– Jane
· · · Jane’s Thread · · ·
Were You Invited to This?
A current client shared an ad with me for a conference she believed I belonged at--Vanity Fair's FOUNDERS FAIR: Women Entrepreneurs Tell Their Stories. Sign me up! An interview with Reese Witherspoon (I'm loving her in Big Little Lies!) is the opening feature on...
How Do YOU Measure Your Own Success?
This is a tricky question. I remember being baffled by it when my first coach, Valerie, put it to me over 20 years ago. "My bottom line? How much I'm making, of course," I responded thinking, isn't that what everyone wants? She challenged me further. What truly...
My Take-Aways from Broadway TEDx 2017
Lucky me! I had three theatre-related events this week, my most prominent NYC passion and indulgence. Monday night I was invited as a guest at TDF Honors Kinky Boots, a festive fund-raising event and concert which featured the entire cast of that creative musical....
Trevor Noah – Bravo!
While I was sick, I consumed a lot of culture, movies on Netflix, shows on HBOgo and I listened, via audible.com, to Trevor Noah's memoir Born a Crime. To be honest, I had rejected it as a possible choice when I first judged this book by its cover, which I...
Bloodroot – 40th Anniversary Celebration
Back in 1977 when my firstborn was two and a half, I was in a group we named The Mothers Food Coop. Several members of my Stamford, CT La Leche League group who, committed to breastfeeding our babies and improving our own nutrition, had gathered at one woman's home...
Down for the Count
Have you missed me? It's been over a month since I've posted on my blog, and here's why. I was down for the count. Whatever has been going around virally this winter found a friendly host in my chest, burrowed in and lingered for four weeks. For the first time in...
Own Your Wins!
That's what one of my vision partners said to me during our meeting this morning. I was bemoaning the string of rejections I got this week, wanting sympathy or to be let off the hook. "Yeah, Jane. Give up on trying to sell your memoir." Right? In my imaginary...
In Touch with My Feelings
My writing teacher keeps emphasizing substituting feeling language for thinking language in the personal essay I've been working on throughout her class. "Too cerebral," she says. I know she's right. I shared my piece with a good friend who agreed, and suggested...
Thank You! More Criticism, Please
When I first got back the personal essay I submitted during my 5-week writing-for-magazines class, I cringed at the amount of red ink covering the pages. "I'll never get this right," I cried inwardly. But then I remembered a comment my teacher at Gotham Writers...
Hillary Kun – Jon Stewart’s Right Hand for 15 years
I had the amazing privilege of hearing Hillary Kun interviewed at The 21 Club over lunch today. During the networking period ahead of her talk, the buzz was all about the march on Saturday. I keep meeting extraordinary women at the Women's Media Group (WMG) as well...
Zoom vs. Skype
Remember the old days when you could have a VCR or BetaMax? If you were in analysis paralysis, you may have waited so long that the choices eventually went away. Where are you with video conferencing? Are you a Skype user? Do you rely on FaceTime? I thought Skype...
Thank You Always, Scarlett DeBease
I'm leaving for Westport, Connecticut shortly to spend the night in order to avoid early commuter traffic tomorrow morning. I lead my Mastermind Intensive there monthly, which I totally love. But, like most women, what to pack to wear tomorrow, especially with a...
Meet the Remarkable Kimberley Chagnon
Every time a person signs up to receive my newsletter, I glance at their email address and subscribe them to my list. On a rare occasion, something about their name catches my eye, like it did when Kimberley Chagnon sent her contact information to subscribe. Her...
Are You Kind to Yourself?
One of the exercises Ken Nelson and I will take the retreat group through during Grand Renewal is an improv experience based on real life. In essence, it's an opportunity to look at a scenario you've experienced through a distant lens. It's tricky to describe, but...
What Do Robert Mapplethorpe, Lindy West and Bruce Springsteen Have in Common?
If you guessed that I'm currently enthralled in each of their life stories, you'd be right! I just completed reading Lindy West's memoir Shrill on the subway while I travel. I'm also listening to the audible.com production of Born to Run read by Bruce himself which...