife and children. […]

Sharing a little about one of my Heroes

21 years ago today I gave birth to the most amazing little girl in the world. Ashley made her entrance in the world in the same epic fashion as she has done everything else since she was born – she came out bottom first! That made for an amazingly difficult labor and delivery for me, […]

It is better to give

Throughout this month I will try to share some of my favorite Christmas stories and poems that inspire me.  This story below is one I heard when I was growing up and I still remember the way it struck me as I heard it. It has a great message that inspires you to want to […]

True Wealth Lies In The Good You Do – Meet The Wealthiest Man In The World

As an Angel Investor and a Mentor I spend much of my day helping entrepreneurs in their pursuit of wealth by helping them to grow their companies. But today I was reminded of exactly what true wealth looks like. For more than 25 years he has been buying Christmas presents for children he may never […]

A Gift of 86,400 Seconds Today. Have you used one to say Thank You?

“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today.  Have you used one to say ‘thank you?’”  ~William A. Ward There are many ways to say “thank you” to others. One of those ways is to give people compliments. Someone once told me that holding in a compliment that someone else deserves is like buying […]

What would you do?

Here is an interesting story I came across: A letter was found in a baking powder can wired to the handle of an old pump that offered the only hope of drinking water in a very long, seldom-used trail across the Armagosa Desert. The letter read: “This pump was all right as of June 1932. […]

A Great Way To Teach Life Lessons

As a kid I used to get so excited when my Grandparents would come to visit. They lived in another state from us so it wasn’t that often that they came out to see us. My Grandpa would go on walks with me on the trails in the woods and I loved walking with him […]