Life Junctions LLC

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Life Junctions LLC

Career-Family Navigation Coach for Talented, Caring Women and Parents https://linktr.ee/stacyskim

12/03/2025

Doing something hard yet important can feel challenging because our brains can picture the worst based on the past. Meanwhile, we can’t imagine “new and good” possibilities the future can hold.

A couple of weeks ago, my brother and I made an unplanned trip to Seoul. My mom’s health has taken a serious turn. I braced myself for more heartache having watched Alzheimer’s take more and more of her over the past 7 years.

What I couldn’t have imagined was the odd peace and moments of sweetness, like my brother giving our dad a haircut.

The next time you’re facing something hard, something you dread, remember: alongside the difficult, there may be something surprising you couldn’t have imagined. It may not cancel out the bad, but it is good nonetheless.

Has something like this surprised you too? Please share them in the comments. I’d love to hear from you. ❤️

10/21/2025

“Nothing in life is as joy producing or as misery inducing as we think it is. appreciating this truth can not only liberate us, empower us, and broaden our horizons, but it can grant us our best opportunity to choose well, to get it right.”

Using leftover angora to make a chain link scarf or cowl. I think I could have planned this a bit better but we’ll see how it goes.

10/16/2025

After a busy summer, all I wanted was to stay home and work on my book. Kyle, however, suggested we get away for a month, promising that I would have ample time to write and have some fun.

I was skeptical and resisted. He insisted.

In the end, he curated a writing retreat just for me.

After writing during the day, I experienced a familiar city in new ways, drinking, eating and bowling with old friends and knitting with strangers. As is his signature, he got me to see four games at the lakeside stadium and watch him run a marathon in Berlin. I learned to take better photos and appreciate street art there, too. We then enjoyed cats, sights and food during a quick stop in Istanbul. The finale was my 35th college reunion. Go Cats!

I learned (again) that giving up control and accepting help often leads to better outcomes.

Thank you

10/02/2025

“Your head is the house you live in, so you have to do the maintenance.” -

Wise wisdom from a fun read.

I finished my Getting Warmer Cowl with lovely yarn purchased at in time for last week but it was hot to wear. That’s OK. The Cats beat the Bruins!!

For more information about my book notes or knitting, see links in bio.

09/23/2025

“Don’t be cool; be warm.”

I spotted this graffiti in Berlin. It captures great advice I didn’t know about making good first impressions. Fortunately, I learned about it while doing research for my book.

, Susan Fiske, and found that upon meeting someone new, we make quick judgements (often based on stereotypes) on two key dimensions:

Warmth: Will this person help or harm me?
Competence: Can they actually follow through?

High warmth, high competence -> admiration
Low warmth, low competence -> contempt
High warmth, low competence -> pity
High competence, low warmth -> envy

In her HBR article, Amy Cuddy recommends that leaders start with warmth then competence.

For most of my life, had that backwards; knowing I was not cool, I tried to prove I was smart. Moving forward, I will aim on being kind and empathetic.

What do you do when you want to make a good first impression?

09/05/2025

“Her father always said that the price for hearing gossip was having someone else gossip about you.” - , Pretty Girls

Sharing two firsts:

My first foray into Karin Slaughter’s world. Despite that this book scared and disturbed me, I could not put it down. And of course, there was wisdom in it to learn from too!

Learning a new needle craft: Sashiko!! I was drawn to it because it is simple and beautiful. Now I’m taken by its origins. The Japanese used it to strengthen the cotton and to repair it as a way to give their towels and clothing longer life!

08/21/2025

Last December at the Setagaya Boro-ichi (an annual flea market held since 1578), I had the loveliest conversation with this artist who was selling “bean trees.”

She spoke English and did not consider herself an artist, but clearly is. Moreover, she had such a joyful demeanor to match the fun “beans” made from traditional fabric scraps.

It took a lot of care to bring my branch home from Tokyo via Seoul, but it was worth the effort because now I get to remember my inspiring conversation with a stranger and feel her joy again.

And, I hope that by sharing this I might inspire you to talk to a stranger, too.

08/08/2025

“This is the trick and poison of exceptionalism. We wanted her to see us and then show us what she saw that was so captivating. We wanted her to help us see ourselves. The artists, meanwhile, sat without expectation, understanding this was not magic. This was just work.” -

A little over a year ago, I met Kelly, the author of The Leaving Season. It was my first time at or any artist residency. I felt like an imposter because I got in due to a cancellation. I didn’t know what to expect. Kelly not only welcomed me, showed me ropes, and but encouraged me. And she has continued to be a marvelous friend.

Shortly after I left, I read her memoir in essays. Of course, she was a brilliant too!! Her observations on life as it unfolds and the ability to describe insights are mesmerizing. Just swipe and read the page leading up to the quote for yourself!!

How did I get so lucky??

The photo is from 9/6/24 when I was knitting a bunch of fingerless mitts. You can check them out on my Ravelry page (see link in bio)

05/23/2025

Yesterday’s Wordle was also the “answer” to a long-held prayer.

Thank you and of for all the hints and solutions to my publishing puzzles.

05/20/2025

“The world was righted now. Women friends cast their own color of sunshine” - The Burgess Boys

I am so grateful for my women friends.

05/13/2025

Should ‘a taken a left turn at Albuquerque? With so many options, do you feel often stuck finding it hard to make a choice? ⬅️ ➡️ ↗️ ↖️ 🔄 🔃

That’s understandable. It’s easy for smart and caring people to feel decision fatigue.

Kyle () who was driving, told me to snap this photo while we were on Route 66 last week. It captures how overwhelming life can feel. But, it can also remind us what we can do about it:

1. Even if we feel we “should’a taken a left,” we can backtrack, try again, and make the “right” turn. Or, we can make a better choice next time. Every single little decision doesn’t have to carry so much weight because we can make fixes.

2. We shouldn’t dwell too long on every single choice. It’s likely to turn to chatter or negative self-talk. Imagine if you sat at this intersection. Cars behind you would start honking. You could cause a traffic jam.

3. It does help to know where you are going, or at least have just a little bit of guidance or some rules of thumb. Let’s say you need to go to the airport. Look at the photo again. What do you see? I bet that picture of the plane stood out to you!

I share more about this in my recent newsletter. If you’re a subscriber, check your emails. If not, please subscribe at LifeJunctions.com/newsletter.

04/14/2025

“The regulation tools that are based on approaching our emotions are often considered universally good, and the coping mechanisms we use to avoid our emotions are considered universally bad….

“[Instead] think of your ability to express and suppress emotion as the equivalent of push-ups and pull-ups. Being able to switch back and forth between these exercises is a good measure of your strength and agility…

“The people who were best at switching back and forth between the two [expressing and suppressing emotions] showed a higher degree of flexibility…a key indicator for resilience.” - , Shift: Managing Your Emotions So They Don’t Manage You.

Dr. Kross is one of my favorite authors from U of M, whose alumni association is hosting me to give a career webinar tomorrow. (Free to public, link in bio.) You can bet I’ll be mentioning his work during the presentation.

Meanwhile, my knitting project is coming along, just in time for Easter…

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