We asked some folks we admire to share one piece of conventional advice they disagree with.

Brian Coppom | Executive Director

You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs. Wrong. This thinking makes us lazy by justifying negative outcomes. I’m confident we can do better. We don’t need to sacrifice our soil or water in order to grow food. We don’t need to sacrifice other people or our planet to live full lives. Read more>>

Erin Dooley | Founder & President

“If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” This is categorically false – especially if you are a business owner. Owning a business is by far one of the most challenging things you’ll ever do. And there will be days when you work harder than you’ve ever worked in your life – BECAUSE you love what you do. And you care about your clients, your product or your employees. When you figure out what you love to do, and you choose to start a business around it, that love will drive you to work longer hours, be more determined and face mountains that would never be in your path as a regular employee at a mediocre job that bores you. But you will feel more fulfilled and – I believe – happier in the long run because you’ve worked so hard for something you truly love. Read more>>

Megan Slattery | Reiki and Shamanic Energy Healing

There’s an underlying theme in the American work ethic that we need to work ourselves to the bone, or have to deserve rest or time off. While I think hard work is important and a quality I value, another part of me disagrees with the work-ourselves-to-exhaustion mentality. As a healer, I physically can’t work myself to exhaustion because I wouldn’t be able to do my job well. Energy healing requires that I take exquisite care of myself, so that I can then take care of others in a meaningful and supportive way. I think everyone has to find that balance for themselves in work and in life, especially if you are a caregiver, healer, or helper in your community. The more you give outwardly, the more you need to give yourself inwardly to continue the cycle! I think the traditional American work advice doesn’t leave room for taking care of ourselves and having rest be a requirement rather than a “reward.” Read more>>

Emily Roehler | Broadcast Meteorologist

“Good things come to those who wait.” While patience is important, that alone will get you nowhere. I believe it’s important to have a goal and figure out what you need to do to achieve that! It may take some time, but you should be actively working toward what you want if you want to achieve it. I have worked toward my career goals since college ( I didn’t know what I wanted to do before then) but even in high school I was very focused on my grades to set myself up for success. Know your worth and work toward your goals! Hard work pays off and it’s important to actively pursue whatever you view as success, it rarely just falls in your lap without any work, planning or thought. Read more>>

Allie Chipkin | CEO & Founder of Give Love Originals (GLO)

“Trust yourself.” Trusting yourself is important, no doubt. However, sometimes the “inner voice” we’re told to listen to has become clouded by anxiety and fear. The voice in your head may demonstrate more about your doubts and insecurities than your gut desires. How do you recognize the sound of your authentic voice underneath the anxiety? I’ve learned two ways into this. The first is somatic: close your eyes, conduct a body scan, and notice the sensations that arise in your physical body. If you’re struggling with decision-making, sit with the unanswered question and notice if your body (not your mind) is signaling “green light” or “eek.” What do you FEEL? Not what do you think about the situation, but what does your body say, deeper than your mind can rationalize? Our minds can go back and forth all day, juggling pros + cons lists, and talking ourselves out of our true physical feelings. Our bodies, on the other hand, hold direct sensory information about how things makes us feel on a guttural level, even if we see no intellectual justification for those feelings. Somatic sensations matter, even when cannot rationalize them. Read more>>