News & Insights

Not every problem comes with an obvious solution. Sometimes, all you have is a number that doesn’t add up, a missing document, or something that just doesn’t look right. One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is that you don’t always need to know the answer right away. You just need to know how to find it. I like to think of it as following the breadcrumbs. Whether it’s tracking down a discrepancy, figuring out where a process went wrong, or understanding why something w

On Sunday, October 18th I am running my 23rd half marathon. That number feels exponentially high considering how rough some of the double-digit training runs feel on my kneecaps. Regardless, I do not take any of those finish lines for granted. Each of those medals represents a chapter in my book. This summer I got to run a half marathon in Charlevoix, MI on my birthday, turning thirty-three during mile six! Other races have not gone so pleasantly. During the Chicago spring ha

Working toward a big goal can make it easy to overlook the small wins along the way. I catch myself doing this all the time. I finish something I have been working on, solve a problem, or learn a new skill, and almost immediately I am thinking about what I need to do next. There is always another project, another deadline, or another problem that needs to be solved. At Mettle Ops, we work on some projects that can take months or even years to complete. When you are only focus

Have you ever tried watching a movie late at night before bed? You are invested in the story, but your eyes feel so heavy that they start to droop. Next thing you know, you jolt awake a minute later and realize you are falling asleep. That’s when you know there is no way you can focus on the movie while you are so tired. Are you aware that this can happen in a less noticeable way during the day after you wake up to go to work? Have you ever felt like some days your mind keeps

This past week, I heard a sermon by Dr. Gordon Dickson called “A Door of Hope,” based on Hosea 2:15: “And there I will give her her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.” (bold italics, my emphasis added) He explained that the Achor means “Trouble.” What a beautiful reminder that wherever there is trouble, there is always hope. If we are honest, most of us are in a valley, coming out of one, or heading toward another one. Trouble is part of life, but as Chris

August often feels like a transition. Summer is winding down, new schedules are approaching, and many of the goals we started earlier in the year are no longer new or exciting. Starting something is exciting. Finishing something is rewarding. But most of the work happens in the middle. At Mettle Ops, some of our projects can take years to complete. That means the final result is not built through one major accomplishment or one productive day. It is built through consistent e

Throughout my career, I’ve heard the phrase, “Just in case you get hit by a bus tomorrow.” It may sound a little harsh, but the message behind it is important. No organization should rely on one person being the only one who knows how to perform a critical task. We’ve all developed processes, shortcuts, and knowledge that make us effective in our roles. The problem arises when that information exists only in our heads. If someone is out unexpectedly, takes a new opportunity,

Dear working momma, here we are at the end of yet another day. You clocked in, attended the meetings, made the phone calls, answered the messages, and checked off just about every task on your to-do list. Maybe you even wrote a few things down after you had already done them, just so you could check them off too. I see you. I do it as well. 😊 And yet, even after a full day of giving your best, something can still feel missing. At first, you may not be able to name it. Then i

Having a master’s degree, I am aware of the benefits of education. Most jobs require some form of tertiary education or vocational training for a successful career. But what about after that? A typical person who pursues education or training after high school completes it by the age of 25, right before they move into a career defining position. Some jobs do provide on the job training, but again, that is usually at the beginning of taking a position. But what about afterward

When people hear the word process, they often think of extra rules, unnecessary paperwork, or rigid procedures. It can feel like processes slow things down and make work more complicated. In reality, good processes do the opposite. Whether it’s balancing accounts, preparing for an audit, maintaining equipment, or even managing a household, having a clear process reduces stress because it removes guesswork. Instead of constantly figuring out what to do next, you can focus your

Life has a way of testing people when they least expect it. Challenges arrive without invitation—missed opportunities, uncertainty, loss, pressure, disappointment, and moments where progress feels invisible. In difficult seasons, it is easy to become focused only on what is going wrong. Yet some of the strongest growth comes not during times of comfort, but during moments when perseverance and gratitude are practiced together. Perseverance is often misunderstood as dramatic s

Your attention is more powerful than you may realize. People notice if you are otherwise occupied despite being physically present. It’s not a good look to others, and it’s a bad representation of yourself and anyone/anything you are affiliated with. Life gets busy, and it’s easy to let multiple tasks fly through your mind when it should be focusing on the topic at hand. Multitasking can be productive, but sometimes being physically and mentally present communicates more than

Careers rarely follow a perfectly straight line. When we are young, there is so much pressure to decide exactly what we want to do for the rest of our lives, as if one decision at eighteen years old is supposed to determine our entire future. The truth is, most people’s paths change many times along the way, and that is completely okay. I originally earned my associate degree in horticulture and spent four years working in the green industry. At the time, I fully expected tha

On February 5, 1996, I made the most important decision of my life. All the happiness and success I enjoyed could not fill a void I felt in my life. I had everything - family and friends I adored, a successful career, fond memories of an outstanding childhood, the desire to help and love others, etc., but I never felt complete. I knew that something was missing and that I had a purpose to fulfill. These feelings would inevitably trigger a “soul search”. I knew I could be a be

I had to use a plant metaphor for this one—because some people may not know, I’m a bit of a plant nerd. I earned an associate’s degree in horticulture and spent four years working in the green industry before joining the Navy. When I was assigned the rate of Information Systems Technician (IT), I had no background in computers and honestly had no idea what I was doing—but I made it work. Now, I’m working as a bookkeeper at Mettle Ops. It’s not the path I originally pictured,

Bad habits seem hard to break while good habits seem even harder to build. That’s why many people quit before the good thing they are working toward ever becomes a habit. It’s always hard to start but pushing through that phase leads to where it becomes worthwhile. Once a habit is formed, it stops feeling like a big effort. It integrates into your life. Building habits starts with the end in mind. Working up to a goal takes time, and in that time, actions start to shape into

After years of looking for a house, I am happy to report that I will be closing on a house at the end of March. Stepping into this new phase of my life has made me reflect on everything we went through to get here. The housing market was a real struggle when I first started looking. I thought I was ready to take on the huge responsibility of it all. That was until every house we put in an offer for had people paying thousands of dollars out of pocket in the form of an apprais

Keeping on is hard. But quitting is hard too. That’s the part no one really tells you. There will be mornings when showing up to your desk feels heavy. The inbox is full. The numbers don’t tie out. The project you thought would be simple turns into layers of details you didn’t anticipate. Staying disciplined is hard. Double-checking your work is hard. Owning mistakes is hard. Growing is hard. But quitting? That’s hard too. Starting over is hard. Rebuilding credibility is