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Insights on Impact, Technology & Leadership

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Future Resilience Is a Leadership Decision

John H. Schaar wrote in 1981, “The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.”

More than four decades later, we’ve transformed nearly every aspect of technology, yet many of the systems we use to plan, approve, procure, and govern infrastructure still rely on assumptions inherited from previous eras.

As Texas attracts AI infrastructure, global events, and continued growth, I find myself asking whether our institutions are evolving as quickly as the challenges they’re being asked to solve. Future resilience may depend not only on the technologies we build, but on the questions we are willing to ask about the future we’re creating.

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A person types on a laptop at a wooden table in a sunlit library or bookstore, blending the digital storefront with the cozy in-store experience, surrounded by colorful books and large windows in the background.

Building a Digital Storefront That Mirrors Your In-Store Experience

On the CauseLabs Resources page, we recently shared an article about how a website redesign can double your sales, inspired by Susan Alexandra’s success story in Inc. Magazine. While the CauseLabs article focuses on strategy and functionality, I’ve been reflecting on how websites can take cues from physical stores to create an engaging, customer-friendly experience.

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Four people smile and pose for a selfie by a river with trees, a waterwheel, and a yellow raft in the background—capturing the perfect year in review moment.

Top That! A year in review.

2018 Highlights Sarah turned 18, graduated from high school and started college. Alli turned 16, learned how to drive and commands the first year cadets in ROTC drill. Michael and Sheryle celebrated their 20 year anniversary. Michael and Sheryle bought CauseLabs. Sheryle was on the front page of the Dallas Business Journal. CauseLabs won four

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White cards spelling BREAK THE INTERNET are arranged on a dark surface. A hand is pointing to the letter T in INTERNET at the bottom right.

Will Your Job Continue To Exist?

Technology has vastly transformed the job landscape and companies that thrived for decades found themselves behind the curve or worse, bankrupt and destitute.

We are at the beginning of this crazy SciFi rollercoaster. Technology continues to evolve and the pace of it is exponential. Some of these new innovations disrupt entire industries. I keep asking myself, “Will my job be relevant in five years? How about ten years?”

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Two children are playing and splashing water from a stream outdoors, smiling and enjoying the activity on a sunny day.

My relationship with water

One of my earliest memories is as a toddler. I was sitting in a large metal basin not quite half full of water. We were outside and my mother was bathing me. I don’t know why or how I remember this, but I remember it like a photograph even though there were no such pictures.

My relationship with water Read Post »

A row of green and black mailboxes stands beside a rural road, with fallen leaves scattered on the ground—evoking the need for email organization as you manage emails in your daily digital landscape.

6 Ways I Manage My Emails

If you could eliminate emails completely, would you? Some have labeled email as the bane of our existence, but it is an amazing tool that transformed our communications. We no longer need to find an envelope, buy a stamp, and wait days or weeks for someone to receive and reply to our snail mail. Brilliant!

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A woman in a black and white patterned dress stands smiling beside a stone staircase with a textured wall in the background.

1840 Hours

Those of us that work a full time job of 40 or more hours a week, spend almost a third of lives at work. For years now, I’ve been driven by passion and purpose. Yet, despite enjoying my work and being proud of the positive change it makes in the world, I find myself weary

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Marble tomb of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., engraved with 1929-1968 and his powerful quote: Free at last, Free at last, Thank God Almighty I’m Free at last—reminding us we are capable of more.

Capable of more

This Monday, we observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Shortly before his assassination in April 1968, Dr. King told a group of striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee: “We’ve got to give ourselves to this struggle until the end.” Since then, we’ve seen huge changes, but we still silently suffer from our perceived differences. I want to

Capable of more Read Post »

Three women in business attire sit at a table, with one woman facing the camera and the other two shown from behind and in profile.

The Art of Negotiation

Last weekend, I gave a talk on The Art of Negotiation. When available, I’ll also post the video of my talk. Here are the biggest takeaways: Everything is negotiable. It’s all about the relationship. There are fears on both sides. Know your value and also understand what you do and don’t know. Stand your ground. Some

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Three adults sit closely together at a table, smiling at the camera and building connections. The man in the center wears glasses, a gray cap, and a plaid shirt, while the two women are on either side of him.

Building Connections

Life is about connections. We’ve been learning this since kindergarten. Connection is more than just knowing someone. It’s about recognizing the ways our lives intertwine. Some people are naturally adept at social interactions. While they may have a talent, it is a skill; it can be learned and perfected. Talents that are not recognized, used

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A close-up of a wooden desk with notebooks reading DONT JUST STAND THERE, circular coasters featuring a percent sign, and round metal pins neatly arranged nearby.

Don’t just stand there.

Ideas lead to invention, thus, many of us are stingy with our ideas. We fear that if we share our ideas someone else will build it before we get the chance to build it ourselves. The problem with this thinking is that often times, we don’t build the majority of ideas we keep secret. An idea

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A table covered with colorful sticky notes, paper cards, and stacked pens arranged upright, suggesting a brainstorming or planning session.

Do it right.

There’s great value in iteration and I’m a strong believer of building towards a minimum viable product, but I also strongly agree with the old adage “you get what you pay for.” The first time my husband deployed overseas, he asked me to mail him a CD player. Digital music was already on the rise and it

Do it right. Read Post »

A person wearing a striped suit and blue sunglasses holds a magnifying glass up to their face on a sidewalk near houses.

Let’s Get Uncomfortable

Does your company ask you to provide constructive criticism to your colleagues? It’s common practice and it’s a good one, but I find it challenging to put negative feedback into a happy sandwich. Honestly, I’m not sure the happy sandwich works on anyone past elementary school because we all expect it. In the end, all that

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A stack of old letters tied with string, a vintage pen, and black-and-white photographs on a table.

To Plan Or Not To Plan

Last month, I begged my parents to write their wills. Dad’s response was disappointing, “I’m not dying yet.” Last week, Dad was taken to the Emergency Room after suffering from multiple small strokes on the left side of his brain. For the first two to three days in the hospital he couldn’t stand, walk or speak

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Two young girls in white graduation gowns and caps stand side by side, holding diplomas during a ceremony. One girl looks at the camera, the other gazes off to the side.

You’re Gonna Find Yourself

When I think about who I want to be when I grow up, I imagine myself as more than I am now. More generous, more focused, more relaxed, more tenacious, more compassionate, more inspiring, more humble… Then, as I think about who I was and how far I’ve already come, I wonder if I’ve arrived.

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A calm lake reflects a colorful sunrise or sunset sky with pink, purple, and orange clouds, and a distant treeline on the horizon—an inviting place to find yourself in peaceful reflection.

You Are Amazing

As a parent, I’m guilty of confining my children to a box of socially acceptable norms and each time they stray from those expections, I struggle to teach them what they should be doing and find myself further berating them with the rules and potential consequences of their actions. As a boss, I’m different. I push my

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A person holding an e-reader displaying text while sitting outdoors on grass, with one foot visible wearing a red shoe—perfect for book lovers looking to enjoy their favorite stories and nurture new reading habits in the fresh air.

Do You Read Enough?

I’m told that successful people read habitually and their success is in part due to their intense consumption of knowledge. That all makes sense, but who has the time to read that much? I tried to read a book a week, but I failed because some books were bigger than others and some weeks were

Do You Read Enough? Read Post »

A woman with sunglasses on her head smiles while surrounded by several children, some placing their hands on her shoulders and arms.

Live on Purpose – Day 10

Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 10 – Resolve to Live on Purpose We’ve made it to the end! Days 8 and 9 were like making New Year’s Resolutions. Some of your answers may have included “I will eat healthier” or “I will watch less

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Aerial view of people walking across a large plaza with a calendar grid on the ground, displaying French days, dates, event times, and event descriptions in white text.

Live on Purpose – Day 9

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 9 – Remove Your Threats Yesterday we thought about the activities that would make our lives more purposeful. Now it’s time to make a list of things that you should remove so that

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A person holds a rainbow-striped flag with the word PEACE and a peace symbol at a public gathering; other people and a bus are visible in the background.

Live on Purpose – Day 8

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 8 – Do More of What You Love What things should you maximize to achieve your purpose? Look at your answers to the questions on Day 1 if you need help finding which

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A glass bottle with a rolled paper inside lies on sandy ground next to a seashell, with a blurred ocean background.

Live on Purpose – Day 7

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 7 – Define Your Purpose If you’re seeing this for the first time, I would not recommend starting with Day 7 of this challenge. Hopefully, you’ve worked your way through each daily exercise

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A wooden fence appears in the foreground under a night sky filled with stars and a visible section of the Milky Way, inviting you to pause and reflect—youre gonna find yourself beneath this cosmic wonder.

Live on Purpose – Day 6

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 6 – List Your Core Values Hopefully you’ve done this at least once before. If you haven’t, this is where you might struggle with word selection. It might even take you all day

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Close-up of wooden chess pieces on a chessboard, with a blurred brown sofa in the background and sunlight coming through a window.

Live on Purpose – Day 5

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 5 – List Your Threats We’re half way through our 10-day challenge. We’re on the final step of our personal SWOT analysis. Threats are different from weaknesses. They are the things that may

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Several people stand near a wall covered in colorful sticky notes, with one person pointing to a note, suggesting a collaborative discussion or planning session.

Live on Purpose – Day 4

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 4 – List Your Opportunities Yes, we are doing a SWOT analysis on ourselves! Don’t skip ahead though. Focus on your opportunities for now and pick up to five. Write these down. You’ll

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Wooden planks arranged vertically with a brown, weathered texture and visible grain patterns—each board sturdy enough to inspire you to move mountains.

Live on Purpose – Day 3

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 3 – List Your Weaknesses The title speaks for itself. Consider them your blind spots, we all have them. Evaluate each one on your list and pick up to five and write them down. You’ll

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A person in a green shirt stands in a field with arms raised toward the sky, ready to Lets Move Mountains, facing away from the camera under a partly cloudy sky.

Live on Purpose – Day 2

This post intentionally short and challenge-based. Read Live on Purpose if you have questions about the structure of this post or this 10-day challenge. Day 2 – List Your Strengths I think the title speaks for itself. Don’t limit yourself as you think about your strengths, but as you wrap up your list, start to evaluate each one

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