IECA is 40! Forty years of dedication to helping students and families navigate educational paths. Ethically, soundly, and professionally. SNAP. I am grateful and honored to be a part of such a swell group of folks.  In this issue of INSIGHTS you'll find an article I recently wrote on our culture of extremes — and how educational consultants work tirelessly to help students find a way to move forward. Because that is what doing this work is all about.

At the IECA Spring Conference in Boston, Dr…

You weren't afraid of failure? Or, judgement, fatigue, worries...? What if it was just about your infinite and unfettered potential? Try that one on. You need it. And so does our planet.

SOURCE: The Huffington Post "I just have to write ONE ESSAY, right?" This is the question I hear from parents, from students, and just about anyone that hasn't been through the admissions process lately. "Well, that's not usually the case," is my typical response before I go into the ACTUAL number of essays. This recent Huffington Post Blog by Stacey Brooks highlights lessons that the Olympics can offer to students as they wrestle with just what to write. Brooks takes on each of the prompts and…

  Rushing here and there and clocking in 5+hrs/daily on our smartphones. Have you succumbed to the Comparison Flu? Arstist: Jon Han SOURCE: NY Times Do you post, like, comment, tweet, retweet, forward, share, reply, reply all, or stream? If so, you may, from time to time, or more than time to time, suffer from a near epidemic in our modern existence: the Comparison Flu. There may not be a vaccine, but don't worry. There are ways to interact with your beloved social media platforms and build up …

What happens when YOU...

BELIEVE IN YOUR POTENTIAL, EVEN ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE RESULTS YET?

At the Boston IECA convention, Dr. Ellen Braaten opened her keynote speech, “The Curse of the Average Child,” with this slide. "Walmart or Harvard." All other high schoolers should just go home, settle in with their iPads, hide under the T-shirt quilt Aunt Donna had custom-made, and binge watch Game of Thrones. If these are the only options, then it’s winner take all—because stocking shelves doesn’t play well on Instagram.

My yoga instructor had a similar thought nearly a decade ago. “We are a …

WHATEVER YOU CHOOSE TO DO — DO IT WELL. #applyONPURPSE

What’s that tune you can’t stop singing to yourself? We’ve all got one; in fact, I feel pretty safe in saying we’ve all got more than one. We’ve got a whole chorus of tiny voices demanding our attention, but here’s the thing: Some of our internal voices empower us, reinforce our authentic selves, and feed the greater good. Too often, though, they are the roadblocks that spring from our deepest fears about ourselves. And, they are remarkably good at keeping us stuck, especially when we don’t even…

Years ago, during a shopping excursion at the Tannersville Outlet Center in eastern Pennsylvania, I wandered into the Cole Haan store. I browsed the offerings a few times but found I kept returning to a pair of strappy dress sandals. Summer is nearly here, I told myself. And just look at the lovely box complete with scripted Cole Haan on the outside!

I gave in and tried them on. The straps were toward the front of the shoe, and while the heel was just the right height, those straps felt a litt…