Welcome to
The Big "Oh!"

The essay series that interrogates what holds us back so that we can choose what comes next. 

Centering thoughts (a mini-manifesto).

These statements are more than an introduction: they’re the ground rules for how we step into this space together.

As you read, consider how each one lands in your own life: where it challenges you, where it affirms you, where it asks you to stretch.

The essays that follow dig into themes of growth, identity, and intuition, while the book reviews bring fresh perspectives and tools you can carry forward. They're designed to spark reflection and help you translate your insight into everyday action.
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Let's challenge the dominant narratives that tell us if we aren't everything at once, we are nothing at all.
Let's define who we are and become the fullest expression of who we choose to be.
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Let's never stop reaching for what's next, what fits, what works, and what feels good. 
Let's stop living up to rules we didn't make, for people who don't matter.
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Let's defy everyone's expectations.

Learn how! Check out our latest articles below.

Let's read, think,
and get inspired.

"I want to be a part of a generation of artists who are telling stories that reflect the diversity of our world." (Viola Davis, Finding Me.)

Ooooooh that Viola Davis voice! It is warm, rich, and smooth with bass-like musicality. It's one of the reasons I couldn't put this audio-book down; well, that and her incredible story of resilience, perseverance, and more than anything else, gratitude. 

Becoming Me: A Memoir tells the powerful and moving story of Davis' journey to becoming one of the most respected and celebrated actresses of her generation. Davis writes with honesty and candor about the challenges and obstacles she faced growing up in poverty and abuse, and how she used her creativity and imagination as a way to escape her reality.

It is also a celebration of Black culture. Davis writes about the importance of representation and the role that art can play in challenging racism and discrimination. She also writes about the importance of community and the support that she has received from other Black actors.

Her book is a love letter to Black culture and a celebration of the power of art to change the world. This is a story that lingers with you, like a friend who has changed the way you see the world in a significant way. Davis' gratitude - for her loved ones and life experiences - is monumental. It lingers with me still.

It's rare that I recommend a book to everyone. But this? This is a must-read for all humans. Yes, it is a how-to for women: a guide to identifying the outdated patriarchal rules that limit and control women. But it is also seminal reading that teaches each of us how we perpetuate patriarchal norms (often unwittingly), and to understand how this affects (subjugates, controls, leverages) women in a way that safeguards patriarchal power.

Molfino posits that there are 5 myths that women learn from a young age that 1) control and limit our behavior in order to 2) turn us into "good girls." The myths are Rules, Harmony, Logic, Perfection, and Sacrifice. I could see myself in some of the myths more than others, but they all shed light into some of the self-limiting, self-sacrificing, and even self-sabotaging choices I've made in the past.

I wish this book was around before I had my daughters. I wish I'd known then what I know now: how to break the cycle of my "good girl" behaviors so that I could dismantle and not perpetuate them. But I'm thankful Break the Good Girl Myth is here now, to teach, guide, and liberate them (and so many others!)
Nature is the perfect companion and backdrop to this audio book. It is inspirational, light, kind, and full of optimism.

Corporate-party-boy-turned-monkJay Shetty shares what he's learned from his life experiences, and asserts that if readers practice what he preaches in Think Like a Monk they are guaranteed to find greater meaning, purpose and fulfillment in their lives. That's a tall order, but he's not wrong. Some of the principles aren't new; knowing your core values and tapping into your generosity of spirit, and modalities like meditation and breathing exercises, are tried and true. Yet, Shetty packages them in a new way that in and of itself feels like a chant or meditation. The goal for Shetty is guiding his readers to a deeper sense of purpose ("dharma"), sense of self, unwavering confidence, personal fulfillment, and overall well-being.

This is a conversational text that is gentle, thoughtful, and kind. It shows readers not only what a life filled with meaning looks like, but how it can be achieved.
Bestselling self-help book on the science of habit formation? Yes please! Clear argues that significant life changes do not come from massive overhauls, but rather from small, consistent, and incremental improvements. This is a strategy I can get behind!

"Atomic habits," are tiny, fundamental habits that have the power to spark remarkable personal transformation. Clear introduces the four laws of behavior change, which are the core principles guiding the book: cue, craving, response, and reward. Clear provides practical advice on how to apply these principles to various aspects of life, such as personal development, health, productivity, and relationships. He also shares inspiring real-life stories and examples, as well as research findings from psychology and neuroscience to illustrate his points.

Getting "unstuck" can feel like an uphill battle, fought in a hailstorm, on a sheer cliff made of ice, while being chased by tigers. But Atomic Habits can help you get to the top in baby steps, to achieve a perspective that's fresh and new.
This book is brimming with pure McConaughey energy. You can see every wave of his hand and toss of his head as he explains, through his life story, the importance of aligning one's core values with the power of intuition, in the pursuit of happiness.

McConaughey's storytelling is filled with humor, honesty, and vulnerability, making it relatable to anyone who has ever questioned their life's direction. He encourages his readers to see life's twists and turns in traffic-light terms: "green lights" are opportunities that are affirming and that serve our future selves; "yellow lights" are things that slow you down; and "red lights" are challenges that impede or divert your growth and progress. When you pan-out, the image of an endless road emerges - one that while punctuated by lights, is also a path of perpetual self-discovery.

We listened to this book on a road trip with the kids. (Be forewarned, it is not all PG-13!) McConaughey's stories gave us all something to laugh, think, and talk about, and his narration is lively and entertaining. Definitely a good read!

In Spare (best title ever, by the way) Prince Harry gets honest and transparent about his experience feeling trapped and limited by circumstances beyond his control as a Royal. It's a special kind of stuck that resulted in his own struggles with identity, purpose and the pressure to conform.

When you're an actual Prince, making people see you as a down-to-earth "just like the rest of us" human is no easy task. Despite this, Spare conveys the message that even those born into privilege and prestige can grapple with the profound sense of being stuck in life. Through his honest and introspective narrative, Prince Harry reminds us that the path to self-fulfillment and authenticity often requires breaking free from societal expectations and finding one's own way forward.

I loved large portions of this book; anything that dealt with Prince Harry's relationship to his mom, or losing her, or how that loss shaped him for the rest of his life, absorbed all of my attention. I was equally absorbed in his love story with Megan Markle, which for him presented the ultimate break between heart and crown-holding-head. (And yes, the Crown 100% missed out on the chance to make Markle the face of a new generation of multi-racial Royals.) I was also sympathetic to the absence of safety and belonging in his family: one that inevitably fed, if not bred, his own struggles with identity and purpose.

If you can get past his Prince-hood, it's a relatable read for anyone struggling to find their own identity in a situation that leaves very little wiggle-room for personal growth and autonomy.

Guilty as charged: I've written more than once social media post lauding the fabulousness of "My Tribe." The term "tribe" in the context of social media and pop culture gained significant popularity in the 2000s and 2010s. It was often used to describe online communities or groups of like-minded individuals who share common interests, beliefs, or values.

Seth Godin's book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us also played a role in popularizing the concept of tribes in marketing and leadership contexts. In the book, Godin discusses the idea of leaders rallying a group of people with shared interests or goals, and he uses the term "tribes" to describe these groups. His TED talk of the same name is a great resource for classroom discussions, group work, and opinion writing exercises.

When it comes to getting unstuck, Tribes makes one valuable, validating point clear: find your people, and you will feel a greater sense of purpose, belonging, and empowerment. Supportive communities allow the people within them to embrace change and adversity, overcome fear of failure, find their unique voices, take initiative, and work towards positive change. Tribes is a great read for anyone looking to break free from inertia by finding or starting a Tribe of their own.

One of the hardest things about getting unstuck in your career aspirations (especially after some time away, or on the cusp of a career pivot) is crafting your own story brand. Donald Miller takes the guesswork out of this otherwise overwhelming task. Although it is written as a how-to for businesses, his tactical advice is equally relevant to individual pursuits, both personal and professional.

Building a Story Brand is get unstuck gold if you're looking to bring yourself forward by (re)writing your own story. The process requires a significant amount of self-reflection. The resulting self-knowledge is in turn crafted into a story that is empowering and confidence-building. In the end, you emerge with boosted clarity, confidence, and direction in your career, to ultimately break free from stagnation and pursue your professional goals with purpose and enthusiasm.

If your top priority right now is getting unstuck in your career, or making a career pivot, then this is a great read for you. Start by building your story brand, and see what the process reveals for you.

Mindset, mindset, mindset. Everyone's talking about it, but Carol Dweck made it famous.

This book is so smart and true. Dweck argues there are two mindsets: fixed and growth. Knowing which mindset you have opens a world of insight into your own achievement-oriented behavior patterns. In this way, it was validating and motivating for me to read on my journey to getting unstuck. But it was even more valuable to me as a lens for understanding how to reach students on a deeper, mindset-based level.

People with fixed mindsets tend to believe that their abilities, intelligence, and talents are inherent and therefore cannot be changed. They often avoid challenges and see effort as fruitless because they fear it might reveal their limitations. Failures are seen as a reflection of their inadequacy, leading to a desire to appear smart and a tendency to give up easily when faced with difficulties. This mindset can limit personal and academic growth.

In contrast, those with a growth mindset believe that their abilities and intelligence can be cultivated through dedication, hard work, and learning. They embrace challenges as opportunities for growth, view effort as the path to mastery, and see setbacks as valuable learning experiences. These people tend to persevere in the face of adversity and are more likely to achieve their long-term goals.

This is a book you annotate, bookmark, and keep on your desk to refer back to endlessly. The mindset lens is invaluable to understanding yourself and others.