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HOLLY JOY MCILWAIN
Speaker. Author. Coach. Consultant.
Blog posts
Jun 24, 20244 min read
The Good Life
The Good Life It’s a balmy 87 degree day in Western Pennsylvania. My children are doing cannonballs in a neighborhood pool. I’m chatting...
Mar 14, 20222 min read
Keep Writing On Those Blank Pages
I’m a bit of a reluctant collector of journals. They always seem like such a great idea. I have PILES of them. Seriously. Piles. Now,...
Feb 18, 20226 min read
Successfully Failing
The Paradox of Successfully Failing A colleague of mine from many years ago affectionately referred to my work style as “fire, aim,...
Mar 17, 20213 min read
When "Cutting It" Counts
Starting a business is never easy. There are many starts, stops, and pivots. Ask any business owner and they can reveal the harrowing...
Feb 8, 20214 min read
Your Personal Brand in a Virtual World
Originally posted by The Bond Consulting Group on January 21, 2021 The key to projecting a desired brand or image is in how you show up...
Jan 17, 20215 min read
Busy is the New Happy...or Is It?
Frequently we all hear it, and many of us say it as a response to simple questions like, “How was your day?”, “What’s going on at work?”,...
Dec 19, 20203 min read
The Empty Highchair
Holiday grief is a real thing. As I walk around my house admiring the Christmas lights, I found myself getting stuck in the dining room....
Nov 25, 20206 min read
Finding Fullness without Food - A Journey through Wounds, Worth, and Willpower
Once again. A hundred million times again, I lay surrounded by a dozen wrappers of mini candy bars that I secretly hid from my kids. What...
Nov 13, 20203 min read
Change is Hard, and it's Hard to be Brave all the Time. Permission to Fall Apart and Make Changes.
There's a Chinese proverb that goes “A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it."...
Nov 4, 20203 min read
Meet Abby Hanlon and Hear Her Story
I knew something wasn’t right. A mere 2 hours before, I had experienced an amazing natural birth with my second baby boy and was...
Oct 21, 20203 min read
Everything Starts With Effort
What’s the last great idea that you had? What did you do with it? Most people have some great ideas, but don’t have the tools to bring...
Oct 9, 20201 min read
October Power Hour with BWP and Dare 2 Declare
The Brave Women Project is joined by Dare 2 Declare founder, Debbi Sluys, for an incredible experience of using BIG words to do brave...
Sep 30, 20201 min read
When Women Get Brave, They Use Brave Words
Introducing Debbi Sluys Generous is my 2020 powerword. Who knew in January what this year would bring? Do we ever know? Terminal...
Sep 16, 20205 min read
So, Who Is This Woman in the Mirror?
Okay, truth talk. I’ve lived with the reality of impostor syndrome for years and years—especially early in my career, but if I’m being...
Sep 10, 20203 min read
When the World Gets Crazy
When the world gets crazy, and it is getting crazier by the day, there is a serious temptation to engage in the crazy, whether that means...
Sep 2, 20203 min read
Don't Lose Yourself Taking Over the World
This morning, as I was rushing to get ready, I checked in on my social media and saw important words from a current friend and former...
Aug 19, 20202 min read
Good Grief
For some people, Grief shows up without a name, like the unidentified sales person knocking at your door in the middle of a Hallmark...
Aug 5, 20204 min read
Fill Up for the Empty Tank
As I was driving to drop my kids off at daycare this morning, I glanced down at the gas gauge in the car. Uh-oh! Less than a quarter...
Jul 22, 20203 min read
The Next Brave Thing
Leadership is doing the next brave thing, regardless of who is willing to do it for you, with you, or in spite of you. Fear is terrible...
Jul 8, 20206 min read
Motherhood and Apple Pie
I can’t. I can’t. I can’t. It’s not working. I’m not working. This isn’t working. The track of frustrations was playing on and on in my...
Jul 2, 20203 min read
The Truth About Boundaries
Of all the B-words that gets a bad name, boundaries has got to be nearing the top of the list. Why? Because, in my experience, many...
Jun 24, 20203 min read
My Dispositional Leadership
“If you love them, they will follow you anywhere,” the great advice I received in my undergraduate days, preparing for student teaching...
Jun 10, 20202 min read
When Women Lead - Dispositional Leadership
What else can guide us as women who lead? Leaning into dispositional leadership. Other threats to women leading, regardless of their...
Jun 3, 20204 min read
When Women Lead - Even More Numbers That MATTER
Regardless of your gender, position, or title, the Impostor Syndrome exists in about 70% of the people walking around. The numbers that I...
May 27, 20203 min read
When Women Lead - Let's Get Familiar With the History and the Numbers
What happens when women lead? I wonder. There are two important dates that women who lead need to be familiar with, and one that explains...
May 20, 20201 min read
When Women Lead
What happens when women lead? A common misconception is that women who lead must lead like men. It’s common because the bias about women...
May 13, 20203 min read
The Imposter Syndrome
Let’s talk about head trash. You know. The voice inside that challenges our success, questions our motives, and diminishes our...
Apr 22, 20203 min read
5 Books Before or During Your First Big Career Opportunity
Stepping out of your parents’ home, through college, and into your first big career opportunity can be exciting, scary, exhausting, and...
Apr 22, 20202 min read
Because Everything Matters: Why the BWP?
When I made the decision to leave my comfortable job in nonprofit, I was scared. I’d been in the field for almost 20 years, as either a...
Apr 17, 20201 min read
How to Survive Working From Home in a Crisis, with Kitty Kistler
I sat down with The Life First Coach Kitty Kistler to chat about working from home during a time of crisis - from being thrown off...
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