Pep Talks: Real Conversations for Real Growth
Real talk for every woman who is rising, leading, or figuring out who she is becoming — at any age, in any season of life.
Use the search to filter pep talks by content, words, or whatever you’re looking for!
Leave Yourself Some Breadcrumbs: Why You Should Journal the Good Days, Not Just the Bad Ones
We journal when everything falls apart, but almost never when things are good. Here's the research-backed case for taking notes on your best days — so you always have a way back.
The Marble Jar Effect: Why Celebrating People Starts With Actually Seeing Them
Celebrating people well starts with truly seeing them. Learn how to notice what matters to others — and avoid celebrations that miss the mark.
The Summer Reset: 30 Journal Prompts to Retune Your Leadership Compass
Summer is the perfect season to pause and reflect. 30 meaningful journal prompts on goals, success, burnout, and self-discovery for women leaders.
Lead Anyway Leadership Quiz: What Kind of Leader Are You Becoming?
Identity isn’t something you discover in one moment — it’s something you build through reflection, curiosity, and courage. This quick quiz will help you explore your strengths and better understand the kind of leader you are becoming.
How to Find Yourself: 50 Journal Prompts to Understand Who You Are and Who You’re Becoming
Identity isn’t something you suddenly discover one day. It’s something you build slowly through reflection, experience, and curiosity. These 50 journal prompts will help you better understand who you are—and who you’re becoming.
When Parenting Becomes Chronic Stress (And You Didn’t Even Know the Name for It)
I didn’t realize there was a name for what we were living inside. Supporting a neurodivergent freshman through ADHD, trauma, and adolescence had slowly shifted our home into a state of chronic stress — the kind that reshapes your nervous system, your relationships, and your sense of self as a caregiver. This isn’t just parenting exhaustion; it’s the quiet, relentless weight many families carry while still showing up with love, resilience, and hope.
Borrowed Courage — Words to Hold Onto When the Noise Gets Loud
When the noise gets loud and leadership feels heavy, sometimes we don’t need new motivation — we need borrowed courage. From The Man in the Arena to I Have a Dream, this Strength Library gathers the most powerful speeches in history to help you stay grounded, lead with courage, and step back into the arena when it matters most.
Parenting the Child You Can’t Figure Out (Even When You’re Supposed to Know Better)
Some days it feels impossible to be both the parent holding everything together at home and the leader expected to show up confidently at work. When parenting feels heavy, self-doubt can spill into every part of life — even the places that once brought joy. This honest reflection explores what happens when our inner critic takes over, and how small shifts in self-talk, grace, and persistence help us keep moving forward — even when we’re exhausted.
Is the Pink Tax Real? What Girls Learn About Worth Before They’re 18
The pink tax is real — and it teaches girls early lessons about worth, fairness, and belonging. Here’s how it shows up in sports, school, and leadership.
What Athletic Administrators at the National Athletic Directors Conference Said About Belonging
What happens when athletic administrators are asked about belonging, burnout, and safety instead of strategy? Insights from the National Athletic Directors Conference reveal what leaders are really carrying.
Belonging Starts With You
We spend our lives chasing belonging — to a partner, a team, a purpose — only to realize we can be surrounded by people and still feel alone. This post explores the truth that belonging begins within. When we reconnect to ourselves, we stop performing for acceptance and start creating connection that feels real and lasting.
The Power of Connection: Why Relationships Are the Foundation of Belonging
After realizing connection was the missing ingredient in my life, I went searching for answers. The research is clear — belonging and connection are not nice-to-haves; they’re biological necessities. From Harvard’s 80-year happiness study to the U.S. Surgeon General’s warning about loneliness, science proves that real connection keeps us healthier, happier, and more alive.
The Burnout Watch List
Burnout rarely shows up all at once—it leaks in slowly. In this practical GRL Initiative guide, Dr. Lauren Young shares her personal Burnout Watch List: the emotional, physical, and mental warning signs that tell you you’re running on empty. Learn how to recognize the drift, reset your energy, and protect yourself before you crash. This isn’t about weakness—it’s about awareness.
How to Design a Healing Day: A Simple Plan to Recover from Burnout
Rest doesn’t just happen—it’s designed. In this GRL Initiative deep dive, Dr. Lauren Young shares how to build a healing day that actually restores your energy instead of adding more decisions to your to-do list. Learn how to communicate your needs clearly, set boundaries that stick, and create your own “dopamine menu” so you always know what brings you peace and joy. This is your guide to resting on purpose—without guilt.
The Cadence of Work: Why Leaders Need “Healing Days”
Leadership isn’t just about how hard you can go—it’s about how well you can recover. In this essay, Dr. Lauren Young reflects on the quiet crash that follows high-cadence seasons, when your brain is still buzzing with logistics and your body is begging for rest. Backed by research on burnout and recovery, she explores why “healing days” aren’t a luxury but a necessity. This post reminds ambitious women that rest is not something to earn after you’ve finished leading—it’s what makes powerful, sustainable leadership possible.
Gen Z with a Cold: Why Rest Is a Leadership Skill
Feeling guilty for resting? Here’s how pausing, delegating, and resetting actually makes you a stronger leader.
Ask GRL: How Do You Deal with Drama on Your Team?
Team drama is like a small fire everyone's trying to ignore. Here's how to protect your team's energy without picking sides
The 15-Year Reality Check: Why Your Teen Is Actually Doing Amazing
The walk to daycare hit me with unexpected clarity. Fifteen years ago, I was in LA, working as an assistant principal, living what felt like a completely different life. And yet—fifteen years doesn't feel that long ago. It feels recent enough that I can still taste the coffee from my favorite café, still remember the weight of my keys in my hand, still feel like that person and this person are connected by something more than just time.
But here's what stopped me in my tracks: if fifteen years back doesn't feel like ancient history to me, then fifteen years forward from birth isn't that far either. That high schooler I worked with today? They're not that far from being brand new.
The Irreplaceable Gift: Why Teachers Matter More Than Ever
In a world where AI can solve equations and write essays, what makes teachers irreplaceable? Your students won't remember your binder system or the quadratic formula, but they'll never forget how you made them feel. While artificial intelligence can deliver content, it cannot look a struggling student in the eye and say "I believe in you." It cannot sense when a quiet kid needs someone to notice them. It cannot do what teachers do best: make young people believe they can achieve the impossible. The Wright brothers might never have invented flight without teachers who instilled confidence in them first. As another school year begins, here's a reminder of your true superpower—and why the human heart of education will never go out of style.
My Summer Reading Stack: Books That Hit Different
This summer's reading wasn't just about entertainment—it was research. From Florence Knapp's "The Names" to Nate Bargatze's unexpected wisdom in "Big Dumb Eye," each book taught me something about authenticity, resilience, and what it means to show up fully. The best stories aren't about people who have it all figured out; they're about those brave enough to keep showing up when the path isn't clear. As leaders and women living full-size lives, we need stories that reflect our complexity—characters who struggle with staying true to themselves in systems not designed for them. Reading reminds me that the most powerful leaders are often still learning, growing, and brave enough to admit they don't have all the answers.