The story of Brian is a common one. He gathered business cards and contacts like they were valuable proof that he was building his business. They were saved in his phone and stacked on his desk like a small memorial to what might be possible. There was only one problem. He never followed up with any of them. That’s right—after every networking event, meeting, or introduction, Brian simply returned to his daily routine of answering requests from advertising agencies and selling radio...

I am a very lucky woman. I have a circle of friends I adore — including friends from my childhood in Queens. Sometimes we talk about “the old days,” but mostly we talk about today and tomorrow. That is the basis of my theory about old friends:You don’t keep old friends around because of yesterday.You keep them because you would choose them again today. That is certainly true of my friend Linda. We met when we were five years old. We have spent decades celebrating birthdays, milestones, and...

Last week, I had what felt like a zillion conversations about  Lindsey Vonn . While I used to ski—and ruptured my ACL twice—I am not an expert in either. What I  am  obsessed with is the kind of passion that allows people to come back from great injury, sorrow, or defeat and decide they will succeed again—sometimes in an even bigger and better way. Early in my career with the  American Red Cross , while serving as Executive Director, I was asked to respond to a multi-unit fire where media...