Development Crossroads

The End-of-Year Free Pass

If you’re new here, you may want to sign up for my free email newsletter. Thanks for visiting!You’ve been crazy busy this year with challenging work projects, plenty of travel, and family obligations. You’ve barely kept your head above water, so you’ve probably had to say No to certain non-urgent tasks– like keeping in touch […]

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The 5-Minutes-a-Week Gratitude Challenge

Can you spare 5 minutes a week in order to boost your happiness, improve your relationships, and enhance your health? Then I invite you to join the 5-Minutes-a-Week Gratitude Challenge*. All you have to do is write down, once a week, what you are thankful for. It doesn’t have to be a long list – […]

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Sign up for the Peer Coaching Pilot Program

Do any of these statements apply to you? You work in international development & aid, either in the field or at HQ You’d like to get better at your job, be happier at work, make a bigger impact You sometimes feel isolated or that your colleagues/friends/family don’t really “get” the work you do You are […]

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Tap Into the Surprising Benefits of Gratitude

Thanksgiving – that most American of holidays – is upon us. And although I have lived outside of my home country of the US for roughly 40% of my life, I still get a hankering for turkey with all the trimmings sometime around the fourth Thursday of November. (Shout out to my Canadian friends who […]

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From Envy to Inspiration

“Remember to stay on your own yoga mat,” the yoga instructor said as I, and the members of my yoga class, held the “warrior” pose. “Don’t compare yourself to others. This is your yoga practice, not someone else’s.” After that comment, I made a concerted effort to avoid sneaking a peek at the super-fit, super-flexible […]

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Do Not Skip This Step in Your International Development Job Search

It’s okay to dip your toe in the pool, and then decide whether you’d like to dive in. It’s okay to go on a first date — or 50 dates – before you decide whether you want to marry that person. It’s okay to test-drive a car before you buy it. In fact, not only […]

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3 Questions to Find Your Career Sweet Spot

Trying to figure out what work is best for you? Answer three questions and find the “sweet spot” where your answers intersect. In sports like tennis, baseball, or golf, there is such a thing as a “sweet spot” – the area on the racket, bat, or club where hitting the ball will have maximum impact. […]

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Good Fences Make Good Careers in International Development

Fresh out of grad school, I took a job at a management consulting firm in Washington, DC. My employer was a large private sector company; all of my clients were government agencies. I was excited to help public sector organizations become more effective in carrying out their missions. In my early days on the job, […]

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Dads in International Development Weigh In on Work-Life Balance (Part 2 of 2)

Long working hours, extensive international travel, and late night (or early morning) conference calls are often expected of international development professionals. And for those who are raising kids, it can be challenging to balance these demands with the needs of family. To celebrate Father’s Day last week, I asked dads who work in aid & […]

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