Karen Cortell Reisman

Remember the adage, "Women have to work twice as hard to be considered half as good"? Dr. Lois Frankel writes in her bestseller, Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office, "It's a myth that people get ahead because they work hard. The truth is, no one ever got promoted purely because of hard work. Likability, strategic thinking, networking, being a team player are but a few of the other factors that go into crafting a successful career."

After a great speech last week in Chicago I meandered into O'Hare Airport. As I approached Ms. Stephen at the ticket counter I noticed she seemed a bit harried. What she didn't know was that I would add to her insanity.

"Hi, Ms. Stephen. My flight is much later today. Can I fly stand by sooner?"

"Hmmmm", she murmured, as she clicked her fingers on her keypad. "I don't see your record. You don't have a ticket."

Although it's been almost a month since the Dallas Mavericks won the NBA Championship title, Dallas is still abuzz with the news. The big story of The Finals, beyond LeBron James falling short, was the overlying theme of "Good vs. Evil" that the media indulged in. The Mavericks, the good guys, were the underdogs that rose above adversity and conquered the villains, the Miami Heat. Through it all, however, they displayed confidence, togetherness, and humility.

Even the title of Twyla Tharp's book, The Creative Habit, is a clever oxymoron. You might think that to be creative means you put yourself in a zen environment and wait for the genius spark to ignite.

Wrong.

According to Tharp, an iconic Tony winning choreographer, creativity results from structured habits that increase the chance for sparks of genius. "Creativity is not a gift from the gods."

You should never make this dish. Why? 1.   Your house will reek of fish for one week. 2.   YOU will smell like fish for one week. 3.   Your refrigerator will smell like fish for two weeks.

A book written in 1999 promising to tell me the best known marketing secret? I hesitated to read anything about marketing that had no discussion of Facebook, LinkedIn, or even email.

You have lots of choices of places to spend your money. Your decision is partly based upon location and pricing. However, when you are choosing from several options that are equivalent in convenience and value, you'll pick the shop that shows an interest in YOU.

It's more fun to do business with people who care about you.

People of all ages wander the lush grounds in fluffy white robes. I'm at Lake Austin Spa, a 19 acre facility in a waterside setting -- not a rehab facility. Easy to reach from Houston or Dallas, it's also accessible from the Austin airport. Just don't miss that left turn off Riverbend or you'll end up in the lake.

First I bought the iPhone4. Then I bought the MAC Book Air. Then I bought the MAC cordless mouse, followed by the sleek one-Terabyte secondary hard drive storage, a cute black case for the lithe computer, the tiny auxiliary DVD/CD burner, and two other attachable gizmos, along with the one-to-one Apple lessons, good for a whole year.

Today I'm going to a coffice to get some real work done. I hope I don't have to hear too many halfalogues or get into a conversation with a mansplainer at the next table. If so, I'll return to the safety of my home and just sofalize. Actually, that will give me more opportunity to get back to my social graph.

Welcome to five words created during the year of 2010, according to New York Times' Grant Barrett, a lexicographer specializing in slang and new terms.

I have a client who looks like Jack Nicholson and SOUNDS like Jack Nicholson. (Darn it - he is NOT Jack Nicholson!) He told me that it was a slight novelty and he even had fun one day signing a few autographs at an airport.

Mel Zuckerman, co-founder of the award-winning Canyon Ranch Spa, has puzzled for over 30 years on the question, "Who makes sustainable change and who does not?"

At Canyon Ranch, his goal is to help people live happier and healthier lives, yet, he notices that there's a disconnect between what people know and what they do.

Do you recall how Johnson & Johnson handled the poison scare after seven Chicago-area residents died due to cyanide-laced Tylenol in 1982?

Did you realize that "Colonel Sanders", founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, only had a 6th grade education?

Karen Cortell Reisman is an author, motivational speaker, and cousin to Albert Einstein. She is a communications expert and executive public speaking coach who has coached thousands of people. In her one-woman show, Letters from Albert Einstein, she brings wisdom and insight from personal letters from her cousin, Albert Einstein, to audiences around the country.

Karen Cortell Reisman is an author, motivational speaker, and cousin to Albert Einstein. She is a communications expert and executive public speaking coach who has coached thousands of people. In her one-woman show, Letters from Albert Einstein, she brings wisdom and insight from personal letters from her cousin, Albert Einstein, to audiences around the country. This is Part Two of my interview with Karen. Be sure to read Part One to hear the story behind personal letters from her cousin, Albert Einstein.