this world needs brave

photo of brick wall with barbed wire across the top

In praise of difficult conversations

In my coaching practice, I get a lot of versions of this question: how do I talk about something unpleasant without upsetting the person I’m talking to? The answer: you can’t. There is no perfect language that will make a […]

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| finding your brave

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Back when I worked humanitarian relief

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| finding your brave

The start of my very first overseas trip as an aid worker, in 2007. I’d done plenty of development work at that point, but this was my first foray into humanitarian response. This is an excerpt from my journal at […]

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| client page

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A poem for October

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| front, happiness

October for me is the season of overwhelm. I’m the daughter of a college professor and now the mom of two kids, so the academic year has always been my life cycle. October is when you’re through the easy start […]

What’s coaching, again?

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| finding your brave, front

I wrote about coaching for the TED fellows blog. Fun fact – the TED Fellows blog is on Medium, which is usually blocked in Egypt. So I haven’t actually seen the post. Here’s hoping they didn’t do anything crazy to […]

photo of Ibtihaj Muhammad wearing a red white and blue headscarf

Mental Health and Bravery

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| brave people, front

Ibtihaj Mohamed reminds us that bravery and mental illness (and world-class athletic success) are not mutually exclusive.

a photo or a horse and cart. The horse is eating a watermelon.

Volunteering in International Development

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| careers, international development

If you have to pay to volunteer, it’s not employment experience, it’s tourism. No one cares about tourism on your resume. It’s also no particularly useful to the organization – beyond the fee you pay. If your work was useful, […]

In a world full of monsters, be a hero

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| finding your brave

Everyone can be a hero. Giving your best to the world, in both big and small ways, is heroism. The small acts are important in their own way, but they also train you for the big. Being polite to a […]

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| finding your brave, global health

I just can’t even. US Threatens to Pull Military Aid from Ecuador Over WHO Breastfeeding Resolution US opposition to UN breastfeeding resolution defies evidence and public health practice The Trump administration publicly opposes breastfeeding I will say this. If you’re […]

“Alanna’s direct yet humane approach comforted me. Her knowledge helped me understand my behavior. Her concrete advice helped me develop actionable steps towards managing my emotions and becoming more assertive.”

“I approached Alanna to help me make a decision at a major professional crossroads. I was ready to leave the organization where I had spent all of my public health career, but I wasn’t completely sure what I wanted to do next, or frankly even how to make that decision…Alanna’s direct yet kind approach helped me discard some of my own deeply entrenched ideas about what the “right” move for me would be, and on a more tactical level helped me quickly eliminate some options that just wouldn’t be a right fit.

My sessions with her helped give me both the clarity to pursue a new professional opportunity, as well as some concrete tools to help me manage the difficulties I faced as I wrapped up my former role.”