Love of the Week

Everything you love about Becoming You is because of a kind, brilliant, and beloved man, who, nearly six years ago, heard me describe an idea I had for a self-discovery class, smiled warmly, and said, “Let’s try it as a little experiment!”

The pandemic was not yet over when this conversation occurred in the office of Raghu Sundaram, the dean of NYU Stern School of Business. I was nervous, he was gracious. I had no idea what I was doing and confessed as much; he said the school would help me figure it out.

Today, Raghu is vice chancellor of the university, I am a member of the faculty, and the Becoming You methodology is a movement around the world, from South Africa to Singapore, with close to a million users of every age and ilk.

My gratitude for NYU’s belief in me and Becoming You cannot really be described, only felt.

I feel it, to be specific, in my chest.

And that is why I got up this Monday morning in the middle of what is supposed to be my summer break, boarded the subway, and delivered a two-hour, 167-slide keynote to the school’s incoming MBA class.

It’s very simple. NYU asked. I said yes. If they asked me to deliver a speech to hobbits in Middle Earth on Thanksgiving Day, I’d go do it.

Look, a lot of amazing things happened this week. A new version of the Values Bridge dropped. It is the best ever. Go try it, and tune into my free webinar about it Monday to boot. Also: We launched our third cohort of Becoming You coaches; they are smart, empathetic, and on fire to change lives. Our training program gets better and better; I am proud beyond measure.

But amongst all these wonderful things, the thing I loved the most was repaying a tiny portion of my debt to the place that took a chance on me.

Becoming You invites you to take a chance on yourself too.

Here’s the answer, I have learned: “Let’s try it as a little experiment.”

Hate of the Week

I just mentioned in passing that there’s a marvelous new, insight-enriched version of the Values Bridge, but I positively hate that I didn’t also mention the living-breathing superstar humans responsible for it. They are our Head of Product Aaron Batchelder and CTO Richard Hunt, and their superlative team of designers and engineers, Jannah Kara Vira, Kevin Castro, Jack Ding, Cailee Adamson, Lynsey Overturf, David De Los Santos, Sarah Driscol, and Pili Laviolette.

Much of the time, I get the credit for the Values Bridge, and that is very nice. But here’s the thing. I am nada alone. Like NYU, the folks I just listed took a chance on me and Becoming You, and it is because of them that our “little experiment” leapt from the laboratory into so many lives and families and schools and organizations.

I was getting a coffee the other day and a woman walked by. Our eyes met, and out of the blue she said, “Thank you for helping me become me.” I was so caught off guard all I could muster was, “Oh my God, thank you!” What I should have said was, “Thank my team. They made it happen.”

I just hope they don’t ask me to go to Middle Earth after reading this.

Hmm of the Week

A sign in every Lululemon dressing room exhorts you to “Do one thing a day that scares you.” Give me a break, I always think. The world is hard enough as is it without giving yourself a fright.

Well, this week I was gently shoved out of my comfort zone – by one of my kids, no less – and I am here to admit that that little Lululemon sign is not wrong.

Correction: It is so freaking right.

My daughter Eve is an art therapist for adolescents at a psychiatric hospital, but she also teaches workshops in Embodied Art, a therapeutic practice which combines yoga, breathwork, mindfulness, and expressive art-making. Incidentally, “expressive art-making” means painting with two hands at the same time with your eyes closed.

I cannot say I wanted to go to her class; I am terrible at crafty things, and painting while swaying about (and unsighted) does not exactly call my name. But I love her and she asked me so sweetly that I said, “Of course, honey!”

Two hours later, I was like, I need to do this thing constantly.

I am still processing what I learned from stepping into “no wrong answers” territory with my very outcomes-oriented brain. For instance, why did I want to keep asking Eve, “How am I doing?” And, why did I keep wanting to get out a pen to add literal words to my artwork? But I do know that I came out of the experience feeling more creative and bold than ever, and wondering why I don’t forge into the unknown more often.

It's not scary. Just new. And so are we, once we go there.

The Four Things No One Tells You About Fame

This week on Becoming You, we're discussing the one value you're not supposed to say out loud: fame. Data shows that this value, which is identified as Luminance in the Values Bridge, is the one people are least willing to own. But for those who rank it high, why? I share the research on why people actually want to be known, tell a very personal story of my own experience handling fame, and speak to two people right in the thick of it: actress Paloma Garcia-Lee and casting director Sophia Welch, who is a frequent guest and yes, my daughter. If you've ever wanted to be known, or caught yourself judging someone else for wanting it, this episode is for you.

Tune in Here!

No longer want to receive these emails?

{% unsubscribe %}.
Becoming You Media