On our 11-hour journey back from Tennessee over the weekend, we listened to a "Road Trip" playlist. As a Jersey girl, I was delighted when Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi came on.

"Jennifer, in your opinion, what is important to know about being a leader?"

As the panel's moderator asked me this question, about 100 thoughts simultaneously ran through my head. Where to start? I started thinking about values I admire in leaders like honesty, emotional intelligence, and confidence. Leaders exhibit grace under pressure. They are passionate about their work and fight for their people. Then I thought about leaders who have turned me off because they are arrogant, act like a dictator, or play favorites. It's important to know what strong leaders are like, right?

I remember the first time someone called me funny. It was way back when I was an associate at a law firm. My reaction was two-fold: excitement and anxiety. 

I was excited because I never thought of myself as funny. Like, ever. For whatever reason, I equated being funny with being cool, so as a self-professed uncool person, I was flattered. At the same time, I was worried. Was it ok to be funny? I wanted to be taken seriously! I calmed down when I told myself that if anything, I was witty. I was naturally quick on my feet -- whether it be in a courtroom or a conversation. 

I got my car on December 30, 2020. I remember it had 16 miles on it when I pulled away from the lot.  On April 6, 2023, I noticed the odometer read 10,001 miles when I parked the car after running an errand. Yep, it took me over two years to drive 10,000 miles.

I was stunned. This whole time there has actually been a name for it. It’s a “thing.”

So Covid hit my household for the first time in three years. We were lucky to make it this far and are on the mend. However, the biggest bummer was canceling a long-anticipated trip to visit my in-laws in New Orleans. We were headed down to enjoy Mardi Gras parades! If you were following me last year, you may remember that it was somehow my first time going to Carnival* despite counting a native New Orleanian as my significant other since 2003!

Over the holidays, I achieved my dream: I was home alone in the middle of the day, so I made a coffee, went into the living room, opened the blinds to let the sunshine in, grabbed my favorite blanket and my book . . . and sat down on the couch to read. I had wanted to do this forever and knew I had to seize the opportunity while taking some time off. And it was epic!

As I let my brain wander last week, I realized that what I really need in 2023 is CLARITY. I need to get BETTER at being purposeful with my time, my tasks, and my mindset. After all, choosing to truly unplug was indeed a choice I consciously made. So my word for the year is... INTENTION. It encompasses simplicity, manifesting the life I want, and being present. It's about the opposite of doing something because it's a habit but truly asking myself what I want to do and how I want to spend my time. It's about remembering my WHY for every little thing, big and small. It holds me accountable.

Nearly 25 years ago, I had a killer pair of J. Crew boots during my freshman year of college: chocolate brown leather, thin laces, stacked heels -- very apropos of fall/winter in the late 90's.

The following story is the result of what happened when I asked one woman for help and it set off a chain reaction of events. This story needs to be told because when women support other women, anything and everything is possible.

I awoke with a start. I opened my eyes to discover it was really, really dark. I had to think about what day it was, and smiled sleepily when I realized it was Saturday. I thought about going back to sleep, but I was surprisingly alert. I checked my watch. 4:40 a.m. 

It's taken me a very, very long time to realize that the biggest secret to staying productive is... drumroll please... taking breaks. Yep, that's right. You want to do more? Make sure you actually do less. As in, stop working once in awhile. I promise, you'll be more productive -- and avoid burning out.

The Pomodoro Technique is a way to stay productive because it prevents multitasking. I credit this hack for single-handedly turning me into someone who used to be so proud about all she could (allegedly) do at once into a recovering multitasker. 

Now that you've broken down your to-do list into bite-sized pieces of actionable items (sub-tasks) instead of jotting down vague tasks, it's time to get organized and allocate time to complete the items.

What my to-do list used to look like and what it looks like now - and how this change made me more productive!

Um... what happened to September? I am in disbelief. I previously wrote that it was the fastest summer on record and suddenly here we are, looking at pumpkins and Halloween.

I'm a chocoholic. Always have been, always will be. But I had key lime pie to celebrate my birthday earlier this month. Why? It had been a week of firsts.

"Good job, Mommy! You did it!"

I was indeed proud of myself. Everywhere I looked, there were trees and fallen branches. I was standing on a cluster of flat rocks in the middle of a creek. I hadn't been this far down the creek on our hikes before. My five-year-old son and my husband were usually the ones hopping across the rocks while I stuck close to the sides or stayed up on the path. 

At my old job, I often didn't see colleagues who worked in different practice groups. We sat on different floors and would likely only interact in passing or at firm functions. There was one woman who I'd see here or there, but found her intimidating. She was senior to me and worked on mass tort cases with high stakes. She seemed very "no nonsense." I assumed she didn't know my name.

When the iFit app for the elliptical suggests "Pineapple Grove Speed Play" for your workout and your logo is a pineapple, you press play. What I love about these workouts is that the trainer always shares fun facts about the location, whether it's a beach in Costa Rica, a village in Croatia, or a pineapple grove in Maui.