Earlier this month, I attended a lecture by Dr. Pat Allen, world-renowned relationship expert and the author of Getting to “I Do.” She started her seminar with the following question: Would you rather be cherished or respected? The audience murmured as they mouthed their answer to themselves and/or an interested neighbor. Her question set the intention and direction for the rest of the seminar. (BTW, Dr. Allen is 84 years old and still facilitating monthly […]

The roadmap for managing and preventing workplace harassment is always changing. Now in the wake of the #MeToo movement, all workplace leaders, trainers, and engaged employees demand new, and more effective sexual harassment programs. The status quo is not working because traditional trainers, including law firms, have focused on compliance and risk management. This trend has contributed to missed opportunities to engage in new and more effective training to break the silence surrounding reporting workplace […]

I was once told that empathy is compassion in action.   Compassion is being sympathetic of another person’s pain or circumstance. You understand their pain intellectually; yet it’s not relatable.   Empathy is being one with another person’s pain or circumstance. Empathy is relating to it deeply.     In the past 5 years, I’ve personally done a lot of work to be “more empathetic.” And, I’ll tell you, it’s not been easy.   My personality default is […]

This weekend I had an encounter with a Peeping Tom. (And, I’d like to add, my goal for this message is to turn this encounter into a leadership lesson.) Last Saturday, I was shopping with my daughter on the hip Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. We were in the dressing room of Wasteland, which is a popular vintage shop in the neighborhood. My daughter was using the dressing room as I sat in the seating […]

Our brains are hardwired to react. A reaction is the automatic response driven by biases, survival and prejudices of the unconscious mind. This sometimes works for animals in the wild (a wilder beast spies a lion and flees). Or when humans have to take fast action (pulling someone from a burning car). Yesterday, I facilitated a training on Unconscious Bias for private college in Los Angeles. A participant shared how it’s hard to respond when […]

(Note: the following article was co-authored by Raye Mitchell Esq. and Alicia Dunams. It has been abbreviated. You can find the entire post here.) On November 1, 2018, over 20,000 Google employees and contractors staged a worldwide, high-profile, but peaceful disruption of the status quo manner in which Google handles sexual harassment and other workplace matters. Despite its belief that Google fostered an environment and culture of openness and trust to stimulate robust communications and […]

This weekend I dove headfirst into Michelle Obama’s memoir “Becoming,” which now, after selling 1.4 million copies in all formats during the first seven days since it hit shelves on November 13, is a New York Times Bestseller. After supporting thousands of thought leaders write books over the past dozen years, and facilitating leadership trainings for Fortune 1000s and non-profits, I thought it was appropriate to use Michelle Obama as a lesson in leadership. Why? […]

… one conversation at a time. Yesterday, I facilitated a corporate training in Silicon Beach (the Silicon Valley of Los Angeles) on “Addressing the Elephant in the Room.” What’s an elephant in the room? A problem/controversial issue that is obviously present yet avoided as a subject for discussion as the discussion would be uncomfortable, painful or awkward. Examples would be: Taboo subjects; like suicide, racism or drug/alcohol addiction Grief; such as a woman returning to […]

Alicia Dunams, author of I Get To: How Using The Right Words Can Radically Transform Your Life, Relationships and Business, appeared on Good Morning LaLa Land, and shared the power of using intentional communication for transformational results.

Local Author Fosters Passion With New Book Port Washington resident and founder of both Foster, Inc. and FosterWomen Hayley Foster decided it was finally time to curate all of her insights and write the book she had always wanted to write, Foster Your Passion: A Guide To Finding Your Passion And The Tools You Need To Foster It. While Foster had always dreamed of writing a book, the idea and book itself came together in just […]