Step Up & Thrive

Step Up & Thrive โœจ๐Ÿ“ถWe help overwhelmed executives and high performing professionals step up and thrive by tapping into full potential and raised awareness on influenceโœจ๐Ÿ“ถ

Thereโ€™s something powerful about how you start a year because it shapes the story you tell yourself for the next twelve ...
01/21/2026

Thereโ€™s something powerful about how you start a year because it shapes the story you tell yourself for the next twelve months.

What an energizing way to kick off 2026 by strengthening confidence, voice, and personal leadership.

Grateful for the opportunity to share this impactful one-hour session alongside Ed Tate, CSP, and to witness again the life-changing power of intentional communication.

What moved me most wasnโ€™t just the techniques. It was the stories.

Before we even officially began, members shared how this community has helped them navigate stuttering, autism, and communication challenges. From learning to manage ticks, staccato thinking, eye contact, and self-trust. Thatโ€™s not surface-level growth. Thatโ€™s transformation.

Over the past decade, Iโ€™ve seen it again and again:
โœจ promotions and career pivots
โœจ confidence rebuilt from the inside out
โœจ businesses launched
โœจ mindsets expanded
โœจ people choosing to live (and lead) more fully.

This is what happens when people are given a space to practice, reflect, and rise.

If youโ€™re thinking about starting a club in your organization or community, whether for adults or youth, our future leaders, or simply want to connect with a network that develops leaders from the inside out, Iโ€™d love to help open that door.

Because 2026 isnโ€™t just about doing more.
Itโ€™s about becoming more.

Letโ€™s make it your strongest year yet.





๐“๐ก๐ž ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ž๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ฒ.โฃโฃItโ€™s poor listening.โฃโฃBecause when leaders donโ€™t truly liste...
01/09/2026

๐“๐ก๐ž ๐ฆ๐จ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ž๐ฑ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐›๐ฅ๐ž๐ฆ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐ฉ๐จ๐จ๐ซ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐š๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ฒ.โฃ
โฃ
Itโ€™s poor listening.โฃ
โฃ
Because when leaders donโ€™t truly listen, hereโ€™s what quietly multiplies:โฃ
โž–๐‘๐ž๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค (teams rebuild what they thought you wanted)โฃ
โž–๐‘๐ข๐ฌ๐ค (early warning signs go unheard until they become emergencies)โฃ
โž–๐‘๐ž๐ฌ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐œ๐ž (people stop sharing truth and start managing perception)โฃ
โž–๐‘๐ž๐ ๐ซ๐ž๐ญ (talent leavesโ€ฆ and leadership learns last)โฃ
โฃ
In executive coaching, I see this pattern all the time:โฃ
Leaders arenโ€™t trying to ignore people. Theyโ€™re operating at speed, under pressure, with constant interruptions.โฃ
But listening isnโ€™t a personality trait. Itโ€™s a ๐ฅ๐ž๐š๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ ๐œ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ž๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐œ๐ฒ, and itโ€™s trainable.โฃ
โฃ
One of the places Iโ€™ve seen the greatest leadership growth happens in real-time, high-accountability environments like Toastmasters District 65, where I serve at the District level supporting club coaching and member development.โฃ
โฃ
๐“๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ง๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž๐ž๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐ :โฃ
Ask one questionโ€”then donโ€™t rescue the silence.โฃ
Let people think. Let meaning surface.โฃ
That pause is where awareness is activated.โฃ
If you want it, comment ๐‹๐ˆ๐’๐“๐„๐ and weโ€™ll share a simple โ€œ๐„๐ฑ๐ž๐œ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐‹๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ง๐ข๐ง๐  ๐’๐œ๐จ๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐š๐ซ๐โ€ you can use in 5 minutes.โฃ
โฃ

01/06/2026

If you lead, manage, or support othersโ€ฆ
This session is for you.
๐Ÿ‘‡ Join us and experience The Coachโ€™s Edge
Scan the QR code or click the link in the profile ๐Ÿ“ฒ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿป






Thanksgiving is a reminder that leadership starts at home, around the table, not just at work or in the boardroom.Iโ€™m sh...
11/26/2025

Thanksgiving is a reminder that leadership starts at home, around the table, not just at work or in the boardroom.

Iโ€™m sharing a simple, meaningful Thanksgiving Reflection Activity for Families that helps you spark connection and deepen gratitude, without forcing anything awkward.

If you want an easy way to create meaningful moments this week, I broke it all down on the blog:
โžก๏ธ Download the Thanksgiving Activity
(Link to the blog in the comments below)

Start with gratitude.
Start with connection.
Start at the table.


At the 2025 NYS MWBE Forum I was reminded of something powerful: ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐š...
11/19/2025

At the 2025 NYS MWBE Forum I was reminded of something powerful: ๐ ๐ซ๐จ๐ฐ๐ญ๐ก ๐ก๐š๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ž๐ง๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐›๐ข๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐š๐ ๐ž.โฃ
โฃ
I walked into the conference expecting to make a few new connectionsโ€ฆโฃ
but I walked out having met people who are shaping the future of New York state.โฃ
I spent the day talking withโฃ
โœ”๏ธ State agency leaders who are ready to bring in partners who elevate peopleโฃ
โœ”๏ธ Procurement teams who are actively searching for innovative WBE vendorsโฃ
โœ”๏ธ Entrepreneurs rewriting their next chapter through state contracting opportunities.โฃ
โฃ
And somewhere between the breakout sessions and hallway conversations, I realized:โฃ
๐–๐ž ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐Ÿ๐š๐ฌ๐ญ๐ž๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ž๐ง ๐ฐ๐ž ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐ญ๐จ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ.โฃ
โฃ
As a NYS and NYC WBE certified business and talent and youth development partner, itโ€™s moments like these that reaffirm the work we doโ€”helping teams communicate better, lead better, and create positive ripple effect results.โฃ
โฃ
If we met at the forum, letโ€™s continue the conversation.โฃ
2025 is going to be a year of collaboration and momentum.โฃ
โฃ
โฃ

When was the last time your team surprised youโ€ฆ in a good way?Many leaders settle for compliance disguised as commitment...
11/07/2025

When was the last time your team surprised youโ€ฆ in a good way?

Many leaders settle for compliance disguised as commitment.

People nod in agreement, but their actions whisper indifference.

Hereโ€™s what that costs:
โ€ข Delayed decisions that stall momentum
โ€ข Meetings that drain instead of drive
โ€ข Teams that perform to the minimum, not the mission.

You canโ€™t fix what you wonโ€™t face, so letโ€™s face it: engagement isnโ€™t a perk; itโ€™s the pulse of performance.

๐Ÿšฉ When your best team members leave, ๐˜ช๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜บ. ๐˜๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฑ.โฃโฃโฃโฃAs a proud ๐๐˜๐’ & ๐๐˜๐‚ ๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ...
10/30/2025

๐Ÿšฉ When your best team members leave, ๐˜ช๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ต ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜บ๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ด๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜บ. ๐˜๐˜ตโ€™๐˜ด ๐˜ข๐˜ฃ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ต ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ด๐˜ฉ๐˜ช๐˜ฑ.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
As a proud ๐๐˜๐’ & ๐๐˜๐‚ ๐‚๐ž๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ข๐ž๐ ๐–๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐„๐ง๐ญ๐ž๐ซ๐ฉ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž (๐–๐๐„), Step Up & Thrive is excited to join the ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ“ ๐๐ž๐ฐ ๐˜๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐’๐ญ๐š๐ญ๐ž ๐Œ๐–๐๐„ ๐…๐จ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ฆ, an event where innovation, inclusion, and impact converge.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
We help executives break through stagnation and build retention-ready teams with our coaching laboratory approach. Ready to grow stronger leadership from within?โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
๐Ÿ”ฌ Letโ€™s create your leadership lab.โฃโฃ
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Youโ€™re leadingโ€ฆ but is anyone ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ?โฃโฃโฃโฃYou show up prepared.โฃโฃYou cast the vision.โฃโฃYou rally the team.โฃโฃโฃโฃYet the ...
10/28/2025

Youโ€™re leadingโ€ฆ but is anyone ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜จ?โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
You show up prepared.โฃโฃ
You cast the vision.โฃโฃ
You rally the team.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Yet the same issues circle back with unfinished projects, blank stares, โ€œgreat ideasโ€ that go nowhere.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Youโ€™re not failing, you're simply bumping into the modern leadership dilemma: ๐ฅ๐š๐œ๐ค ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ซ๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐š๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Because knowledge alone doesnโ€™t move people, ๐˜ข๐˜ธ๐˜ข๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด does.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
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Some conversations move people to action. Othersโ€ฆ just move on.During a powerful session with Dr. Rick, a world-class ex...
10/24/2025

Some conversations move people to action. Othersโ€ฆ just move on.

During a powerful session with Dr. Rick, a world-class expert in business communication and sales, we explored how to turn ordinary problem statements into attention-grabbing, action-driving conversations.

The secret?
When you connect clarity, business impact, and emotion, you donโ€™t just talk about problemsโ€ฆ you make people feel and think differently about whatโ€™s at stake.

๐Ÿ’ญ How much potential business is being left on the table because your message doesnโ€™t hit where it matters most?


When I read this feedback from Christa โ€” one of 20 professionals who joined our recent training โ€” it reminded me why thi...
10/10/2025

When I read this feedback from Christa โ€” one of 20 professionals who joined our recent training โ€” it reminded me why this work matters so much.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Teams donโ€™t lose momentum overnight.โฃโฃ
It starts smallโ€ฆโฃโฃ
A misread email.โฃโฃ
A tone thatโ€™s misunderstood.โฃโฃ
A conversation that never happens.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Before long, communication weakens, conflicts surface, and valued employees begin to disengage โ€” or leave.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Thatโ€™s why Iโ€™m genuinely excited about the ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜น๐˜ต ๐˜ฑ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ด๐˜ฆ with this team to help them gain insights and understanding how different behavioral styles communicate, make decisions, and handle conflict.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
When individuals see themselves and others clearly, something powerful happens:โฃโฃ
โœจ Strengths are maximizedโฃโฃ
โœจ Personal effectiveness increasesโฃโฃ
โœจ Team connection and collaboration growโฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
Weโ€™ll soon be diving into individual assessments and group insights that will take their teamwork and communication to a whole new level.โฃโฃ
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Because when teams learn ๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ ๐˜ต๐˜ฐ ๐˜ธ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฌ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ง๐˜ฆ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด ๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ฆ๐˜ข๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ง ๐˜ข๐˜จ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ด๐˜ต ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฎ โ€” everyone wins.โฃโฃ
โฃโฃ
If your organization is ready to strengthen communication, reduce conflict and friction, and build a culture of trustโ€ฆ this might be the best next step for you too.




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Syracuse, NY

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