Stay The Course Institute

Your Value Does Not Change With the Room

On July 30, my daughter, Ashlynn, turned 22. She is the kind of daughter who calls me when something good happens, often before she tells anyone else; when she has a tough decision to make; and when she needs help solving a problem, like how to break into a car or (my favorite) a school because h...

Aug 27, 2026

Every Decision Carries a Trade-off

Sometimes the answer is clear. The cost is what makes it hard. Some decisions are hard because every available answer asks us to sacrifice something we value. That is a different kind of hard. It is not the absence of an answer. It is the absence of an answer that would let us keep everything....

Aug 18, 2026

When Better Work Is Still the Wrong Work

A polished training program is not successful if completion replaces capability. Some of the most misleading work looks excellent. The material is current, the instructor is well-prepared, and the delivery is polished. Everyone attends. Everyone finishes. The training is marked complete, and th...

Aug 13, 2026

The Commitments That No Longer Deserve a Place

Busyness has a way of making every commitment look necessary. The busier we are, the more important we can feel. Meetings recur, calls remain scheduled, board seats roll into another term, committees keep our names on the roster, and projects remain active because no one has made a clear decision...

Jul 31, 2026

Your Calendar Moved On. Your Attention Didn't

Your calendar says it's time for the next meeting, but your attention disagrees. We often assume that if something is on the calendar, it will happen. But calendars only reserve time. They don't protect priorities, and they don't guarantee that your attention will arrive when the clock says it s...

Jul 22, 2026

Food, Gut, and Mental Clarity: What the Science Actually Says

In keeping with June’s theme, Men’s Health Awareness Month, this week we are focusing on brain and nervous system health and the everyday choices that protect both. While this month gives us a reason to speak directly to men, the principle is not limited to men. Men and women both make decisions,...

Jul 07, 2026

Your Brain Health Starts Earlier Than You Think

June is Men’s Health Month, and it is a good reminder that many men wait too long to take their health seriously. But this conversation is bigger than men. The people who love them, work alongside them, lead with them, and depend on them are part of this too. Brain health affects all of us. And m...

Jul 07, 2026

The Hardest Trust to Rebuild

When people describe someone as authentic, they usually mean that person is trustworthy, genuine, and consistent. What they say matches who they are. And when most of us say we want to be more authentic, we usually mean the same thing. We want others to experience us as honest, grounded, and true...

Apr 23, 2026

The Exhaustion of Being Two Different People

This month, we’ve been unpacking what authenticity means and how it affects us in both our work and personal lives. Last week, we explained how we can lose authenticity. Today, we want to talk about what it can cost us when we choose not to be authentic. One of the costs is exhaustion. Not the ki...

Apr 15, 2026

When You Keep Softening the Truth

Most people do not lose authenticity all at once. They lose it a little at a time. A softened answer here, a withheld belief there, a sentence reshaped to keep the room comfortable. That’s how it begins. Not through a grand act of betrayal or a dramatic lie. Instead, it happens when you develop t...

Apr 09, 2026

Authenticity Gets Tested When the Truth Costs You

It’s easy to call yourself authentic when nothing is on the line. It becomes harder when the truth costs you something. Approval. Comfort. Image. Control. That is where authenticity gets tested. There was a time in my life when I lied to everyone, including myself. Not always with big, dramatic s...

Apr 09, 2026

Adapt Without Performing

Leadership requires adjustment. Different rooms call for different communication styles. Different people need different types of support. Various moments require different speeds, tones, and decisions. That is adaptive leadership. But there’s a line that leaders have to watch carefully. If every...

Apr 09, 2026

1 2 3 4

Stay The Course Institute

Encouraging you to Stay The Course with weekly insight, inspiration, and strategies that make a real difference.