December 29, 2025
Bode’s Top 5 from 2025
2025 was a year of reckoning for me both personally and professionally. I got to experience the joy that is perimenopause, continue navigating my ADHD, and I got to witness […]
August 11, 2025
Own Your Quirks
I am the most unathletic person you will ever meet. If you don’t believe me, watch the video of me rollerblading—it’s on my Instagram. I’m not giving you the link, […]
May 16, 2025
We Don’t Do Marketing
(If I hear this one more time, I’m gonna throat punch someone.) If I had a dollar for every time a technical or contracting company said, “We don’t do marketing*,” […]
April 22, 2025
You Are the Face of Your Business—Start Acting Like It
It was standing room only. Business owners packed into a room to talk about something most of us avoid like the plague: ourselves. Not our services.Not our logos.Not our team’s […]
November 14, 2022
I’m Kind of a Big Deal: Thought Leadership
I am not a fan of the phrase “thought leadership,” but I have yet to come up with a better term, so here we are. It’s why I titled this […]
February 26, 2018
5 ways to amplify your personal brand
I had a great conversation this past week with good friend of mine, who is in an influential and important role in Grand Rapids. She was looking to amplify her […]
August 21, 2017
Is gratitude extinct?
Is gratitude lost in todays society, never to be found again? Am I jaded in thinking that younger professionals want things handed to them without first working for it? It […]
August 10, 2017
Let’s negotiate
Negotiation is a part of every aspect of our life. In your personal life it could be trying to get your spouse to do a chore or run an errand. […]
August 7, 2017
It’s on you to grow your network
Hello everyone seeking a job, connection, friend, mentor, advice – stop bugging everyone. Make it happen yourself. No one owes you anything. They certainly don’t owe you their time, an […]
March 6, 2017
Make your own opportunities
I met with a potential client this past week and we started talking about networking, being a connector and building valuable relationships. I know I have talked about this in […]
June 28, 2016
Why you can’t afford to ignore personal branding
It still amazes me how bad individuals are at promoting themselves, the fact is everything you do shapes your personal brand. The benefits of personal branding are numerous, the only […]
April 19, 2016
Becoming the salesperson of ‘you’
In the last week it occurred to me what a terrible job professionals do marketing themselves. Developing your personal brand and communicating your value proposition is key to success. Everything […]
