Make the implicit explicit

I recently listened to an insightful conversation between HBR IdeaCast host, Alison Beard, and UT Austin business professor, Andrew Brodsky on the nuances of virtual communication. Turns out, there’s a lot to it! In the discussion, Dr. Brodsky noted that now that we have fewer face-to-face meetings (yes even with full RTO), we haven’t thought very […]

From Scroll to Soul

I recently heard an amazing conversation between the CEO of Pinterest, Bill Ready, and the CEO of Hinge, Justin McLeod, moderated by Jessica Cruel, editor in chief at Allure magazine. The session was titled, “From Scroll to Soul: Building Tech That Matters IRL,” and they discussed how to build with purpose in an era of endless scrolling. I […]

We need to talk about the V-word…

(No, not the one you’re thinking of!) Another session from the Aspen Ideas Festival that really got me thinking was between author and researcher Brené Brown and AI scholar Kate Crawford. The conversation, “AI and the Human Spirit,” centered around the question, “what does it mean to lead, relate and live well in a world increasingly […]

Maybe happiness isn’t the only goal

A CHRO recently told me that their employees want full flexibility around when and why they come to the office, and that’s what they’re getting. And no big surprise: these employees are happy! The company was even featured as one of the Great Places to Work—the holy grail of a great culture. However, the CHRO […]

Is ChatGPT real writing?

Last week I was creating a document for an upcoming project. The person who helped me create the document casually called upon ChatGPT to insert some placeholder text for the copy that I would be ultimately writing. I thought—NO WAY! Not my work. As a writer, I like my own voice, and I’m going to […]

This back-to-school season is going to be different

This back-to-school season is going to be different. Why? Because of the concerted effort to ban phones in school districts across the nation. I had to hear about this for myself, so I asked my friend’s son at dinner last week. Their son is a junior in high school and he loves his tech—Xbox, phone, computer, you name it […]

Get human with AI

One of the feistiest sessions I attended at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival was on AI and Global Learning. Go figure! The discussions were intense and thought-provoking, with perspectives ranging from: Kaya Henderson, co-founder and CEO of Reconstruction and one of the panelists, summed it up perfectly: “We don’t need to decide if it’s good […]

Loneliness is still a thing

Last week, at the 2024 Aspen Ideas Festival, I attended two sessions that were so oversubscribed that people were actually sitting on the floor. Surprisingly, these were not the sessions with tech guru Kara Swisher and Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky, or even the session with author Michael Lewis talking about Sam Bankman-Fried. The standing-room-only sessions were Dr. […]

My meeting with a great human leader

A few days ago, I got this text: Erica – Greetings – Dawn here! Always like to check in when I am headed to Aspen to see how you are and if there is a chance to say hello! Would be great to connect. I hope you and your lovely family are well. Dawn It’s […]

I deleted instagram

For the last 19 years (except during Covid), I’ve gone away by myself once a year to take a break, get off my technology, and just relax. This year my reset ritual took place over Memorial Day weekend, and as a bonus, I brought my two daughters. As we drove out of NYC to the […]