Hello My Friend, Wow. What a strange few days. I missed posting cuz I was caught in the Chaos of Uncooperative Technology! I'm glad to be back. When I realized that my tech difficulties were over my head, I reached out for support. I spent time with a technician from The Geek Squad, and then with folks in The Apple Store. Oh, yeah, and then stopped at my fave Indian restaurant to pick up take-out dinner. Yum!! Moral of the story for today? Don't struggle with your Chaos when there's someone who can help. Reach out and ask for what you need. And then treat yourself when the problem is solved. 😄 What is something you could reach out to others to help with or ask them to take responsibility for?

First, let's welcome Rachel Cox - our newest member. She has hiked most of our Nat'l Parks! And I really missed making sure to welcome each of you as you jumped in with us. Sooo, let's fix that! Pick someone you haven't met yet, and say WELCOME! Here we ALL are! I'm so glad you are all here. Together, we can calm the chaos... Jody Marken - Horse trainer and dressage show judge Christian Phipps - Construction Guru and Cat Herder Michele Clark - Empowering Breast Cancer Survivors Les Landes - Landes & Assoc - continuous improvement systems Susan Miranda - Nurse Case Manager for folks with intellectual disabilities Ted Prodromou - Tahoe skier and author of Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Business Rozalind Murray - Mom, songwriter, and poet yearning for farm life Andrew Ruiz - Chef extraordinaire Sharon D Brown - Founder of Self Care You Academy Heidi Beckett - Autism mom, caretaker, cat lady, party animal Judith Coletti - founder of Two Old Broads podcast Hana van Campen - Crazy cat vet and thoroughbred horse Mom Freddy Cicerchia - Endurance cyclist, 9th-Dan Uechi Ryu martial artist Dr Jim DOC Weathers - Biohacking Doc for pro and elite athletes Kevin Whitacre - Mechanical engineer and Colorado horseman Jessica Rose - Mystical therapist and Guide Feather Berkower - Child sexual abuse prevention educator/author Halima Davidson - Military veteran and award-winning human resources leader Allison O’Neall - Textile artist and lover of the natural world Dawn Hogan - Business Marketing and Strategic Coach Melissa Riley - Former special educator and rabbit rescuer Lisa Burke - DC fan of Calm Your Chaos and cat wrangler Karin Antoni - Personal trainer, horse Mom, nutrition guru Jane Rauscher - Former D1 basketball player, pickleball aficionado Scott Dresser - Construction contractor, wilderness EMT, praying for snow

It's official, My Friend. As The Anxiety Avenger, I have joined my friend Ted Simmons - The Superhero of Shyness - in creating a team podcast. We're calling it "Stepping Out of Stuck"! This was not an easy consensus to reach. After mulling over names with themes of confidence and accomplishment, we decided folks would be best served by us helping them get "unstuck" from where they are now, with support to move forward. If you were to create a podcast, radio show, or TV series about a main theme from YOUR life, what would YOU call it? Can't wait to chat about this one tonight at 6pm MT! Putting it on calendar now...

During last night’s Calming Chaos live call💻, I was asked to share my perspective on a challenge many professionals face but don’t always feel free to talk about: "How do you handle chaos at work when the pressure, control, or micromanagement is coming from leadership above you?"😠 The conversation was honest, real, and worth watching. I’d encourage you to go back and view the full call to hear the context, comments, and discussion that led to this question. When I’m not treating pro and elite athletes💪—keeping them in the game until they are ready to leave on their own terms—I consult with healthcare practitioners, clinics, and organizations on leadership and operational breakdowns.👨‍⚕️ And this issue comes up far more often than people realize. Leaders want results… ✔️🏆but sometimes their behavior makes it harder to actually get the job done. After the call ended, I kept thinking about the discussion and realized there were a few additional points that didn’t make it into the live conversation, so I wanted to share them here. Here’s the bottom line: Difficult people are unavoidable. Strong professionals don’t win by reacting to them—they win by managing themselves.☮️ A few perspectives shift that matter: • “Difficult” doesn’t always mean unethical or toxic. ☣️ Often, it’s personality differences—contrarians, micromanagers, chronic skeptics—who may still bring real value to the organization. • Also worth remembering: You may be the difficult one to someone else. That awareness alone changes how you respond. • Matching behavior never works. When you react emotionally or mirror control, you give away your leadership edge. What actually helps you navigate the chaos: • Know the real goal.🏆 Leadership isn’t about changing people—it’s about helping them succeed without losing your professionalism or credibility. • Prepare before the interaction.📑 If you don’t prepare, difficult leaders can take control of your emotions before the conversation even starts. • Manage your internal response first.

When I catch myself hanging back on launching a new venture, out-of-the box idea, or tough project, I look for signs of imposter syndrome sneaking up on me. Recently, I committed to doing the work to get articles published in major outlets. Learning the ins and outs of writing this way has been a real challenge. Writing my 1st book, "Cracking the Crazymakers' Code: 9 Simple Steps to Ease Your Anxiety" was easier! Article writing is a different animal, and it requires a thick skin when pitching ideas to editors. 😅 Sometimes the imposter gremlin tells me, "Who are you to get into that magazine?" "You're not a journalist." "Stick with the writing you know how to do." Well, I'm calling BS on all that! Who am I not to do [insert activity here]? And who are YOU to not launch a new direction in YOUR world? If imposter syndrome sneaks up on you too, let's share some strategies to banish it. One I'll share is posting supportive thoughts on my bathroom mirror and fridge. "Of course you can get published in major outlets." "What you have to share will help people." "Your brain loves learning new things!" OK. YOUR turn! What helps YOU to banish the imposter syndrome gremlins?