There I stood, in the stall of one of the nicest bathrooms on 5th Avenue power posing. I breathed in the heady scent of expensive soap, watched the seconds tick away on my phone, and summoned my courage to begin…

I was about to start coaching one of the wealthiest women in New York City. To tell the truth, I felt more than a little out of my league.

Maybe you heard about power posing by watching Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk, (link below), or maybe you saw it on Bravo’s Odd Mom Out (S2:E1, love it this show!). You may or may not be familiar with the Wonder Woman pose, hands on hips, legs in a wide, strong stance.

Power posing for three minutes is evidence based to make you feel more confident, decrease stress, and increase comfort with taking risks. Power posing before a stressful situation helps you come across with greater presence and impact.

After wiping my sweaty palms and leaving the bathroom, I sat across the table from her and did my work.  As I listened to her aspirations and desires, my fears and preconceived notions slipped away.

I share the story because sometimes we have to do what we’ve never done before. We have to summon our courage and push ourselves over the edge of comfort. Whether we succeed or not, at least we have the satisfaction from having done it!

For this year, I wish you the courage to take an opportunity. Stretch yourself into something new. What do you want to do this year that is new and challenging?

If you want to learn how power posing can help, watch this:

If you are a lawyer who wants more freedom, autonomy, and clarity about your next career steps, I would love to see if I could help you. Please reach out here.