Jenny Riddle

My Friend Serving a Life Sentence

November 25, 2024 Jenny Riddle Leave a Comment

Yesterday afternoon, I had just gotten off the phone with my friend, William. He’s recently been transferred from Stateville, a maximum security prison in Joliet, to a medium security prison in Sheridan, about an hour and a half from Chicago.

Phone calls for inmates at Sheridan are always limited to 20 minutes. There are only two phones in William’s section of the prison, so during designated times, all the inmates housed there have to cue up for a chance to make a call.

If I miss his … [Read more...] about My Friend Serving a Life Sentence

How to Act in the Moment

October 30, 2024 Jenny Riddle Leave a Comment

In February of 1961, four Black freshmen students at the Agricultural and Technical college walk up to a lunch counter at a Woolworth’s in Greensboro, NC. They politely order donuts and coffee. The waitress refuses to serve them.

Instead of leaving, the four students take seats at the counter.

For the next four days, more Black students dressed in their best clothes—pressed suits and starched dresses—show up at the Woolworth lunch counter and order food that never comes while White … [Read more...] about How to Act in the Moment

How To Breathe to Have a Better Voice

October 30, 2024 Jenny Riddle Leave a Comment

Mary has a law degree, a masters degree, and is an expert in her field. But the first time I met her on our coaching call on Zoom, her speaking style betrayed her expertise.
I came to discover through the course of our conversation that she’s smart, thoughtful, astute at answering people’s questions, and has great empathy for people.
But she spoke in a monotone with little emotion.
Her voice and delivery didn’t reflect the person I found her to be on the inside. She came across as lacking … [Read more...] about How To Breathe to Have a Better Voice

A New Path

October 24, 2024 Jenny Riddle Leave a Comment

I am poised to take my first step onto a hiking trail in the red clay landscape of Sedona, AZ. Wearing a brand new pair of hiking shoes that I purchased at REI just the day before (Eeek), I’m praying these babies won’t hurt my feet.

It wasn’t that I hadn’t tried to get a new pair of trail shoes earlier, I did! But I wear a size 11.5 or 12 with a somewhat narrow foot. I ordered at least 6 different pairs via mail and none of them worked.

Suddenly, last Thursday, the day before my trip, I … [Read more...] about A New Path

The Mantra That Saved Julie Andrews’ Life

October 1, 2024 Jenny Riddle Leave a Comment

Imagine having one of the most beautiful voices in the world, maybe in history, and one day losing it. Bam. Just like that. Gone.

That’s what happened to Julie Andrews nearly 30 years ago when a botched operation to fix a benign lesion on her vocal cords left her unable to sing.

What would YOU do?

Curl up in the fetal position? Go into a deep depression? Rage against the forces that took your greatest gift and stole your identity?

No doubt Dame Julie Andrews did all of those … [Read more...] about The Mantra That Saved Julie Andrews’ Life