A Bi-Weekly Newsletter For High-Performing Women Whenever someone comes into my office expressing sadness and frustration over a conflict, one of the first questions I ask is "Have you talked to them (the other party) about it?" This was the story of one of my clients who had just turned 35. \ She was disappointed that her work bestie had not made a big deal about her birthday, because "if it was her birthday, I would have gone all out for her." She was sad and began to disconnect from her...
6 months ago • 1 min read
A Bi-Weekly Newsletter For High-Performing Women Consistency is one of those words you hear often, especially if you're a woman who is working on improving yourself. We know consistency is important, the problem is it's such a vague term that many of us don't really know how to BE consistent. (By the way, I put "Communication" and "Understanding" in this category of Vague But Important Terms aka VBITs.) The good news is that there is a science to consistency, and like many of these VBITs,...
7 months ago • 2 min read
A Bi-Weekly Newsletter For High-Performing Women Today one of my clients told me she had thought about reaching out to my office for a session EIGHT WEEKS ago but didn't! Why? Because she had graduated from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with me and felt ashamed that she "still needed someone to talk to" despite all the tools and skills she had learned. To be clear, she is in a great place now. She is a successful licensed professional and businesswoman who has overcome a lot of trauma...
7 months ago • 2 min read
A Bi-Weekly Newsletter For High-Performing Women A few weeks ago, one of my friends hosted a couples' paint night at her house, and although I was excited for the food and a chance to meet new people, I had very low expectations of the art I would produce. The instructions were to sit across from your spouse and paint their bust (face, neck, and top part of their chest)... all in about 30 minutes. In my head, I was laughing out loud... "This is going to be interesting", I thought. I told...
8 months ago • 2 min read
It's Thursday, and the beginning of a long weekend... but this is not just any long weekend. This weekend is one you have been looking forward to for MONTHS! It's the weekend of a long-awaited getaway... A retreat you have planned with a handful of your closest friends. They are all working moms just like you in desperate need of a break from the busy life of a high-performing woman juggling multiple responsibilities. You think excitedly, "The girls' trip has finally made it out of the group...
8 months ago • 2 min read
I was having an interesting conversation with some friends about growing up in Nigeria vis a vis growing up in Canada. My opinion was that the relatively "hard life" many of us experienced made us more resilient compared to our kids who have it fairly easy here. (For example, my kids have zero concept of what it means to have no power for hours, days, weeks on end. They also don't know what it means to "fetch water" 😅 or "pick weeds"). But a woman in our group made a very valuable point. She...
8 months ago • 2 min read
Have you ever had a spark of an idea that felt so brilliant it was like it came directly from heaven? Maybe it was on your drive to work. Or perhaps on your morning walk? Or if you're like me, you might get these sparks of ideas while taking a shower. At that moment, you're so convinced that this is an amazing idea. Even God-sent! First of all, it completely aligns with the things you're passionate about! You know you have the skills to make it work. And even if you don't have the skills yet,...
9 months ago • 2 min read
Growing up in Nigeria, as primary and secondary school students we were strongly encouraged to be THE BEST academically. Excellent academic performance was rewarded at the end of every school year when the best students were awarded books, stationary, and other school-related items, wrapped in shiny and colourful wrapping paper on Annual Prize-Giving Day. It was a thing of pride for the parents of the award winners! "Did you know my daughter, Ayo won Best in Mathematics", one dad would say....
9 months ago • 2 min read
When I'm working in Urgent Care, one of my favourite procedures to do is suturing up lacerations. Although the procedure itself might take 5 minutes depending on the length and complexity of the cut, I spend at least 15 minutes preparing: I take a good history of how the injury happened so I know what to expect when I take the bandages off. I make sure I have my gloves, cleaning supplies, proper lighting, and the correct suture material. I ensure the patient is anesthetized well enough to...
10 months ago • 2 min read