Real stories

How My Daughter’s ACL Surgery Taught Us Strength, Resilience, and Family Bonding

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I cried quietly in the front seat of the car. I didn’t want Isabel to see or hear me. In the back seat, she sang cheerfully along with the radio as her dad and I drove her to John Muir Hospital for knee surgery. We had been preparing for this day for two months, but it didn’t make it any easier. I’ve never broken a bone, let alone had surgery, so imagining what my 16-year-old was about to endure felt overwhelming.

We had done everything we could to prepare: found an excellent surgeon, scheduled the procedure to minimize impact on her schoolwork, stocked up on medications, and followed every pre-op instruction. Yet, I felt powerless. I wished I could take her pain away.

The Accident That Changed Everything

It all started with a fluke accident during a casual one-on-one street soccer scrimmage in early August. At first, the X-ray suggested she had simply tweaked her knee, and we expected her to be back at soccer practice in two months. But when the instability lingered, an MRI revealed the truth: a completely torn ACL and a possible meniscus tear. The diagnosis meant a four-hour surgery, two grueling weeks of recovery, three months on crutches, and a year before returning to soccer. ...  read more

How I’m Learning to Work with a Difficult Work Partner

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how to work with difficult partners

When you’re proactive, driven, and focused, there’s nothing more frustrating than dealing with someone who doesn’t share that same urgency. For me, this usually looks like poor communication, last-minute cancellations, or even a total lack of follow-through. I’ve been navigating this dynamic recently, and it’s tested my patience and taught me about letting go of what I can’t control. Here’s how I’ve been managing the situation and keeping my own sanity in the process. ...  read more

Turning a Sticky Work Situation Into an Opportunity: Jason’s Story

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I’ve known Jason for many years. Our relationship started with me acting as a mentor to him, guiding him in his career and communication style. Over time, we’ve grown into peers and friends, and I have come to admire the executive he has become. Nowadays, I learn as much from him as he does from me. Recently, Jason shared a story about how he handled a potentially sticky situation at work, and I think his approach was brilliant. I believe it’s something anyone can benefit from, which is why I’m sharing it here. ...  read more

How to Handle Being Overwhelmed at Work – 4 Tips that Work

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We’ve all been there: waking up feeling like the weight of the world is on your shoulders, unsure how you’ll get through the day. That was me last Monday. I was juggling four major projects, all of them in different stages of chaos (or at least it felt that way). One of the projects involved a teammate who I wasn’t convinced knew how to do their part, while another project had a team entirely new to the effort. I couldn’t even gauge their motivation because, so far, no one had taken any real action. Then there was a project where I wasn’t sure what the next steps should be. Trying to tackle all of this at once made my mind feel scattered and unfocused. ...  read more

Embracing Life’s Unfairness: Lessons from a Waterpark Adventure

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Let’s face it—life can be a bit of a rollercoaster. We all have those moments where things just don’t go our way, and it’s easy to get stuck in the unfairness of it all. But here’s the thing: how we react to these bumps in the road can make all the difference. We can either sit and sulk, or we can pick ourselves up, dust off, and keep going with a bit more grit and determination. ...  read more

Epic Fail or Epic Day – Perspective Matters to Your Career Success

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In life, the same set of events can happen to two different people, and their interpretations of those events can be completely different. This difference in perception can turn what could be seen as a failure into a triumph—or vice versa. It all comes down to how we choose to see the situation. This story, drawn from a recent real-life experience, illustrates the power of perspective and how choosing a more positive interpretation can inspire and energize us. ...  read more