It's almost exactly one year since the pandemic shut us down, and life isn't any easier. If anything, it's more complex, more lonely, more challenging. But, I am finding ways to cope. . . and so far the most kind, the most potent way is learning to let go. Join me for a journey, friend. . . There’s a difference between free fall jumping off a cliff, leaning backwards into the wind, wings spread to catch the air, and just dropping the cottony gauze wrapping your gaze. Snow perpetually obscures the view, [...] read more

What do you do when the bottom drops out? How do you work with yourself when everything falls apart? Let me share my own journey down that slippery slope. . . I opened my computer, the girls had already gone to bed and I was very tired from the wild combination of working at my job, working for myself, and parenting all the way through it with kids home because of snow and minor cold symptoms. I can’t remember the last time I had a good hug, besides from my tiny three and [...] read more

Dipping my toe into a rare moment of reflection…this poetic musing arose in my heart. May it be of benefit. . . The sliver of the moon hovers heavily over my shoulder. Haze on Vermont’s horizon, catching sun as it falls redly, dripping a cascade of hues, triggers the awareness of jet streams and global wind. My sky kissed by the very ash of trees who already only live in memory three thousand miles away. Questions quake within me…how can I learn to become a more perfect ally? [...] read more

For nearly the first time in six months, due to the pandemic, I sit by a lake, without my children, and pick up a pen and put ink on paper… It’s not the breeze, or the delicate beauty of gladiolas, or the dip-dive of loons. It’s not sunshine or chatter of strangers. It’s not greed for ink or hunger for sparkly eyes. It’s not diamonded water or children’s laughter. What’s missing is structured conviviality. What’s missing is the shared joy of communal achievement. What’s missing is the silence after the [...] read more

If we can embrace the tenacity to free ourselves from the stench of the cocoon, we will liberate ourselves, even in the face of a global pandemic. Catharsis. I seek catharsis. I am bottled up–frozen–barren–rigid. In short: a train wreck. But, aren’t we all right now? I gaze out at the rolling hills through my window and see that the earth in its oestre is melting, however. The young deer nibbling on the tinge of green in my yard is proof. The budding trees an affidavit. The [...] read more

How we navigate our heartbreak will determine our experience of this crisis. We all begin somewhere. And that place becomes defined as home. In a time of global pandemic and local lock down, we have no choice but to reside in whatever place we find ourselves that we can call home. For many of us, we are fortunate in our location and have a beautiful home to be in. For many of us, we are dissatisfied with the place we have, but it’s good enough. For still many more, we have no safe [...] read more

“Now is a make or break moment for the human race,” my friend Janice says. “I’m worried about going in to work tonight at the hospital–they aren’t sure they have enough supplies for us to stay protected. I’m worried I’ll be walking into a war zone,” my cousin Joe in London texts me. “I’m scared of being alone for a whole month,” my cousin Claire tells me. “My boss is asking me to consider firing people to save our company at this crucial moment and that does not align with any of our [...] read more

Tea with a T-Rex T-Rex is roaming the earth again. Wreaking havoc, causing disruption, up-ending the status quo. This time, it’s crowned in the form of COVID-19. A global pandemic. A local disaster. From my vantage point, the greater harm is from the tidal wave of fear abrading each of us. Fear is stronger than the virus itself and the tsunami is razing our society. Some of us are fortunate to live in small communities that are working hard to disseminate information, increase education, awareness and ultimately, prevention. Some [...] read more

You may not be able to do all the things I can do. …Which is not a sentiment I like, encourage, or adopt, and I feel uncomfortable uttering it out loud. Perhaps I’m too kind. Perhaps you think I’m a Pollyanna . Perhaps you think I’m too cheerful, too sunshiney, too grandiose. I like to be encouraging. I like everyone I meet to feel good in their skin and bones, to feel satisfied and full of possibility. But maybe I need to stop that nonsense. [...] read more

After 20 years on the meditation cushion, visionary entrepreneur Sarah Lipton is coming out with a message loud and clear: Be Who You Are. Genuineness is not convenient. Conforming to societal norms, now, that is. Play the game placed before you and do not bend the rules. Do not worry, dearie, you will be spoon-fed the next move. Your fears will not only be validated but reinforced. Live the cosmetic version of [...] read more

Transformation, a butterfly would tell us, is no small feat. I believe that #transformation requires time and space for integration. I know this because I’ve experienced it. Last summer I had the opportunity to attend an inspiring conference — the BLD Leadership Conference . The theme of the conference was itself “Be Inspired. ” I was grateful to participate as a workshop leader for the conference, and have the opportunity to network with like-minded [...] read more

We already have what we need. We are who we have always been. When we gaze out at the horizon, if we know how to look, we see our own mind mirrored back. It is time, I believe, to look to our roots. So how do we look to our roots? What are our resources? What re-sources us? What have we always known about ourselves? Then, can what we see wakes us up? This, I think, is the ultimate guide for walking through the apocalypse. Let’s get practical. [...] read more

'Tis the season for generosity. The power of collaboration will drive your mission forward while being generous at the same time. The snow has landed here in northern Vermont. It's white and cold and brings us inside more than outside. It's the season of winter in which we take the time to pause and reflect. Gazing into the fire not only warms us up, but gives us that chance to dream and re-envision how we will move forward. Reconnecting to our inner mission is key to driving success forward. But, driving a [...] read more

We have “good” days and we have “bad” days, and we judge ourselves too harshly in both directions. But staying power is one of the secrets of leadership. No matter your leadership role, it’s too easy to get caught up in judging yourself for what’s going on. You may find you are overwhelmed - too much to do, not enough support, confused about your direction, unclear about your vision. You may be angry, in pain, fearful or too ambitious. You may be exhausted, under pressure, or just plain stressed [...] read more

Spring has finally sprung here in Northern Vermont. The grass is vivid and the leaves are beginning to unfurl. We’ve just come through an intense period of time, at least myself and most people I know have felt that way. I found that for me, the whole process could be summed up by the metaphor of a bulb in frozen ground working hard to push through the frozen soil up into the light and begin the journey towards blooming. The thaw of winter’s icy grip, the realization that [...] read more

As a leader, are you experiencing fogginess and clumsiness in your interactions? Perhaps it is time to turn inwards and develop deeper self-awareness. But why would you do that? We at The Presence Point are celebrating. Why? Because the Harvard Business Review just published an article by Rasmus Hougaard , Jacqueline Carter and [...] read more

Doing good work is something most of us aspire to. But how do we do that when we are not being paid and therefore motivated by a paycheck? How can we show up as leaders even if we’re “only a volunteer”? Article requested and inspired by Claudia Pringles, Estate Attorney www. estateplanningvermont. com The first snow of late autumn has descended upon this small valley in Northern Vermont and already I see evidence of neighbors doing good work for each [...] read more

The news is overwhelming these days. How can we thrive in the face of so many disasters? As autumn leaves take precedence on Vermont hillsides, my heart collides with each disaster occurring around the world because I know at least one person affected in every location. It seems that this is what it means to live an interconnected, global life these days. When we pay attention, the news is overwhelming . In this age of instant information, it is easy to shut down. It is [...] read more

The sunlight filters through not-quite-green leaves. The cycles of the year have done their dance and it is again that rich season of early autumn. The turkeys are, as I write, pecking away at the empty potato patch and the tomatoes are finally starting to ripen. It is a time again for new beginnings, and I am writing to share with you where I am at and what’s new with The Presence Point . Some of you may know that I stopped working [...] read more

So much of leadership requires that we be "on. " But how can we do that in a way that is genuine? The sun is shining today, but it is still cold out. I have an aching rib from four weeks of bronchitis. My to-do list is way too long, and my toddler is needing my attention. But I am supposed to be preparing for a presentation I have to do later this week. How can I show up [...] read more

Have we bought into the destructive myth of disconnection? Look inside yourself and be honest. Listening to the news lately makes me think that our society believes in a rampant myth of disconnection. We believe so strongly that the “other” is bad, scary, no good, even evil. We believe this so strongly that we want to build walls, keep our neighbors out, send them “back” to where they came from. I am the daughter of a family of immigrants. I am [...] read more

My daughter is turning two in 3 days. We have had quite a journey these last two years, three if you count the time she was in my belly. Recently, she threw a small dish, which I happened to be fairly attached to. It shattered all over the ceramic floor tiles. I was worried that she would step down and hurt her bare feet on the shards. But more than just the dish broke - I broke. I had been struggling with her throwing and breaking things for a number of months, [...] read more

I dare you to pause and thoroughly enjoy this very moment. There’s something thrilling about a new snowfall. Where there was brown and gray, old slippery ice and crunchy dead snow, there is fresh, untracked powder. Where there was a slight numbing to the season of winter, there is again a sense of newness and wonder. The delight is very simple, there is no particular storyline. The simplicity of just looking, tasting, feeling, enjoying. [...] read more

Can society engage in kind communication? Landing in the present moment by embodying our experience allows us to communicate with genuine expression. A new year has dawned. Crystal sunlight sparkles off of freshly fallen snow here on my Vermont hillside. My mind turns to a vision of a society that is in tune with itself, that does not operate on the basis of fear and distrust, but rather takes the time to listen and feel. The best way I know of [...] read more

Riding the sensation of irritation, not the object of irritation, leads to the possibility of irritation melting and blossoming into contentment. There’s a squirrel perched on the top of the birdfeeder, munching down the chickadee’s seed. The snow lies deep and white across the fields. For the moment, the sun is shining and tree’s shadows are stark and blue against the sparkling white. I am feeling deep waves of irritation. I notice that underneath, there are glimmers of contentment, if only I [...] read more

Sadness: a guiding barometer of our life’s intention. It’s one of those unsettlingly warm late autumn mornings in Vermont. Last night when we went to bed, there was snow on the ground. This morning after a long, hard rainstorm, the snow has melted and the fields again look green. Mud squishes underfoot where frozen ground ought to be. It feels to me that there is both a tinge of sadness as well as expectation in the air. In this darkening time it is almost [...] read more

Uncertainty is like a virus that can unseat us. Gone is clarity and decisions become like torture. I had an experience of this recently. I was signed up to co-teach a workshop at a conference with someone who I didn’t know very well. At first, I was excited and looking forward to the experience because I love teaching. Workshops provide such a wonderful amalgam of people and energy and exchanges of insight. And then it hit me that we don’t know each [...] read more

Article orginally published on The Shambhala Times , and reposted a year ago. Somehow, it was the right thing to publish this week as well. . . I am experiencing a deep sense of heartbreak. The rampant fear pervading our society in the wake of the elections does not represent what I long for. It doesn't matter who you voted for, we can all agree that fear has won out. This makes me exceedingly grumpy. It also inspires [...] read more

There is incredible value to finding stability in the midst of chaos. The leaves have almost entirely fallen from the trees here in Northern Vermont. They lie brown and shriveled on the still-green grass. Just now a light breeze erupted across the hillside, tinkling the leaves together ever so gently. It sounded like a miniature symphony. In the next moment, to the background music of the recently rejuvenated brook, one lone leaf caught the wind and slowly, almost as if choreographed, drifted, [...] read more

The autumn leaves are a riot of color here in northern Vermont. Leaf peepers “from away,” as we say, are already littering the roadsides with their abandoned cars while they tromp across fields in search of the best camera angle on those deeply reddened maples across the hill. Meanwhile, I have been hard at work. Just for something different, I’d like to offer you a snapshot of my week. A few mornings this week I watched some other babies so I could have time to [...] read more

Have I told you that I have a daughter? A wonderful, magical, creative, engaged and goofy daughter. She’s almost 20 months old and entering the toddler zone that I was told to be afraid of. I find myself frequently in search of balance between my time with her and time for work. The fact that I have this moment to sit and write right now is amazing. I worked all morning watching three babies so that I could have this afternoon free to write and [...] read more

The Road? Is it always A road? Males take roads I will do a path Why? Decided To ponder A huge, monumental road Decimated Destroyed A path. . . Intimate, warm, friendly, softer Without guile or grasping grief Pain. . . . yes. . . path Of softness, hope My path, simple, [...] read more

Unlikely as it is, it is again September. Amidst our busy days, we again have the luxury to face our own personal harvest. Manifest from dreaming earlier in the winter, tilling in the spring and sowing in the summer, we now reap the bountiful harvest of our efforts and dreams in these cooler days of autumn. The summer’s sun no longer slants with unnerving heat. September’s sunrays are a warming reprieve from the cooling night air. We harvest the tall sunflowers that have been growing [...] read more

“I could be totally happy if it were not for these feelings of comparison, judgement and jealousy towards so-and-so! ” It’s sunny out, but cold still. Spring, by the calendar, may have arrived but winter is still clinging with rigid fingers to the air, the frozen ground, the bitter wind. It is the same with the stringent, unyielding thumbs of jealousy that clutch at my aching heart. I could be totally happy, I just know it, if I didn’t have to compete with so-and-so. I mean, [...] read more

A friend asked me to write about how to have a simple morning. Sunshine peeks in the window earlier now. Spring is not yet here in Vermont, but it is coming soon, I can feel it in the tender increase of the sun’s warmth. There are more songbirds calling early in the morning to greet the day and buds are just starting to appear at the tops of trees, a sign of vulnerable hope. Our tendency is to arise with a sense of urgency - alarm screaming, coffee pot buzzing, twitter [...] read more

Does our society know how to relate with sadness, loss and heartbreak? Heartbreak is scary. We don’t like to feel loss and we don’t like to proclaim sadness, in part because we know nobody else knows how to deal either. Today I am making a big decision: to be brave and come out to you. I have paused many times before hitting the “publish” button, but I want to share this with you: I had a miscarriage last week. Most of you didn’t even [...] read more

In order to move forward towards our vision, we must look back and embrace the resources at our disposal. This is like the earth accepting the power of the sun, which keeps us warm and allows plants and animals to grow and flourish. The sun is our resource, and also provides our vision. The very fact that we come from somewhere means we are part of a lineage. The power in connecting with that lineage is that it gives us roots. When our roots go deep, just [...] read more

Creativity can be an elusive creature for writers and artists, and finding the best way to unbridle the imagination to craft creative works can sometimes feel impossibly hard. In this audio interview, I answer questions about how I arrived at being a leadership mentor. Lee Purcell of ePublish Yourself! was able to deftly bring me to a place where I could describe my journey. As he says: [...] read more

Last week my husband and I stumbled on a house we wanted to buy. I mean, we wanted this house. Not in a passing daydreamy sort of way. It seemed pretty near perfect for our little family. We went to the bank a couple of days after seeing the house. It was disappointing. Then we started to work on some family assistance, and that was painful. Meanwhile, I was losing sleep what with moving into this house every night in [...] read more

At the top of the year, we have done some of the work required to reflect and connect with our vision going forward. We have a sense of where we are and where we are going. Just as the trees rest and trust that sap will rise again in the spring, we too must hold, waiting for the right time to unfurl. Holding our vision means staying in tune with our heart. This is important because often when we act prematurely, we do so out of fear. Our [...] read more

We can learn to see the shimmering quality of mind through reflection. Tasting the nuggets of insight and wisdom from our experience is the beginning of freedom. The breeze is blowing, too soft for winter, more reminiscent of spring - wet and earthy, sweet with the fragrance of rotting leaves. The sun has that silvery tint, the clouds refracting most of winter’s daylight, so everything feels soft and blanketed. I pause a moment, tasting this fleeting moment of sunshine, letting the wind caress my cheek, the moist earth [...] read more

We long to fight irritation when it arises, fleeing the scene. But what if we stayed with it? Could irritation be a vanguard of clarity? It’s December and it’s been raining. It should be snowy, and I should be making more money than I am. I should say yes to this opportunity, but everything in me says no, don’t do it. And there are other shoulds starting to pile up. Instead of snowdrifts against the side of my house, there are should-drifts. [...] read more

The energy of depression can be endemic. But we have the power to flip the switch. The dishes aren’t done, the laundry needs folding, dinner needs to be cooked and the baby won’t go down for a nap. Oh, and that long list of things I needed to get done three days ago for my business, well, forget about that, at this rate, I don’t think I’ll ever get it done. The laundry list continues: husband is too busy with his own work and play, I feel ignored, [...] read more

I believe we’re on the edge of a revolution. I believe leadership can be based on genuine presence, which has the good of society as its guiding mission. 1: Cultivate Genuine Presence The truth is, whether we remember it or not, we live in our whole body. We inhabit this viscera, this sack of bones and blood and muscle, flesh and air and emotions. This is where we reside, yet we often think that we live only in our heads, in a [...] read more

Life is challenging. We are attached to certain outcomes, painful circumstances occur, changes are thrust upon us. We do not always know how to navigate the terrain before us. Life requires us to have courage and bravery, to face the situation at hand and to make difficult choices. On a recent walk in the November woods, I learned a good friend was going through the emotional upheaval of a divorce. Voice tight with pain, my friend described the situation and the challenges she was up against. [...] read more

Deepening our Reflection Full moon arising, showering distant hills with milky moonshine. The harvest season is nearly over, the fullness of activity slowing down as the sap retreats into the ground. It is time to taste our innate wisdom. First, we must learn to taste. This is about reflection, about allowing the mind time to settle in this very moment. Even if most of the leaves have fallen, there may still be apples on the tree, so it is important to take some time to see them there. [...] read more

Note to my readers: I have made a commitment to myself and to you to write a blog article a week. As such, you are receiving my digestion of the changing of the seasons around me. I sit looking out over a meadow bordered by forest. In the distance, a view of far mountains. It is this view that I gaze upon as I write. I invite you to visit, my land and my mind. . . After a lush summer of green, [...] read more

What does integration mean to you? Pause a moment and see what arises. Historically, integration has meant many different things to many different groups of people. But right now, it is not about mathematics or the merging of cultures or the necessary unification of disparate elements. It is about “work life balance,” though I feel that phrase is too cliche, too over-used. I want to get right down to the nitty gritty of integration: how do we live a day? [...] read more

The Value of Mind Mapping At the edge of old maps they drew dragons to represent the unknown wilderness, the dangerous edges beyond. In my work with clients, I have found extreme value in the practice of mind mapping. Through so much of our lives we spin and spin, not knowing our own minds, grasping at straws and trying to bring these threads of ideas down to earth. What if we took a few moments to pause, feel our breath, taste our heart, expand [...] read more

Article originally published on The Shambhala Times It’s a tender time of transition. Children are back at school and probably beginning to stew in the thick of new learning. In the northern hemisphere, it’s getting colder, and in the southern hemisphere, it’s heating back up again. The seasonal changes register in our bodies and there are all sorts of responses. We are energized and challenged from the practice we were able to reconnect with in the summer and slightly daunted by the projects lining up [...] read more

Face to Face with a Moose Article orginally published on The Shambhala Times It’s the season for mask wearing and unveiling. Today is Halloween. The gates between the worlds are said to be thin at this time. Our truths are known to emerge: messy, visceral, real, gritty and beautiful. It’s the same with the slow unpeeling of leaves from the trees who are revealed in their naked forms again. In this season, the mask of leaves fall [...] read more

Article originally published on The Shambhala Times I have a big surprise for you: I’m about to hatch a baby! Embarking on this new journey towards motherhood, I sigh and cry when babies’ first laundry comes out of the wash… pink. We’ve been so deliberate in not knowing the gender of our unborn child, of encouraging gender-neutral gifts, inviting rainbows into our home (not just blues or pinks). And then all the white clothes we’ve been given, they turn to pink. [...] read more

Article originally published on The Shambhala Times In honor of Mother’s Day today, Sarah Lipton , Shambhala Times Editor-in-Chief and new mother, decided to share some thoughts about her new journey as well as some wisdom from a recent conversation with Lama Tsultrim Allione on the topic of motherhood. The conversation took place as part of the Radical Compassion project shared between the Shambhala Times [...] read more

We live in a day and age where it is very easy to be disconnected from the seasons. The natural environment around us is calling out to us, inviting our recognition of the natural cycles and flow of energies. It is up to us to listen. Our society trains us away from feeling the wind on our cheek or noticing the power of seeds burgeoning forth from the soil. We have our smart phones with their thousand million apps and we can see where in the world it is sunny [...] read more