Margaret Meloni

Greetings! I hope that 2026 finds you. This is not meant to be an incomplete wish - I hope that the year finds you and I encourage you to fill-in-the-blank as to exactly how the year finds you, or how you find the year. We start with how things are. I look forward to continuing this journey with you. This journey of life and death, of love and loss, and of grief and joy. In the past, I have shared episodes of the Death Dhamma podcast with you, and I have shared books and articles that I have...

If your standups are broken, it is time to fix it. Start this week. Your team will thank you. Standups can balloon to 20+ minutes, people ramble about every detail, discussions spiral into problem-solving sessions, or nobody actually listens to anyone else. The team checks out. You don't surface real blockers. And everyone walks away thinking "I could have done actual work instead." But it doesn't have to be this way. Today we look at the most common challenges, and consider easy to implement...

Many years ago, a coworker, whom I really admired, lost her husband to cancer. At this stage in my life, I had some experience with death and grief, but nothing as intense as what she was experiencing. I recall sending her a card and writing something along the lines of, “If you need anything, just ask. As always, I am here for you.” Later, I would regret my choice of words. Not because she asked for anything. She did not. I realized that my words were hollow and they only made me feel better...

When someone you didn’t like dies, grief can feel messy and confusing. You might sense a flicker of sadness, followed by relief, and then guilt about the relief. You may feel nothing at all and judge yourself for it. You don’t need to force your heart to fit a script. Learn to meet what is here—kindly, clearly, and without pretending. Your task is not to manufacture a “proper” response, but to respond skillfully to whatever is present now—with mindfulness, compassion, and wise intention....

At one time or another, most of us have found ourselves at an event thinking, “Oh, I wish Mom were here for this,” or, “Mom would have loved to see you get married.” Sometimes, it’s something as simple as, “It’s too bad Mom didn’t see her roses bloom this year.” Conversely, we might think, “I’m really glad Dad isn’t here to see what’s happened in his city,” or, “Dad would be so upset at this turn of events.” Click below to listen, or keep reading for more. It’s natural to find ourselves...