DRIVEN Blog
3 Great Steps Toward Maximizing Time: My Lessons From Laura Vanderkam’s 168 Hours
Much acclaim is associated with Laura Vanderkam’s exploration of the myths, misconceptions, and outright misallocations of time that contribute to sabotaging our lifestyles. 168 Hours: You Have…
The Windham Hill Inn Effect: Escape to a Green Mountains Paradise This Spring
Spring may have taken hold for us here in NYC, but spring takes a bit longer to arrive in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Thus, I’ve been holding out all winter to let you in on my newly-discovered staycation destination, which lured Deb and me for 3 nights last September. This one’s for the foodie with a longing for the…
I'm All Ears: The Two-Way Street of Workplace Feedback
What’s the most important thing we’re not engaging in with our colleagues? The answer, as 70 guests discovered at last Tuesday’s WAC Community Event, is right in front of our eyes, and relates to a segment of communication that most of us understand to be vital to progress, but which we steer clear of as…
You Can Be Heard: Salonee Shah on Presentation Skills
Have you ever presented to a targeted audience only to find them disengaged, your message clearly not getting across? Or perhaps you’ve experienced working for a boss who always seemed cold despite your best attempts at conversation. Well, both of these…
A Place Called Hudson: A Must-Visit for New Yorkers
For years Goldie and I have been hyping our former hometown of Cold Spring, NY as a charming and practical weekend getaway for NYC couples. The slow pace, friendly shopkeepers and mountain views offer the illusion that you’ve somehow landed…
Wine List Navigation Takeaways: Let’s Eat!
What would a lesson in Wine List Navigation be without a sweet surrender to the temptation of sipping on a little vino and snacking on some strategic homemade munchies? That’s just what I encouraged at my March 26th workshop, as the ladies in…
Bite Your Tongue, Literally: Unspeakable Speech & You, Part 3
When it comes to dining, nutritionists like to point out that “you are what you eat”. While this is a fact, it’s not always evident on the surface. In the business world, it’s safe to assume that “you are what you say”, meaning, the words and phrases you speak…
Wine List Navigation Takeaways: Great Questions Answered
At Deb’s March 26th Wine List Navigation: Earn Your Wings workshop for addressing the challenges of ordering wine in the NYC restaurant setting, the ladies in attendance were quite intuitive when it came...
Things That Make NY Great: Channing Daughters Winery
It took a few extra years, but Deb and I finally made our way back to The Hamptons, in pursuit of……what else: food and wine! To avoid the temptation to spend our entire trip sunning on the beach, we…
It’s Like, Ya Know: Unspeakable Speech & You, Part 2
It’s inevitable. No matter what career you’ve chosen, you’re going to be speaking to others, and speaking often. In order to further your career, the speech you use will need to be of similar integrity to…
What I’m Reading: Farnoosh Torabi’s When She Makes More
I’ve been captivated by the topic, concept and possibilities of and for women as breadwinners for the past two years. I began researching it as I was founding Women’s Advancement Compact, inspired by the wish to see my niece Ashley feel the freedom...
Can We Talk?: Unspeakable Speech & You, Part 1
Polishing our demeanor goes beyond presentation skills, communication styles and workplace EQ. Before we can perfect any of those, we first must get a grip on language….specifically the kind to stay away from. It’s not simply about avoiding F-bombs and mispronouncing the word “ask”; I’m referring to the invasion…
Wine List Navigation Takeaways: Shrewd as a Sommelier
At last Wednesday’s Wine List Navigation workshop, a dozen ladies “earned their wings” by understanding and troubleshooting the challenges of ordering wine in a restaurant. It comes as no surprise…
The Gift of Feedback: Intangible, Yet Indispensable
Just as it was when you were growing up, from that first finger painting in pre-school to that final thesis paper in senior year, it is valuable feedback from others that prompts you, guides you, and propels you toward excellence in your career. I often refer…
Networking Realities, Part Two: Nurturing Your Network
You’ve assembled your profiles, you’ve sent your thank-you notes, and you’ve LinkedIn; now it’s time to take the next steps in cultivating a healthy and active business network. You will begin the ongoing…
Spring in Cold Spring: Foundry Preserve Awaits Your Visit!
For the last ten years or so, living in Cold Spring, I’d find myself in need of some scenery from time to time without committing to a strenuous hike. Walking distance from my doorstep was Foundry Cove— a wildlife sanctuary situated on and…
What I’m Drinking: Obscure Gems of Italy’s Piedmont
The usual suspects? You know that’s not what I’m all about. Sure, with cuisine, I’m always excited to try a different take on a classic (it’s seldom I’ll turn down a meatball simply because I’ve had a million of ‘em). But with wine, there are just too many options these…
The Restaurant Wine Ritual: A Host’s Perspective
As a frequent business dining host, you will be taking part in the age-old honor of ordering a bottle of wine for the table. For some, the very thought of such a responsibility is intimidating, even panic-inducing, and rightly so; without a professional wine background, it is natural to feel at a loss when flipping through a comprehensive restaurant…
Networking Realities, Part One: The “Follow-Up”
“I shall maintain my network.” So easy to say, so seemingly hard to do! Business network maintenance may be the most important way to focus our career energy, yet so often we place our network-related tasks on the back burner, expecting the…
In A New York Minute: How “Manhattan” Are You?
Having spent most of my life as a New Yorker, so many of the ins and outs of navigating this dense and diverse city have long since become second nature to me. So much has changed over the decades, yet there are those aspects of NYC…