Box52 Coaching & Consulting Services, LLC

Box52 Coaching & Consulting Services, LLC One-on-one coaching dedicated to helping you focus on and achieve your career & well-being goals.

02/05/2026

People with true strength and character decide to lead with an open heart even in the toughest of situations and iciest of circumstances. Because knowing your purpose is rooted in love, which at its essence, means being genuine and reciprocating warmth towards other humans (and all beings) will guide your actions away from harm.

This strength sits in the virtue of humanity, and the only way hurt people (which is pretty much all of us) stop hurting people is to recognize our humanness and take action that shows love is the "to what end?".

If you followed along over the past 28 days, here's a visual cue for you. Definitely recommend reading 👀 or listening 🎧 ...
01/01/2026

If you followed along over the past 28 days, here's a visual cue for you. Definitely recommend reading 👀 or listening 🎧 to Oliver Burkeman's book.

Day 27: C'est fait par du monde. On giving it a shot.Fortunately, Burkeman gives us a rough translation of this phrase -...
12/30/2025

Day 27: C'est fait par du monde. On giving it a shot.

Fortunately, Burkeman gives us a rough translation of this phrase - "People did that." And, the reminder that "impossible" is often interpreted in two ways:
1. Astounding
2. Actually limited by laws of space & time.

If we look around us, there are so many delightful and wonderous examples of "people did that". And, "once we stop struggling to get on top of everything, to stay in absolute control, or to make everything perfect, you're rewarded with time, energy and psychological freedom to accomplish the most of which anyone could be capable."

It boils down to moving with confidence even when you don't know what you're doing or how it is going to turn out. Pair that with a grounding in character strengths, the fantastic things you can do may astound you.

So, "if you've been thinking about making a radical change in your life...there's a solid chance you can scrabble together the resources and figure out a way. You won't feel like you know hat you're doing. But nobody ever does; that's just how it is for finite humans, attempting new things."

Photo by me (art by ): Rome, Italy 6.2023

Day 26: Inconceivable - On the solace of doubtBurkeman is nudging us into action even though we don't have all the data ...
12/29/2025

Day 26: Inconceivable - On the solace of doubt
Burkeman is nudging us into action even though we don't have all the data or information.

Because, the default operating system "goes like this: first, you try to work out exactly what the hell is going on. Then, and only then, once you're confident you've got a handle on the situation, you take action." Ha! And.Then.Nothing.Ever.Happens.

Don't get me wrong - preparation is great and working through ambivalence about a change is helpful - however, the situation keeps changing and new variables arise. And, we can spend all of our time reassessing and recalibrating and never really doing "the thing". Whatever "the thing" may be.

So, let's move forward without knowing "exactly what the hell is going on" and do more "living in...our infinitely complex reality".

Because there's a better chance we'll experience some joy, wonder and mystery that way.

Day 24: Scruffy hospitality - On finding connections in the flaws.In this chapter, Burkeman elevates the idea that we ar...
12/28/2025

Day 24: Scruffy hospitality - On finding connections in the flaws.

In this chapter, Burkeman elevates the idea that we are way more likely to relate to one another through our messes than our so-called perfect moments. Our "being willing to let others see [our] life as it really is can be a positive act of generosity towards them, too."

Friendships grow in this place of chaos and disarray. In the spaces where we drop the act and let people see our one-of-a-kind-ness. Because "scruffy hospitality means you're more interested in quality conversation than in the impression your home or lawn makes."

The chaotic beauty in this random collection of items attached to a tree on a city street in the East Falls section of Philadelphia says "scruffy hospitality" to me. It invites us in and reminds us to be awesome just as we are - no facades required.

And, as Anne Lamott shared: "Everyone is screwed up, broken, clingy and scared, even the people who seem to have it more or less together. They are much more like you than you would believe. So try not to compare your insides to their outsides."

Because all of our insides look a lot like this collection of objects on the outside of this tree.

This chapter from Burkeman is all about "operating from sanity" rather than constantly chasing after it. This definition...
12/27/2025

This chapter from Burkeman is all about "operating from sanity" rather than constantly chasing after it. This definition of sanity "evokes an essential sense of groundedness" and "treats the present moment as a place where peace of mind might, in theory, be attainable."

If you find it difficult to put your time and attention to what really matters to you, try out these tips for "paying yourself first with time":
1. Deal with a backlog by isolating. (Photos get reviewed & deleted when I'm waiting in line.)
2. Free up time by renegotiating existing commitments, not just planning to make fewer. (Sorry mom and dad for changing the plan to visit over the holiday!)
3. Treat your to-do list like a menu. (This is gold! Some items can be a starter for getting going and the entree may take up more time. You get to pick and choose from all the options.)

And, like any new way of operating, "you might not feel calm or undistracted or 'sane' while you're doing any of this, especially at first." For that, I'm here to help.

12/26/2025

Week Four: Showing Up
Day 22 - Stop being so kind to Future You
On entering time & space completely

In spring 2003, my two best pals from grad school and I booked a trip to Florida. It was going to be great! And then so ...
12/22/2025

In spring 2003, my two best pals from grad school and I booked a trip to Florida. It was going to be great! And then so many things went wrong, and then right, and then wrong and then right...

Our flight out of Philly was delayed and delayed and delayed again (BOO!). So much so, that we left the airport and went to get pedicures (YAY!). To our delight, we were upgraded to first class once a flight was finally available (YAY!) and when we arrived in the wrong airport (BOO!) we were greeted with cheers getting off the plane, like superstars (YAY!). Off we went to the very long car rental line (BOO!)...after finally leaving the airport in our rental (YAY!), we got a flat tire just beyond the airport borders (BOO!). And we waited for a very long time for the rental agency to come (BOO!) but we had pretty toes (YAY!).

And the trip went on and on like...driving for hours into the night (BOO!)...no cheap hotel rooms because of the hurricane that had displaced thousands of people (BOO!)...finally booking a room (YAY!) that was too expensive (BOO!) and waking up to a gorgeous sunrise and beach view (YAY!). Then there was the red tide (BOO!) and fresh, homegrown grapefruits (YAY!)...

You get the picture.

As Burkeman shares in Day 19, "the more we try to render the world controllable, the more it eludes us." He goes on to share "the perfect adjective to describe this feeling of both acting on the world and being acted on by it, engaging with it boldly yet never knowing how it will respond - and the feelings of warmth and fulfillment that result - the term he chooses is anschmiegsamen. What anschmiegsamen means in English - and this is the word that appears, startling yet wonderfully, in the translated version of the passage - is 'cuddly'."

So go on, let's all get cuddly with the "upsides of unpredictability". Because you'll either come out the other side with a good time or a good story.

12/22/2025

Day 18: Allow other people their problems.
On minding your own business.

Day 17: Don't stand in generosity's way. On the futility of 'becoming a better person.'"Far better to locate the generos...
12/21/2025

Day 17: Don't stand in generosity's way. On the futility of 'becoming a better person.'
"Far better to locate the generosity that's already inside you, then be sure not to get in its way."

Today's chapter from Burkeman gets straight to the heart of coaching - dealing with our inner critic. The inner critic i...
12/20/2025

Today's chapter from Burkeman gets straight to the heart of coaching - dealing with our inner critic.
The inner critic is that voice - sometimes loud, sometimes quiet - but always belittling, berating and holding us in our "known zone" that place where fear dominates. Love, in its broadest form, is overshadowed. As the year comes to a close, test out a little self-compassion and be gentle with yourself.

12/19/2025

Week 3: Letting Go
Day 15 - What if this were easy? On the false allure of effort.

Address

Glenside, PA

Opening Hours

Monday 9:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 9:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 5pm
Thursday 9:30am - 5pm
Friday 9:30am - 4pm

Telephone

+12156901474

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Box52 Coaching & Consulting Services, LLC posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Box52 Coaching & Consulting Services, LLC:

Shortcuts

Share

Category