Blog | lisagonzales

Dec 3, 2019
2 min

It's About Being GUTSY Women

The word was first introduced in the 1890s, an iteration of guts which was intended to mean fortitude. It has great synonyms like hardy, audacious, brave, and bold. And of late, it has emerged as a phrase to acknowledge women who have taken on challenges. Think: - a gutsy woman - a gutsy move I like thinking that gutsy means to challenge the status quo. Amelia Earhart. Rosa Parks. Kathrine Switzer. Women who take on the unthinkable. The challenging. The risky. Found a book st

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Nov 13, 2019
3 min

Stepping Out of Line

Maria Shriver recently wrote about women she admires who have stepped out of line in one way or another. They included some familiar names: - Greta Thunberg (the 16 year old Swedish student who challenged world leaders to address climate change at the U.N. Climate Action Summit) - Alex Bornstein (the actress whose Emmy award winning speech honored her Holocaust surviving mother) -Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (bringing forth impeachment hearings against President Trump) I

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Oct 29, 2019
3 min

How Self Aware Are You?

Funny thing.....as we get older, we either get so busy that we lose sight of who we are and what we stand for OR it has changed a few times. And for some of us, maybe its been more than just a few. Self-awareness is knowing about our beliefs, our character, our motives, and our desires. Self-awareness is important because when we have a better understanding of ourselves, we are able to experience ourselves as unique and separate individuals. We are then empowered to make chan

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Oct 21, 2019
1 min

Strong People Rarely Have Easy Lives

Albert Einstein has many great quotes that circulate LinkedIn and Facebook. One of my personal faves is: If you're a go getter, if your inner drive strives for more, if you've had challenges that keep you wondering, the difficulty that flows soon ebbs. But it helps us grow, it helps us learn, and most importantly it strengthens our resilience factor. The human spirit is one that speaks of perseverance and flexibility. Think about the times when you have been knocked down. The

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Oct 8, 2019
4 min

Progress Over Perfection

Earlier in my career as a school administrator, my focus was on perfection. Make sure to do it right. Every time. At times, it was more process over people and I aimed to get things right at all costs. Thank goodness that was MUCH earlier in my career. There is wisdom that comes with time and experiences, and in that time, much of what I learned was the importance of progress over perfection. The younger me would have processed in ways that sounded like: - I only have one att

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Sep 17, 2019
3 min

Rewriting Your Narrative

Much of our lives are spent trying to get to that next level....middle school, high school, college, graduate school, the first job, the next job, marriage, children, the next job. And most of us didn't do things in quite that order. But life really is so much about going and going and going. As I approach another birthday, I've paused to explore where I've been and where I want to go. The majority of the journey is about the narrative that is crafted and honed along the way.

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Sep 3, 2019
3 min

Need to Overcome Fear and Worry?

reaOne thing most of us have in common is that we all worry. Our work performance. Kids. Getting safely from point A to B. Finances. The economy. Being safe in our own our homes, in our communities, at shopping malls. The worries can become overwhelming and paralyzing. I remember when my twins were two and a half and one of them had a terrible fall in a parking lot. It came on the heels of a girlfriend dying of lung cancer. After a few weeks, I was paralyzed with fear and wor

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Aug 26, 2019
3 min

Bouncing Back from Rejection

re·jec·tion /rəˈjekSH(ə)n/ noun: rejection; plural noun: rejections the dismissing or refusing of a proposal, idea, etc. synonyms:refusal, nonacceptance, declining, turning down, no, dismissal, spurning, rebuff, kick in the teeth Kick in the teeth? Ouch! But if you've experienced rejection in the professional realm, that's a seemingly realistic descriptor. Rejection isn't the end of our stories. They help us to grow and they remind us that taking risks isn't always easy but h

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Jul 16, 2019
2 min

How to Use Mantras While Running

Would you like to start a run with a little simplicity and focus? Need to head out with clarity of purpose that helps you be laser focused? Time to use a phrase to inspire your run. And there’s a pretty basic way to do it. One phrase. Your mantra. A mantra is a phrase or a singular word that adds belief and power to get you through discomfort, pain, or even boredom while running. Think of phrases that make you feel strong and focused. Maybe it’s a verse from a song. Maybe it’

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Jul 16, 2019
3 min

The Dreaded "C" Word

There aren’t many words that can bring a seasoned runner to her or his knee faster than the dreaded “C” word. Chafing. Just reading it makes me cringe. If you’re fortunate to have not dealt with it this far in your running career, congratulations. And if you drew the short stick, as I did last weekend, let me pain be your knowledge gain. Chafing is awful. It is painful, it can be difficult to treat, it is often in unmentionable areas, and it can get infected. Scared yet? Read

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Jun 25, 2019
2 min

Building the Confidence Muscle

I am fortunate to coach a number of administrators, mostly females, around the nation. I do it because, along the way, many leaders took their time to do the same with me. What I've noticed is that so many leaders don't see themselves the way their colleagues do, the way I do. As a teacher, I watched how elementary students progressed into middle school and students lost their edge, especially girls. Gone was the "I can do it" outlook that was so prevalent in kindergarten. It

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

May 13, 2019
2 min

Living in the Present

So much going on. So many distractions. And its Monday, which means we'll likely be bombarded by more today than most days. What does that quote make you think about? Maybe you can relate? I know I can. Keeping my mind in the present is likely as challenging for me as it is for many of you. The Buddhists call it "monkey mind" and I'm surprised I haven't heard that reference before. As a mom of teenage girls who are incredibly active, and being a school administrator with volu

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A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: Priorities

Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Apr 29, 2019
2 min

A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: Priorities

I've been thinking about what I'm good at. Do you do that? From an HR perspective, we often look at firming up the weaknesses of others, rather than maximizing the strengths. And that's what got me to thinking about what I'm good at. I mean really good. Over the weekend I talked to a great friend who asked me about what I thought were my two greatest strengths and I had to think. And think. Share. Change my mind. Think again. I was exhausted, not because I thought I was great

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Apr 22, 2019
2 min

Working with Obstructionists

We've all worked with them. Around them. Tried to avoid them. Some are really obvious. Others are a bit more underground, but their impact is the same. Obstructionists, often affectionately known as bottleneckers, are those who hold things up. They miss deadlines. They don't follow through. They talk a good talk, and then disappear. Or they show up, look you straight in the face, and make you second guess - did we really have that conversation? Was I clear? Yes, you were. And

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A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: Where Are You Headed?

Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Apr 15, 2019
2 min

A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: Where Are You Headed?

Feeling foggy. Traffic at work. Sometimes they aren't just metaphors but real. We all get stuck. Really. WE ALL GET STUCK. And even those who look like they might have it all really might feel stuck. Sometimes we talk to others about it, and other times its the reason behind sleepless nights and wandering off mid-conversation or in the middle of a meeting. There is a comfort that can arise from being patient with ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in. And it's ok

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Apr 8, 2019
1 min

Branding Your District

This week's post is a little different than the rest, simply because I wanted to stay current with what I'm doing. I'll be presenting with a newer colleague in Ohio at the Ohio Superintendent Leadership Academy with the world-renowned Trish Rubin. A very special friend taught me an invaluable lesson about a year ago - there are no unintended conversations. Trish is living proof of that. Our paths crossed at the Women's Leadership Conference this past fall in Newport Beach. Sh

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Apr 1, 2019
2 min

The Power of the Pack

I'm not going to apologize in advance that I'm going to talk about women in leadership. It's part of my mantra, and I'm also learning to STOP apologizing. But I digress.... Over the last ten years or so since I started working to resurrect the Women's Leadership Network with the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA), the nation's largest administrative organization, I've learned a lot about leadership, women, challenges with women, lifting each other, and mor

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A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: It's About Perspective

Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Sep 24, 2018
2 min

A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: It's About Perspective

Here we go, team. It's Monday! Up and at 'em..... This week's thoughts surround perspective, and it has been a common topic for many of my colleagues and I recently. How do we put ourselves in the place to best understand our staff, our teachers, our parents, our other constituents. Understanding the perspective of others really is a key leadership skill. Perspective is how we see the world and how we process what we encounter. For the most part, our past experiences impact h

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Kids Today - A Little More on the Tech Front

Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Feb 19, 2018
1 min

Kids Today - A Little More on the Tech Front

Students are coming to school, armed with the latest and greatest in technology. But...not all students have access. And based on what research is now sharing about the dependence and even addiction for some, it makes you wonder how life was for students back about 20 years ago. Remember the old Commodore? Check out what happens when today's students are introduced to technology from the past. Students love their technology. But will they love the tech we were raised on back

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Dr. Lisa Gonzales

Nov 14, 2017
3 min

Communicating with Parents

Oh, how the times have changed. I remember when I was a first year principal. Every Friday, I’d send home a flyer with all of the school events, and celebrate student and teacher accomplishments. I had envelopes full of little pieces of clip art that I would tape on (remember how to do that so the edges didn’t show?), print on a color of my choosing, and mass produce 600 copies. Yay for technology! Now, the hours I’d put in each week back then can be reduced to a matter of a

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Dr. Lisa Marie Gonzales

#brandher

It's About Being GUTSY Women

Stepping Out of Line

How Self Aware Are You?

Strong People Rarely Have Easy Lives

Progress Over Perfection

Rewriting Your Narrative

Need to Overcome Fear and Worry?

Bouncing Back from Rejection

How to Use Mantras While Running

The Dreaded "C" Word

Building the Confidence Muscle

Living in the Present

A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: Priorities

Working with Obstructionists

A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: Where Are You Headed?

Branding Your District

The Power of the Pack

A Coffee Break of Inspirational Leadership: It's About Perspective

Kids Today - A Little More on the Tech Front

Communicating with Parents