Riding the STP

Kathryn Crawford Saxer Self Care

I signed up for the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic. And I don’t have a bicycle. Which poses a problem. This idea started last summer when I helped a friend with her fear of driving. I thought about what I’m afraid of. What fears keep me small? With some embarrassment, I’ll admit I’m afraid of balloons. Their potential for a loud, startling bang makes me cringe. Makes me crazy. This fear keeps me small because bike inner tubes are, well, balloons. …

The Wisdom of Dead Dogs

Kathryn Crawford Saxer Self Care

A favorite coaching client of mine is facing a messy divorce. “What do you want this experience to be like?” I asked him. “What do you want your memories of this divorce to be like?” As I asked the question, I suddenly thought of my beloved dog Hector Protector. I interrupted myself to tell my client about Hector. Hector was a Bernese Mountain Dog who died 10 years ago of the cancer that kills most Bernese Mountain Dogs. When he …

Coach Sauron

Kathryn Crawford Saxer Self Care

I was describing my coaching practice at a party recently. “So you help your clients achieve work/life balance?” one of the guests asked. I was surprised at my vehemence. “No! Work/life balance is a myth, a set up for failure,” I said. “I help my clients focus on what’s important to them.” In a complex life of competing priorities, there is no such thing as balance, I explained. You are always going to feel like you’re letting something or someone …

South African Travelogue

Kathryn Crawford Saxer A Little Kindness

When friends ask me about our trip to South Africa, I think about being hunted by wild dogs. I think about throwing a frisbee with a girl in Swaziland. And walking in the bush with cheetah cubs. This is the story of our family’s travels in Africa, a place we’d never really imagined going. It’s a story that started by accident several years ago at a school fundraising auction where I was mildly intoxicated and overly competitive and bid, to …