About The Blog.
I started writing late in life. I was 40 years old and an Associate Partner at IBM. I felt an extreme need to let the voices out of my head and wrote a 5-part series on LinkedIn I called “The IBM Seduction”. The response was so satisfying that during a sabbatical I took from my corporate career a few years later, in 2018, I created The Voices Collection.
It’s literally a collection of voices. Mostly mine. About my travels and my experiences and my passion for discovering places and people. About my career and about the leadership I thrive for. It’s a creative experiment, where I practice what I preach. It’s a place where I showcase my purpose: to be the facilitator of experiences that connect and boost people’s lives.
And others have also lended their voice. Because we believe in the power of sharing emotional stories to provoke thought, enhance connection, empower individuality, encourage dialogue, break some rules and spark some change.
ALL POSTS
- Saturdays: For the Love of Adventure
“I can be a queen in this truck!”, she said, spilling out with enthusiasm like only an almost 4 year-old can do. It’s through my […] - F1: Being a Fan
I am not ashamed to admit it: I jumped on the Formula One Netflix Drive to Survive pandemic bandwagon. - Think, Bigger: Quotes from The Dead Watson
Passion project pageight is shaping up to be a lot bigger than I expected. It’s really no surprise. In a completely new network of business […] - The PGA Tour: Stories of Firsts
First off, I don’t play golf. Though I have been on more golf courses than most. Always on foot and most likely on the cart […] - Ironman: About Rest
Monday, I can’t help myself: “How was your weekend?!” 9/10 times, the answer is: “Busy”. I know. “Tell me one thing real quick!” Most of […] - June 2022: In Allyship
It’s June already. That happened real fast this year for me. In the longest days of the year, I am called to pause and take […] - Jeep: Loyal to The Wrangler
I often get asked what I drive. I think naturally, many people assume I am going to answer with some kind of fancy German luxury […] - Arizona: I’ll Always Go Back
Arizona, my American home. The landing place of my Canadian teenager immigration journey. I spent 8 years in the 48th before resettling in my current […] - Munich: Free to Love
On the plane yesterday, mostly to pass the time, I counted my Munich passport stamps. An activity that also got me to take a thought […] - March 2022: Diversity Season is NOT Over
It’s the last day of Women’s History Month. The period I’ve come to refer to as the “popular diversity season” is wrapping up. I feel […] - Austin: SXSW Buzz
How was Austin and SXSW? Now back in Reston, VA, I have noticed I have been asked this question more times than usual. For those […] - SXSW: Taco Tuesday & the Magic of Recommendations
It’s human nature to share stories of experiences. At least, it’s in mine. And this week at SXSW in Austin is absolutely no different. See, […] - SXSW: It’s My First
For the SXSW community showcasing their craft at the mega festival, it’s mayhem right now. Bon courage to all of you out there – you […] - March 2022: IWD Surprise
Aye, what a great day! What a great couple of days in fact. More on that tomorrow. For today, just a quick one. Last year, […] - Nightingale Nurses: Helping Ukraine
You might not know this about me: in 2018, I cofounded a non-profit. Born out of nurse Tina Heebner‘s vision, Nightingale Nurses Medical Missions exists to equip, educate and empower […] - CX: It Never Ends
To consider one self a writer, one must write. That’s what the Ten Minute Blog (TMB) is about: whatever is on my mind at the […] - Ironman: Mind Your Transitions
If there is one lesson from Ironman I think applies to anyone who is any kind of goal-driven, this is the one. I remember when […] - Ironman: Breathing in Water
It was the moment I had been waiting for over a year. It was dark outside, but I had seen my family. I was barefoot, […] - Opinion: The Generalist
I’ve been going back and forth with giving myself this label for years. Actually, for decades. I didn’t grow up interested in any specific one […] - Introducing: The Ironman Stories
I’d been training pretty regularly for short course triathlons for about 5 years. Mostly as an outlet for my energy and a practice in discipline. […] - 40over40: The List
Published today! Here. So many stories. I pause, in respect. Namaste queens. Press Release Munich, March 1st 2022 F10 Fe:maleOneZero is proud to present in […] - 40over40: Behind The Scenes
It’s the eve of the launch of F10’s Women 40 over 40 International, the World’s Most Inspiring Women. While I sleep tonight, morning CET, Natascha […] - Tesla: For Guaranteed Fun with a Stranger
Try this. I dare you. Stop any Tesla driver on the streets and ask them: “What’s your favorite feature about your Tesla?” I will bet […] - Opinion: An Ode to Tesla Owners
First off, I have never heard of a Tesla owner that isn’t happy with their overall ownership experience. It’s absolutely no surprise that Tesla scores […] - Signs Are Everywhere: An Angelic Encounter
Written by Kate Deriso and published on The Voices Collection with permission. — Yesterday I was at Costco. I was standing by the flowers looking […] - 40over40: Meet Natascha
It takes one leader. And she is the one. The one with the vision. The one that brings strangers from across 5 continents together to […] - Tesla: Embracing Range Anxiety
In my previous experiment, late last year, I realized, I don’t need an electric charger at home to be an early and active participant in […] - Sober: 2 Years
To consider one self a writer, one must write. That’s what the Ten Minute Blog (TMB) is about: whatever is on my mind at the […] - TMB: Questions of Trust
To consider one self a writer, one must write. That’s what the Ten Minute Blog (TMB) is about: whatever is on my mind at the […] - Polestar: In Munich and On Tour
Before Capgemini Invent, I had some brand awareness about Polestar, but not much. I categorized it as one of the many new EV comers. The […] - TMB: It’s Urgent
I haven’t written enough for myself the last couple of months. The craft-building has almost exclusively been happening at work. I don’t have a large […] - The CXO: With Bernd Preuschoff
From his home office in Nürnberg and my AirBnb in Munich, Bernd Preuschoff and I meet digitally on a September Saturday morning. It’s the first […] - Europe: Travel In Real Life
Last week, I got a text from a former client turned friend: “Jeez! Are you at a super-spreader event?!” I immediately responded with a selfie from […] - Paris: Happy 46th Birthday!
February 2021. It’s my half-birthday. As is customary, I take a moment to reflect on the year so far and begin to plan for what […] - Slalom: Au Revoir
It’s difficult to leave a good place and its terrific people so in my final Slalom story, I give you 5 reasons to love Slalomers. <3 - The CXO: With Sabine Scheunert
Preamble. Rejoice, it’s June! Summer is here. And it’s almost time for the Women Automotive Summit! It’s been nearly 2 years since Stuttgart for the […] - Hilton Head: Working from Everywhere
It’s been a few months since I started coming out of my COVID/Corona induced coma (I call it my Co-Co coma). Like I imagine many […] - One Slalom: With _build
I got back from a road trip to a box waiting for me at home Saturday. My first thought was “Oh he diiiiid!” Joel Forman, […] - At the Table: Using my Voice
Something pretty magical happened to me yesterday. It actually started a couple of weeks ago, when I got a Teams ping from one of my […] - March 2021: Women’s History Month
Rejoice. It’s Women’s History Month. Not to be confused with International Women’s Day, which, with origins dating back to 1901, is celebrated everywhere around the […] - Club1670: The Studio
The nesting in 2020 and so far in 2021 has been serious. And it’s happening all over the globe. We are spending more time than […] - TMB: My Last Business Trip
I miss traveling so much. For work. Sure, there was a time when I had had enough of the weekly beat to NYC. It’s not […] - Love: My One Word for 2021
It seems appropriate that leading up to the annual celebration of love that occurs on Valentine’s day, I would make this declaration. My word for […] - The Beginning: I Am Sober
On January 1, I shared on all the socials the one year anniversary of my freedom from alcohol. I admit that I originally hesitated about […] - 2020: My Review in 20 Hairstyles
This year is bound to be one that all of humanity looks back on as an unforgettable moment in time, in history. As December has […] - 2020: Wo-Men Automotive Summit
Last month, I participated and attended the Wo-Men Automotive Summit (WAS) virtually. This story is a reflection of my journey getting there, experiencing the conference […] - Breasts: I’m Scandalous!
Once a year, I get to be scandalous on social media. I take a selfie using the mirror in the dressing room right before my […] - Healing: Begin, Again.
I’ll say it right away: I was scared. Shit, I am scared! As I age, I am beginning to recognize my fragility, my temporality. I […] - Being Thankful: It’s 2020
As I commence the reflection discipline that is the end of the year, on Thanksgiving morning 2020, I find myself emotional. What else is new? […] - 2020: Creative Mornings & DC Design Week
… My 30 second pitch. — A kaleidoscope of polarities make up my intersectionality. Citizen and immigrant. Daughter and Matante. Lover and fighter. Serious and […] - One Action: VOTE
Some observations from my recent road trips and a call to action: vote. - May 2020: Empathy’s Moment
Empathy is having a moment. It’s been around for a while. The word originates from Greek and was translated in English for the first time […] - May 2020: You are Not Alone
Actually, I am. I’ve been alone for 57 days. Everything I do is alone. — May is Mental Health Awareness month. Respect. I hear and […] - Theatrics: A Quarantine Struggle
This is a self-portrait. Despite the pep talks and the energy I give, these times are extremely difficult, also for me. I barely kept my […] - Slalom: What Does Digital Mean To You?At Slalom, We Believe Digital is in the Eye of the Beholder Two Days. Four Cameras. 107 People. 9,000 Words. At the turn of the […]
- Everything is Canceled. And Now, You Are Working From Home.
5 tips to help you get ready and maximize your productivity. Most of us make an intentional decision to take a remote job. I made […] - Slalom: The First 100 DaysIt’s already been a crazy and good ride. Reflecting on my first 100 days at Slalom DC, one statement summarizes it all: I came out […]
- My Dry January: The Results
My last drink was a whole bottle of Veuve on New Year’s eve. If that was going to be my last drink, I wanted it […] - 2020: More Writing
I need to write for The Voices more. It’s a 2020 goal. Writing for myself. And for the 2 or 3 fans who read everything […] - E71: Slalom X Fleurt Beauty Company Collab!We are back from our Holiday 2019 hiatus with a catch up episode. We jump into 2020 by discussing an official collab between the Gloss […]
- TMB: Missing Munich
Nostalgia for Germany I am having massive FOMO. My BFF and Gloss Over podcast co-host, Meaghan Whalen is in Munich, vacationing, closing out 2019 and […] - E66: My First Month @ Slalom DCThe First Update About My New Job I answer the question I’ve been getting a lot lately: “How’s the new job?!” This episode is about […]
- Slalom: All The DeetsJoining Slalom Consulting September 18, 2019. It’s my first day at Slalom Consulting. I am so thrilled to be joining this company, its people and […]
- E60: I Have a New Job!
Caroline Joins Slalom Consulting You heard it on the Gloss Over Podcast first! Tune in to get all the details as I prepare for my […] - September 2018: A Real Coaching Conversation
This morning, I met with coach Jason Shine. On a gorgeous Monday morning in Arlington, Virginia, we collaborated on some content for his upcoming second […] - Learning German: Finding Joy
Last week, I completed the first of what will be many levels in my journey to learning German. For now, its beginning is officially over. […] - Coaching (4 of 4): DART Your Way to Achievement – Work Over TIME
Over the past three articles, we have been learning how to DART our way to achievement. As a quick recap, we have learned how to […] - Learning German: Finding the Beginner In MeYesterday morning, I got confirmation that the intensive German class I had thought of signing up for upon my return to the US from Munich […]
- Coaching (3 of 4): DART Your Way to Achievement – REFLECT
In the first installments of the DART series, we talked about dreaming big. We learned that you have to get to a place of internal […] - Women Automotive Summit: A Global Event Like No Other
In May, I was invited to attend the inaugural Women Automotive Summit. Put on by a team of passionate professionals from Worldwide Partnerships, a […] - Lost in Translation: I Got a Facial in Munich
Prelude Several weeks ago, I saw an interesting job opportunity come through in one of my LinkedIn searches. It was at the Paris-born boutique […] - Gloss Over: Since the Funk Episode…
A few weeks ago, I got real vulnerable with Meaghan on the Gloss Over Podcast about being in a funk. As I listened to […] - Learning to Listen & the Power of Place
Sometimes I refer to myself as an accidental developer because I didn’t set out to create a real estate business when I started flipping […] - Germany: One End to the Other, by Train
While in Munich for business this late January, I planned to conclude another German adventure with a pleasure trip to Hamburg. For my first […] - GDW: I am “Woman of the Week”!
On a gloomy Munich Friday, last week, I got a note from Sabrina from Global Digital Women that brightened up my day. It read […] - TMB: My Writer’s Block
In doing some maintenance on The Voices Collection today, I realized that I haven’t written anything for the blog in almost a month. Thoughts […] - Best of 2018: The Gloss Over Podcast
As we wrap up 2018 and our second season of the Gloss Over Podcast, Meaghan and I had the brilliant idea to serve you up […] - Back @ Home: Forced Self-Care
I’ve been back in the US for 10 days. I’ve only been out of the house 5 times total since I got home. Three […] - TMB: Being 40 – Something…
I love it. I love being 40-something… Here is why: I am neither the oldest nor the youngest in the room. I’m in the […] - #DFLA18: So Much More than an Award
I pick up the Digital Female Leadership Award story where I last left off in early August, after publishing a blog post in which […] - The House of Beautiful Business: A Poem
In Las Vegas, a meaningful conversation under the January sun. A book recommendation that should be for everyone. Voluminous research and following ensued. The […] - TMB: From Fear to Freedom
When I started using my voice to express who I am and stand in my truth, without the constraints of an establishment’s rules dictating […] - Lisbon: Lively and Lovely
I’ll kill 2 birds with one stone with Lisbon: visit another city on that Condé Nast 20 best European cities list, the original source […] - TMB: Listening to Language
I’ve just arrived Cascais, a small resort town some 30km west of Lisbon. Reflecting on a week of inspiration and mental stimulation at a […] - TMB: The Glamour of Travel
I’ve been a traveling fool. Since 2012, I’ve preferred an airplane ride to Detroit, San Francisco, Dallas, Munich and a train to NYC/NJ to […] - TMB: Why I Love Germany 1A couple of women approached me today at an S-Bahn stop. One of them began speaking to me in German. Surely, they are looking […]
- Introducing: The 10-Minute Blog (TMB)
Last month, as part of my networking trip to Munich, I was lucky enough to go on some 30 blind dates with the women […] - London: Highs and Low
I came to London at the end of my visit to Munich. I hadn’t originally planned on it but an opportunity to pick up […] - Munich: My German Healthcare Experience
I woke up on Saturday morning with a poofy right eyelid. Surely, I thought, I’ve been overdoing it. After a long week of conference-going, networking, […] - Munich: Thoughts on Diversity
Some 5,000 people’s arrive at Munich’s International Congress Center on Sunday morning. During the Bits & Pretzels Founders Festival grand opening presentation on Center Stage, Andy […] - Munich: My Dirndl Shopping Experience
It’s was raining Friday night in Munich. I had planned on meeting up with one of the ladies from the Global Digital Women network […] - Salzburg: A Tourist Again
Ever since I started coming to Munich in early 2017, I always wanted to visit Salzburg. On my very first trip to here, I had […] - Munich: Without My Laptop
I came to Munich to interview, network and job hunt. I had a brilliant plan to meet with as many of the Munich women […] - Washington, DC: A Mobility Experiment
The last time I commuted for work in Northern Virginia, I traveled 1.9 miles or 3 km one-way from my home in Reston, VA to […] - Coaching (2 of 4): DART Your Way to Achievement – ACT
We’ve been looking at the acronym DART, and how to use it as a tool for achievement. In my previous post, we talked about dreaming […] - Living Dharma: I Learn. I Teach.
Editor: Caroline Trudeau A Learning Journey I’ve always been motivated by learning… Declared Majors: Accounting, Biology, Dietetics, Home Economics Degree: […] - Help: I’m Nominated for an Award!
Growth and comfort do not coexist -Ginni Rometty How I Got Here It’s no secret, I’m in job search mode, full effect. […] - A Career With Intention
A person with goals in life knows no obstacles. -Nuccio Bertone I unknowingly embraced my career with intention in elementary school, when I started […] - Traveling “Locally”: Asheville, NC
Vacation this summer was different than the previous 16 years. Normally, Labor Day weekend, I head to the Outer Banks of North Carolina for an […] - Since The IBM Seduction: I’m Ready
“Caroline, what have you been up to?!” This question comes up more and more as time passes since I put my corporate career on pause. […]
