In this episode, I talk about the strategies that I use and the advice that I give when looking for a mentor. It is so important to identify good mentors throughout our lives. Sometimes we need different things from a mentor and that is part of what it is critical to know. This episode is primarily for students who are starting to look for mentors or graduate school programs. Still, the advice is useful when looking for mentors in any domain of life.

Three weeks into the new year and things feel pretty chaotic. How are you keeping a positive mindset? In this episode, I talk about the strategies that I am using to focus on the things I can control. You can read more about this episode and others at https://marylynritchie.com/podcast.

In this new episode, I talk about this wacky week in between Christmas and New Year's where it's hard to know what day it is - what time it is. I try to use the time off to 1) Reflect 2) Plan and 3) Get Organized for the New Year.

As we officially begin the summer of 2021, the world is starting to look different here in the United States. We have reached a new stage of the pandemic and we are beginning to emerge from our homes more and more. What parts of pandemic life do you want to hold on to? What parts of pre-pandemic life are you most excited to get back to? How does all this change feel? We are all going through a range of emotions as we go through this journey. In this week's episode, I talk about this issue and how I am dealing with it.

In this episode, I talk about how there are many different paths that we can take in life. The path that we each choose for ourself is unique to us. We can look to others for guidance and advice, but ultimately, we need to follow our own internal voice. We also need to remember that each decision is a learning opportunity; we grow through each transition phase. Ultimately, there are few wrong decisions. We need to focus on making the next right decision for right now.

This is my first 'Book Club' episode. I absolutely loved the book "Essentialism - The Disciplined Pursuit of Less" by Greg McKeown. I know that people are busy and may not have a chance to read it, so I decided to tell you all the things that I love about it. There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this book and so in this episode, I pulled out my favorite one from each chapter. The big takeaway of essentialism is that if we can learn to do less, but better, we will have avoid a life of being "stretched too thin".

As the impact of the pandemic begins to change around different parts of the world, the importance of perspective and empathy grows. Our ability to be good leaders as well as members of our local and global community relies on our emotional intelligence. For some, optimism and hope and positivity are the reality, while for others, the situation is still dire and in some cases even apocalyptic. In this week's episode, I discuss the strategies that I am using to be intentional about keeping things in perspective and zooming in and out as needed. I also discuss the importance of working on our empathy and understanding in these times when our peers and colleagues and friends are no longer in the same storm.

This week, I am talking about growth and change. Sometimes things change too slowly. Sometimes we have seasons of growth and then we take steps backwards. Sometimes we grow and then have seasons where nothing changes - we need these times too. Growth and change are important and normal aspects to life. Still, they bring about various challenges for all of us. In this episode, I share some of the strategies that I use to embrace growth and change.

In this week's episode, I build upon the discussion from last week where I discussed burnout and why it happens to us. This week, I talk about the strategies that I use for burnout prevention and burnout treatment. Burnout is real and it happens to so many of us. But if we can come up with routines that help us prevent it, we will live a happier, more harmonious life.

Have you ever suffered from burnout? Do you feel it right now? Have you ever thought about why? In this week's episode, I talk about burnout; how it feels and why it happens. I share a story about my own burnout and the point when I started to recover from being a workaholic. This episode is part 1 of a two-part series. This week is focused on thinking about why we burnout, why we overwork and over schedule ourselves. Part 2 will focus on tactical strategies to prevent burnout before it happens or treat burnout if it's gotten to that point.