a better monday

Directions Website

a better monday Facilitation, Leadership & Career Coaching, Workshops, Consulting

10/22/2026

She’s a high performer. Then she gets promoted. Then she’s suddenly “not strategic.”

Here’s the pattern I keep seeing, and what can help.

Someone in the ecosystem feels threatened by her impact, so they build a story about her. Not to her. Through informal channels. Until leadership feels enough pressure to act: push her out, transfer her, or demote her, because “it’s just not working out.”

This is deeply disturbing. And a lot of it is out of her control. That just sucks.

Tell your story more than you think you need to. Communicating your impact consistently is no longer optional. It’s a requirement.

Get a 360 done on your own terms, before you ever hear of a problem. Ask the people closest to your work for documented feedback on your wins and your growth areas. That record can shut down a baseless claim before it gathers momentum. Once a story has legs, whether it’s true stops mattering.

Want to work through this? DM me COACHING.



Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, HR, or mental health advice. Coaching services are not therapy or mental health treatment.

10/21/2026

3 Skills to Build as a Woman Leader Before Director

Most people wait too long to start building these. Don’t.

1️⃣ Delegation. At director level, you will never get through everything on your list. The real skill is empowering your team, not squeezing more hours out of yourself.

2️⃣ Hard conversations and feedback. If you can’t have them, you likely have a psychological safety problem underneath. HBR research found women get less actionable feedback than men, and Black women are nine times more likely to get none at all. If you don’t build this skill, you pass that gap down to the next generation.

3️⃣ Storytelling. If you aren’t telling the story of your work, someone else will, and they might do it out of politics instead of accuracy. Doing great work invisibly does not get you promoted.

These may not show up on your job description, but they’re what gets you through the door marked director.

Start with whichever one you’re avoiding most. Save this and start now.



Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, HR, or mental health advice. Coaching services are not therapy or mental health treatment.

10/20/2026

Things we are ghosting from now on:

👻 Saying “sorry, just a thought” before sharing a brilliant idea.
Don’t sell yourself short — it might be the best idea in the room. Lead with it like it is.

👻 Being called too much and believing it.
Too much for who, exactly? You were never too much. You were just too much for the wrong rooms.

👻 Making ourselves smaller so someone else feels comfortable.
Their discomfort with your size is not your problem to solve. Take up the space. All of it.

What are you ghosting from now on? Drop it in the comments. 👻👇

10/19/2026

Women getting stronger is not a punchline. Our first-time reaction to the Shane Gillis SNL clip? We had THOUGHTS.

Women wearing clothes designed for working out, just existing in a gym... and somehow that’s the problem.

Meanwhile, men are naked in saunas and that’s totally fine? Neat. Neat, neat, neat.

We have to stop commenting on women’s bodies and what they wear, and stop tying them to harmful, gender-repressive connotations that perpetuate a culture of violence against women.

Lizzie’s face says it all.

10/16/2026

“Can we talk?” at 4:55 PM on a Friday. A good boss would never.

Most bosses who send that were never taught the tools for leading people.

Here’s the difference.

Credit:
❌ Boss without tools holds onto it, worried about being outshined.
✅ Boss with tools says your name in rooms you’re not in, with the people making decisions about your future.

Hard conversations:
❌ Boss without tools avoids them until they become a much bigger problem.
✅ Boss with tools tells you early, privately, clearly, and with care because they want you to grow.

Timing and awareness:
❌ Boss without tools sends the 4:55 Friday message without thinking about how it lands.
✅ Boss with tools knows their words and timing carry weight and uses that power on purpose.

If I got that message, I’d spend the whole weekend thinking I was getting fired on Monday. Nine times out of ten, it’s not that. Good bosses think about that.

The good news is all three of these are learnable skills.

In honor of Boss’s Day, send this to the best boss you’ve ever had.

Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, HR, or mental health advice. Coaching services are not therapy or mental health treatment.

10/15/2026

Most people think consistency means doing the same thing every day. Margie DuBois says that’s the wrong target. Some days you wake up full of energy. Other days you’re running on no sleep, and your habits will look different. Confidence isn’t about perfection. It’s about small, repeated choices, and about giving yourself grace when the day doesn’t cooperate.

Margie (Thirlby) DuBois, CPC

Full episode on You Got a Minute. Link in bio.

10/14/2026

I’ve facilitated groups for almost 20 years. Here’s what that taught me about being a good ally to gender non-conforming coworkers.

Share your pronouns first. Put them in your email signature, your bio, your introduction. It’s a small signal that says there is space for everyone here.

Don’t assume you know someone’s pronouns. Not from their name, their voice, or how they dress. Gender identity and gender expression are two different things.

When someone gets misgendered, check in privately first if you don’t know them well. Ask what they’d like you to do in the future. If you already have that conversation with someone you know, read the room and follow their lead.

If you mess up, correct it and move on. “Sorry, she. Anyway...” That’s it. Do not turn one mistake into a five minute apology. I promise nobody wants that.

Allyship is not about being perfect. It’s about paying attention and being willing to correct yourself and grow.

Save this and send it to someone who needs it. 👇

10/13/2026

Consistency doesn’t mean doing the same thing every day. Some days you wake up full of energy, and other days you’re running on no sleep. Your habits will look different, and that’s part of being human, especially as a leader.

Margie DuBois Margie (Thirlby) DuBois, CPC creator of the Seven Habits of Confident Humans, joins Lizzie and Amanda to talk about how confidence is built. It isn’t a trait you’re born with. It comes from habits you practice, including the scary ones. She also argues that insecurity sits underneath many workplace problems.

They get into workplace bullying, the bystanders who stay quiet, and why human-centered leadership should be non-negotiable.

Listen now, link in bio.

10/12/2026

Clap backs every q***r woman needs at work. In honor of National Coming Out Day. 🏳️‍🌈

Homophobic, transphobic, and just plain ignorant comments are still happening in workplaces in 2026. Here’s what to say back while protecting your energy and navigating the dynamics we all know are at play.

“What does your husband do?”
“Wife.” That’s it. Or if you want less snark, “I don’t have a husband, my partner’s name is X and here’s what they do.” Corrects the assumption without making it a bigger moment than it needs to be.

“Are you sisters?”
“No, we’re partners. This is Lizzie.” And move on.

“You need a good strong man.”
“I actually don’t. I have everything I need.”

“Who’s the guy in the relationship?”
“We both wear pants. It’s not that kind of relationship.”

None of these questions are genuinely about curiosity. They’re about figuring out if you fit into a box. Even when unintentional, that’s what they convey.

Save this for when you need it. And drop yours in the comments, what do you need a clap back for? We want to keep this going. 👇

Address

Denver, CO

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when a better monday posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category