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Turning Potential Into Results

Think it through

By Camille Smith / May 5, 2024

Window shopping – it’s inexpensive and fun until … We’d been admiring an artist’s print for a couple of years, delighted by the style, colors, and whimsy, wishing we had it on our wall.  Then the “fun until” happened … the 50% off sign appeared.  “Let’s get it!” hustled us to the cash register. We…

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Bring back the &

By Camille Smith / January 5, 2024

The English alphabet didn’t always go from A to Z. If you’d be learning your ABC’s in the 19th century, it’s very likely that your alphabet would have had a 27th member following Z – that member was &. The very first ampersand was a ligature – that is, a character consisting of two or…

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My Horse Teacher

By Camille Smith / August 16, 2022

In January, a friend said she was having fun volunteering to feed horses at a horse-assisted therapy center. I checked it out and, as they say, the rest is history. In February, I began the adventure of learning horse. (That sentence may not be grammatically correct, but it’s accurate, in my experience.)  I also began…

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Kids say the darndest things !

By Camille Smith / March 21, 2022

Before you read on, dial 1-707-998-8410. Make your selection: “1” if you’re feeling mad or frustrated. “2” if you need life advice. “3” if you need words of encouragement.  “4” to hear kids laughing with delight. “5” for encouragement in Spanish. Peptoc, as the free hotline is called, is a project from the students of…

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Moving forward with

By Camille Smith / March 8, 2022

I strive to have my blogs encourage the leader within you to take action, think newly, challenge the system and yourself, and always create trusting and compassionate relationships. This post is no different. There are leadership lessons here, though the path to find them may feel not well-marked. However it feels, know that it’s intentional…

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Happy New You!

By Camille Smith / December 17, 2021

Recently I gifted myself with the Sunday NYTimes. I browse each section, dog-earing what to read, tossing the rest. The articles broaden my thinking, the images inspire me, the theater ads make me want to live in NY. A headline in the 12/5 edition stopped me cold: Matthew McConaughey on trying to become living art.…

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Bolt of Insight

By Camille Smith / July 31, 2020

This is what we found as we laid out the parts to assemble a shade awning for our patio.         My reaction, “Crap. Everyone one of these bolts is bent and broken.” Oops. The bolts weren’t defective. They were an innovation. I couldn’t see it at first. My knowledge and experience of…

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Why do you ask?

By Camille Smith / March 4, 2020

The question frames and shapes the answer. The question “How far away from home are you?” asks for the number of miles you will travel. The question “When will you get home?” asks for the time you’ll open your front door. Who asks the question also frames and  shapes the answer — if we are…

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Don’t let length limit depth

By Camille Smith / March 10, 2019

In a recent workshop coaching people to successfully transition from peer to supervisor, I was asked, “Why did you go into teaching?” I thought, then answered “I don’t know.” My professional-self (the self that mimics the conventional wisdom of what I “should” do and say) was shouting inside “Make something up!” My Self-self (the Self…

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Bring the Redwoods Indoors

By Camille Smith / June 20, 2017

One of the many benefits of living in the SF Bay Area is that I’m nearby the ocean, the mountains and all that’s in-between. One of the amazing in-betweens is the magnificent redwood.  Learning about them might inspire you to bring their magnificence into your team. Foundation:  Root SystemsYou would think that a 350 foot-tall…

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