This week, Jews all around the world are observing Passover, a recollection of our ancestors’ time as slaves and a grateful honoring of their journey to freedom. In looking at the rituals, I’m struck by the ways our modern “shackles”—fame, pleasure, money, and power—quietly limit our freedom today.

“Why should I work with a Professional Coach?” It’s a question many of us silently ask. While our default future unfolds without effort, it may not be the one we want. Coaching helps us uncover what we truly desire, why it matters, when to act, and who can guide us—transforming hesitation into deliberate progress.

We are all extraordinary in our uniqueness. There's no such thing as ordinary. Yet we limit and diminish ourselves with frightening ease. My clients who create real transformation aren't born extraordinary—they're created by choice. They show up when they don't want to. They work hard, focus on what matters, and deliberately put themselves on the edge of "have to." Extraordinariness is not a personality trait. It's a practice.

I just spent five days at a Coaching Retreat with five extraordinary women. Left to my default, I’m a lone wolf, but this experience stretched me beyond my comfort zone. Through honesty, vulnerability, and shared reflection, we created profound connection, insight, and transformation that will shape the next chapter of our lives.

Good coaching gives you courage, not clarity. Clarity comes in the rear view mirror—after you've already done the hard things. Vision is harvested through practice, specifically through one core discipline: deep, skillful conversation. For over three decades in luxury retail, I mastered seeing deeply and hearing forensically. Now, as a coach, I understand: whole-hearted conversations create profound connection and miraculous results. It's about being truly seen, heard, and held.

"How can I support you?" is one of my favorite questions to ask. Most people want support but don't know how to ask for it. We also don't know that there are many "languages" in which we can offer and receive support—similar to Love Languages, but different. Deep listening, embracing silence, creating context, being vulnerable, doing something, problem solving, innovating, cheerleading, showing up. These are the 9 Support Languages that transform relationships.

The unending vulnerability of existence—pain, illness, loss, and grief—are not bugs in the system. They're features. Optimism is not optional for the awakened soul. It's the only choice. Acceptance is the start line for growth. Connection comes before creation. And the world is not changed by your words or declarations—it's changed by your example and actions. Here are 10 principles for living with authenticity, purpose, and power.

Years ago, my son and I were traveling by plane. We sat quietly beside each other for two hours until I asked a question that revealed something profound: most women sabotage their success by not asking for what they want. Coaching helps uncover these hidden obstacles and take deliberate action.

I used to worship Intensity, believing grand gestures could replace steady effort. Over time, this approach drained my energy, trust, and confidence. Learning to prioritize Consistency over Intensity transformed how I show up in life and work, creating sustainable success and long-term impact.

Many of you know that in 1982, my partners and I opened the first Versace boutique in the U.S. Observing Donatella step down this year reminds me how crucial it is to recognize the season of life we’re in—embracing its opportunities, harvesting its gifts, and preparing for the future without clinging to the past.

We often rely on willpower to build or break habits, only to fail repeatedly. Coaching shifts the focus from forcing behavior to cultivating identity. By adopting the identity aligned with your values, you create long-term, sustainable change that no burst of willpower alone can achieve.

We all experience days of feeling drained despite accomplishing much. Coaching helps identify what truly energizes versus what depletes you. Using tools like an Energy Audit and an “Always a Good Idea” list, you can reclaim your time, focus, and joy while reducing procrastination and off-purpose actions.

What if you had indisputable evidence that your words could unquestionably shape your life? What if, like magic, everything you uttered created your reality, both for the better and the worse? I’m not talking about mantras and spells. I’m talking about the everyday conversations we have with ourselves and others.

I finished an ultramarathon that took 11 hours—a race that 20-year-old elites completed in half the time. During those brutal miles, I kept asking myself, "What the hell were you thinking?" The answer: I wasn't. I was parked at the intersection of Ignorance and Arrogance. But here's the thing: a little I + A is exactly what gets us to attempt goals we wouldn't otherwise. Combined with a Why strong enough to sustain us, it's unstoppable.

Pain made itself at home in my body sometime in my forties. Every doctor I visited gave a diagnosis from the point of view of their specialty, yet no one could agree on the source. Fifteen years of deliberate work taught me that letting go of the search for a “fix” was the first step toward living with more ease.

Why ‘The Parent Test’ is More Than Just a Reality Show? Parenting is the hardest job in the world, but why do we insist on striving for perfection when "Good Enough" is an achievement in itself?

Recently, I explored Bronnie Ware’s insight, “I wish I had let myself be happier.” Most of us misunderstand this, thinking happiness must be chased. In truth, we must practice allowance—being present, releasing worry, dogma, and toxic productivity—to make happiness real and avoid future regrets.

Years ago, I resisted saying “love you” at the end of conversations, thinking it unnecessary. A lesson from an ex-boyfriend changed that. By speaking love openly to kids, friends, and colleagues, I discovered how expressing care authentically can deepen connection, expand the heart, and invite others to do the same.

Freedom has been my most significant life value even before I had the words to define it. My earliest and fondest memories are of roaming in our magical garden in Iran and feeling free to do and be whatever I wanted. That was my 5-year-old mind’s definition of freedom.

A dear client asked me how I define success at the end of a day that felt like anything but successful—I had failed to finish a 50-mile race I trained for with great commitment. One of the mind traps that gets in the way of being successful is confusing success with results. Money, grades, and titles are results. Failure, as heartbreaking as it can be, is not the opposite of success. Failure is literally what success is made of.