Read about my Parenting Teens & Tweens with Positive Discipline workshop here!
Read my Fall 2023 newsletter here!
Read my May 2023 newsletter here!
Read about my Parenting Teens & Tweens with Positive Discipline workshop here!
Read my January 2023 newsletter here!
I didn’t I discover Positive Discipline until after my kids were already teens and tweens. I only wish I had learned about it sooner! Positive Discipline is the most helpful framework I’ve used to help guide my thinking about how I want to parent, how I want to talk to my kids, and prioritizing what matters most.
I will be facilitating Parenting Teens & Tweens with Positive Discipline beginning on Thursday, February 2nd, 7-:00-8:30pm over Zoom. if you join the group, you can expect to participate in highly interactive learning activities, to learn new tools for communication and connection, to practice new skills with your family, and to be supported by a generous community of other parents.
To learn more about the 5-week workshop series, click here for the FAQs or please make an appointment and let's talk. To sign up, just send me an email at whitney@whitneybmorris.com. You can also use the contact button on my website.
Read my August 2002 newsletter here!
My professional work and my parenting work came together in an exciting way this past spring when I offered a 6-week course, Parenting Teens & Tweens with Positive Discipline, for the first time. I was joined by eight brave and enthusiastic moms from the Bay Area, who quickly connected to share successes and struggles, and try new things.
Our weekly meeting was a place to get real about how HARD it is to parent teens and tweens. We explored how teenage brains work, how capable teens can be when we let them, how many mistakes they still make, and how to support their development as kind and independent adults. We had real conversations about how our teens naturally retreat from us, and how we can work on building and maintaining connections with them.
I didn’t I discover Positive Discipline until after my kids were already teens and tweens. I only wish I had learned about it sooner! Positive Discipline is the most helpful framework I’ve used to help guide my thinking about how I want to parent, how I want to talk to my kids, and prioritizing what matters most.
I will be facilitating Parenting Teens & Tweens with Positive Discipline one more time in 2022, beginning on October 13th. If you join the group, you can expect to participate in highly interactive learning activities, to learn new tools for communication and connection, to practice new skills with your family, and to be supported by a generous community of other parents.
To learn more about the 6-week workshop series I'm offering, or if you are just curious about Positive Discipline, please make an appointment and let's talk.The next session will begin on Thursday, October 13, 2022. Reach out to me to learn more or sign up.
I have an annual ritual at the new year that involves coffee, pastry, and reflection. I take myself to a cozy spot, usually a quiet cafe, sit down with pen and paper, and think back about what I learned and accomplished over the past year. I "book" a second meeting with myself a week or so later to reflect on and plan for the year ahead.
I've tried a variety of different prompts and formats to guide my reflections, but the one I come back to year after year is a simple set of questions shared with me by my friend and mentor, Gall Ginder of the Claros Group.
I continue to be amazed at the research about connections between human health and nature. This article reminds us that nature is good for our health in many ways and that even a small "dose" of nature, like walking under trees in an urban neighborhood, still has a meaningful impact. Get a full forest bath when you can, but a walk around the block and past the park is also good!
In the past year, I’ve been using Catchafire.org to connect with new pro bono clients from small nonprofits. Catchafire matches professionals who want to donate their time with nonprofit staff and leaders who need support in variety of areas including human resources, tech, marketing, development, leadership challenges, and board development. I’ve partnered with nonprofit leaders at organizations in Arizona, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. My clients have worked at a range of organizations from botanical gardens, to youth programs, and domestic violence prevention. I recently matched with a client in Marin County closer to home. If you are an experienced nonprofit leader with time to give or a smaller nonprofit looking for expert consulting and support, I encourage you to explore Catchafire!
Early in my career I worked in non-profit fundraising and I spent many, many hours compiling, formatting, and proofreading annual publications featuring long lists of donors. I always wondered if it was worth the time and effort. Does anyone give more or improve their opinion of an organization when they read their name on a published list? This article suggests not. I’m sold. Let’s ditch the donor lists!
During my career, I’ve trained many, many people on giving good feedback in the workplace. This NPR story (you can listen or read a transcript) provides clear steps, and some helpful metaphors to help you give productive feedback. Here are three highlights: 1. Reflect on your own potential biases before you begin. 2. Ask for consent; get a “micro” yes as you open. 3. Describe the actions or incident you are referencing very clearly and specifically. Think about a video camera. What could have been recorded in the moment? What could have been seen and what could have been heard? The piece is a worthwhile listen, even if you are an experienced manager.
I love coaching people who are making mid-life career switches. One of the gifts of taking on a new role at mid-life is the that your 52 year-old self knows so much that your 22 year-old self couldn’t possibly know. You bring a fuller and wiser self to your search and to your work.
Job searching, but dreading networking? Even the idea of networking makes many of us squirm with discomfort. This piece provides concrete steps and sample emails to help you build connections on LinkedIn. I like that the author, Katherine Nobles, provides different specific messages you can use depending on your degree of connection with the potential contact.
I continue to be amazed at the research about connections between human health and nature. This article reminds us that nature is good for our health in many ways and that even a small "dose" of nature, like walking under trees in an urban neighborhood, still has a meaningful impact. Get a full forest bath when you can, but a walk around the block and past the park is also good!
Part of my coaching work is helping clients prepare for job interviews. We look together for stories the client can prepare to share in interviews that demonstrate important skills and competencies. This post from Career Contessa provides a handy structure for telling (and remembering!) those stories. Following the acronym, STAR, you start by outlining the SITUATION. Then, you describe the TASK and then the ACTION you took. And most importantly, don’t forget to describe the RESULT. Click the link for the full article and explanation.
Do you want a job that feels more meaningful or just feels like a better fit for your life? Join Finding Work That Works for You—my small group coaching program that brings women together to explore career transitions. Over five weeks, we focus on values, strengths and purpose and create an action plan to move you forward. The summer cohort starts Friday, June 11th. Sliding scale fees make the program accessible to everyone. To sign up or learn more, email me at whitney@whitneybmorris.com.
In this piece, Oliver Burkeman, a columnist for The Guardian, shared eight secrets for a fulfilled life. This one resonated for me, “When stumped by a life choice, choose ‘enlargement’ over happiness.” The idea of choosing enlargement—seeking growth and expansion rather than happiness—opens up a new perspective for thinking about a big choice. Imagine choosing the option that would expand your mind or your impact or the option that would teach you the most.
Sharing an article from BJ Fogg, author of "Tiny Habits" that gave me two small, but powerful ideas about building new habits that I am going to use and share with my coaching clients. (1). "Emotions create habits. Not repetition. Not frequency. Not fairy dust." (2) "Celebration is the best way to use emotions and create a positive feeling that wires in new habits."