The Sparks Blog

This is the kind of email every motivational speaker wants to get – one letting you know your words really had an impact, that they generated a good return on investment: Ms. Ryan, I recently attended your presentation during the NC Rural Water Supervisors conference.  The exercises from your presentation helped me to realize a […]

I’ve always wanted to go to Yellowstone. There’s an allure to the American West (or maybe it’s just all those episodes of Gunsmoke and Bonanza I watched as a kid). It’s one of those trips I figured I would get around to someday. But when I read 2022 was the park’s 150th Anniversary, I figured […]

As I’m writing this, Omicron is surging and it feels like March 2020 all over again. By the time you read it, we might be dancing in the streets, mask-free. No one knows and that’s the kicker. It feels like being on a seesaw, but a lot less fun. Here are some tips to help: […]

Ah, for the good ol’ pre-pandemic days! I only thought I was stressed then. Here are some things I’m doing now to lower my stress: Let go of drama. My former neighborhood is on nextdoor. It’s mostly people selling stuff and complaining. They complain about wildlife, they complain about HOA rules and dues, they complain […]

Yep, that was the title of the opening article in the last issue I sent out in January 2020 before all hell broke loose. At the time I was encouraging you to make sure your life was exciting, that your 2020s were roaring. I wish I had pushed for boring. I don’t know about you, […]