WOMEN

We should accept more gratitude into our lives and not shy away from letting others recognize our awesomeness

My mother taught me an important lesson growing up — when someone gives you a compliment, tell them “thank you.”

Whether you believe it or not, whether you want to hear it or not, that person was nice enough to say something so “thank you” is the appropriate response. It’s the same as accepting a gift from someone, even if you might not like or want it (hello, fruitcake) because someone was thinking about you.

As the giver (of presents or compliments)…

I’m a firm believer that work-life balance is a fallacy, but that has never stopped me from trying to cohesively manage the different aspects of my life. I recently came across an article that made me ask myself: are my personal life and career really that different?

If you’re like me and have cultivated a career through education and strategic work experience, your “work” is part of you. It’s in your bio. It’s how people distinguish you from the other Jennifers out there. It’s one of the first things you reveal about yourself to new acquaintances. You don’t turn it…

I wear a lot of hats. Not literally, but metaphorically speaking.

There’s the wife/mother hat, although sometimes these are separate hats because every wife needs a night off from mothering now and then. There’s the banker hat I wear to work, the non-profit-board hat I wear for certain meetings and events, and the fun-friend hat I don for happy hour (when we used to be able to go to the bar, that is). When I go to the local bookstore I wear my I-read-serious-novels hat and when I shop for books online I can wear my I-prefer-to-read-romances hat.

There are…

In 1995 I auditioned to be a speaker at my high school graduation. I wasn’t valedictorian or student body president. I was an almost-all-As student who thought I had something to say.

It’s been 25 years — a quarter of a century — and I thought it might be wise to revisit my words of wisdom and see if they were extremely off base or timelessly witty. You can be the judge and take what works for you.

Looking in a mirror I see a reflection of a person that time has molded. Each accomplishment, each rejection, each heartache, is…

In less than 14 days the Small Business Administration and its bank partners processed more than 14 years’ worth of loans. That’s $349 billion going into the accounts of small businesses to help lessen the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I’m not saying this to toot my own horn (I’m a banker) but to ask congress to send us more money. Unfortunately, $349 billion wasn’t enough to help everyone.

Banks were inundated with applications and we’ve worked long hours every day since April 3rd to review and process them. The government and SBA finalized the rules for the program less…

My 15-year-old daughter is 6'4". I always knew that my children would be tall, and it was evident that my daughter would be an above-average height at an early age. “Off the charts” was what the pediatrician said. Her growth has slowed down but doctors tell us she might have an inch or so left to grow.

Being “bigger” translates to awesomeness when you’re in preschool

When Ashley was in preschool she was a natural leader — her teachers said the kids would follow her around and listen to her speak. In elementary school, Ashley was always the one in the middle back row of the risers such that…

“But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” — Benjamin Franklin

I know. It sucks. But you have to file your taxes every year (unless you’re my husband and then I’ll do it for you). Even if you have a CPA or tax preparer you’re still stuck providing records and trying to remember all those times you dropped off stuff at the Salvation Army.

Why not use this opportunity to conduct your own financial check-up? There is no scarcity of financial advice out there for you so I’m not going to espouse the…

I’ve had some great managers in my day, and I’ve had some terrible ones. I’ve been managed and I’ve managed others. Do high performers make good managers? No. High performance is not an adequate indicator of quality management. The skills needed to be an effective leader of people are different from those that make a high performer.

Product / Industry Knowledge ≠ People Knowledge

I joined ABC Lending at a time when they were looking to expand their loan offerings, collateral, and lending terms. …