Courageous Life and Work

With Babs Kelly

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Hey Babs, “None of it Was Wrong Per Se”

Babs responds with, "this is seriously shouty red flag stuff". Hey Babs, I just got shoulder tapped for an executive position in the organization that I’ve been working in for the past five years. I started as a middle manager of public-facing units and quickly moved...

Updates and New Email

Catching up, smoothing out the business bumps, and making time for something new. I love my work, but I’m not so keen on sending out invoices or using social media or figuring out how my calendar interoperates with, well with whatever it interoperates with. I’ve been...

How We Talk About AI

My grandfather said “pony up” to me a lot when I was a kid. I was one disappointed kid waiting for that pony. Too many of us are still either talking about LLMs, ChatGPT, and hallucinations as the coming of the end of the world or exclaiming “cool” every...

Winter Renewal Coaching Offer

I am offering, just for subscribers, Winter Renewal coaching sessions at a 50% discount. Each 55 minute session is held via Zoom and includes a follow-up homework email. This is my way of celebrating this community of readers and giving back to you good folks who...

December 2025 List

1 Today Was Fun, A Book About Work (Seriously), by Bree Groff (2025) This book is an engaging and easy read that pokes at things that need poking at. And it left me with a bit of unease. I’m all for being more intentional with good vibes, friendliness, and the...

Hey Babs, The Missing Connections

The story that Babs got tired of waiting for, so made it up. Sort of. Hey Babs, We recently worked with a consultancy firm to design and implement a complete overhaul of our organizational structure and service delivery. The changes are transformative and include...

A Bit of Finish Sisu for Your Workday

In short, it is time for a new Nordic trend. Luckily, Finland has just the thing: sisu—a personality trait or philosophy combining inner strength, perseverance and a can-do attitude towards adversity. It comes from a country that has been through plenty. Ruled...

October 2025 List

Whispered messages on the mound, the trashing of psychological safety, Babs being a small fish, and Dostoevsky. 1 Amongst the home runs, 100 mph pitches, wild catches, and all the lovely team player dynamics like hugging, my favourite part of Game 5 of the World...

Language Lessons, Expense Approvals, and Conferences as Treats

The high costs of low integrity. Exchanging Atoms I’m a big fan of meeting in person. There’s something about the exchange of our teeny-tiny atoms that only happens when we are leaning in, breathing the same air, and sharing the rhythm of our heartbeats and brain...

Hey Babs: My Rights and the Team Agreement

Babs responds with wants are not rights and a bucket of dandelion wishes is not an agreement. Hey Babs, I consider myself a seasoned professional with solid emotional intelligence and excellent team skills and I’m feeling more than a little thrown by a situation on...

A Time for Courage

Something is telling you that now is the time for change. A time for courage.

Our organizations, communities, and the world need us to have courage.

With courage we reach in and deeply connect with and act on our integrity, confidence, curiosity, authenticity, kindness, humility, and decisiveness.

With courage we are at ease with our commitment to a high-bar of ethical behaviour and personal and professional growth that shows up in how we relate to ourselves and others.

With courage we have a vision of what is possible and the smarts for leading a path there. We work and play well with others and know how to step outside the group norm to understand and see things differently so that we can do things differently and better.

And we need to do things differently and better for our organizations, communities, and the world.

Are you ready to ignite and expand your skills, wisdom, and energy to be more courageous with your life, work, those around you, and your unique awesomeness?

Are you or your team ready to move the dial from good-enough to fabulous on recognizing and creating solutions, strategic planning, and managing initiatives and change, while developing a culture where leadership and staff thrive?

As a professional coach and facilitator, I bring the experience and expertise you need and want for living and working with courage.

I’m here for you.

Babs