The Inspiration Code

CHAPTER 2

THE STORIES WE TELL OURSELVES WHILE WE’RE FALLING APART

2014 was a weird year.

Let me set the stage: My first book came out at the tail end of 2011, and I’d spent 2012 and part of 2013 doing the author marketing that goes along with publishing a book these days. It was busy but manageable. I continued to work with my core client base in Washington, and manage the activity of being a business owner, leadership coach, and a working parent.

Then, like a switch, everything changed. My book hit an inflection point, and I began getting all kinds of new and exciting work opportunities. Companies around the world were inviting me to speak or to coach their leaders. I was asked to do programs connected to Harvard, Duke, and Georgetown, and to ...