Over the past decade, LWE has recognized over 500 of the state’s best and brightest women in an effort to raise the visibility platform for diverse female leaders. In November of 2019, we expanded our mission by hosting The Force For Change Conference featuring music legend Chaka Kahn. The event was attended by hundreds of New Jersey’s most respected female business leaders and entrepreneurs. Little did we know then that this would be our last live in-person event for the foreseeable future.

“This is an opportunity for us to revolutionize both our personal and professional lives through energy work,”

My sister’s wedding is fast approaching, and I have been busy gathering something old (pictures of our grandparents in a bouquet locket), something new (shoes!), something borrowed (the veil I wore at my own wedding), and something blue (I still have 6 weeks to figure this out).

“Wow, you are so lucky!” exclaimed a colleague I had not seen in quite some time. She was reflecting on my good fortune to be working a flexible schedule that suited me, my employer, and my family’s needs. “I am stressed out all the time, and I can’t seem to find work-life balance whether I am working in an organization or even working for myself,” she remarked.

I can remember when I first made the connection between mindfulness and executive presence. At that point, I was fairly new to mindfulness. I went to talk to one of the leaders of the company where I was working. Due to scheduling constraints, we met in her office and not a conference room, which I would have preferred. We were constantly being interrupted by people popping their heads in for “just a quick question”, the phone, personal texts, etc. And she was eating her lunch at her desk while all this was going on. I remember leaving her office, thinking, “I wonder if she even knew what she ate for lunch,” that is how distracted she was. When I left, I did not feel valued or respected; moreover, it felt like the leader did not value her own time.

The presidential election has generated intense buzz among estate tax planning professionals who are wondering whether, and how quickly, the Trump Administration might eliminate the federal estate tax. President Trump has made no secret of his plan to repeal the federal estate tax, which currently stands at 40% on estates over $5.45 million.  House Speaker Paul Ryan has already proffered a tax plan that repeals the estate tax, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has signaled his agreement with repeal.