If we hoped to pull Nettelhorst out of its twenty-five year nose-dive, the school desperately needed to leverage every ounce of its limited power. What could an underutilized, underperforming public elementary school possibly offer the marketplace? Nettelhorst could offer space in a densely packed urban setting, market access to students and potentially to neighborhood families, and possible media exposure. Nettelhorst could not offer much in the way of capital, supervision, support services, oversight, or security. With these two assumptions in place, we looked beyond the traditional schoolhouse model, and started to dream big….More

The sentiment among my most recent clients has been the same. Mom is overwhelmed. Moms are waking up early, getting the laundry started, struggling to get the kids dressed and out the door, staying home with little ones, worrying, planning meals, preparing meals, cleaning the house, worrying, entertaining kids, refereeing fights, facilitating bath and bed routines, worrying, quickly checking e-mails and then doing it all over again the next day. This frenzied schedule leaves moms feeling overwhelmed, alone and unsupported. One mom shared that she is angry with her husband from the moment he walks in the door, simply because he’s been gone all day at work….More

I have a few words for Charles Darwin. If this evolution thing is so awesome, why are moms left so far behind?…More

My husband and I went to see the film No Impact Man last week, and it made me wonder how far I could take my own savings, and my own awareness of my personal and global impact, financially and otherwise. In the film, this guy in New York City pledged to live impact-free on the earth for one year. That means his wife and 2-year-old child lived without electricity, and bicycled everywhere among other surprising habits in a metropolis….More