Radical Ignition, Inc.

03/19/2026

Most startup culture problems aren’t surprises. They’re predictable. 🤯

After three decades inside entrepreneurial companies, I’ve started to recognize familiar patterns. They wait too long to bring in strategic HR, hire for technical capability over behavioral fit, move too quickly on hiring, or avoid difficult people decisions for too long.

I felt inspired to write an article on 7 𝑻𝒐𝒙𝒊𝒄 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑴𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒑𝒔 𝑴𝒂𝒌𝒆. In this article, I break down the patterns I’ve seen most often and what leadership teams can do differently.

If you’re building or scaling a company, it may feel familiar. 🔗 in bio.

 OrganizationalDesign Culture ScalingCompanies

02/16/2026

Every time I receive a note like this, I’m reminded why I do this work. It is such an honor to coach leaders who are not only growing themselves, but leading meaningful change in their organizations and communities. I’ve had the privilege of working with leaders doing extraordinary work across developing countries, navigating complex human dynamics while building sustainable impact.

Supporting leaders as they strengthen their voice, boundaries, and presence is work I deeply love.

02/04/2026

⚠️ Vulnerable post ahead...

Why do I call myself a hyper-achiever in recovery?

➜ My drive for high achievement was, and still can be, a form of self-sabotage tied directly to my identity.
I➜ t’s fueled by constant performance and unrealistic standards of perfectionism.
➜ There is never “enough.” I either achieve the goal = success and immediately move on to the next one.
➜ Or I don’t achieve it = failure and still move on to the next one.
➜ With failure, it was either IT that failed, WE that failed (the team, the company, the work), or I was the failure, putting my entire identity at risk.
➜ The stress and pressure I placed on myself for not meeting my goals, or on others for not meeting theirs in service of mine, was enormous.
➜ Ironically, this led to less innovation, less creativity, and very little meaning or fulfillment. When the focus is only on performance and failure, real learning stops.
➜ Almost always, it led to work addiction with a very high personal cost.

01/14/2026

Does anyone remember Adam Grant’s Ted Talk on languishing? I recall hearing this and feeling like there was no better way to describe how I was feeling. I suddenly realized, I’m feeling it again. Here’s my recent blog on why I think this season feels heavier and what actually helps (and what doesn’t).

A few years ago, Adam Grant gave language to something many of us were quietly experiencing: languishing. When I first heard him describe it, I remember thinking, Yes. That is it. I could finally name the feeling. Life was moving, I was functioning, but something essential felt muted. Lately, I have...

12/19/2025

Looking back…2025 was not my best year, and it also was not my worst. That distinction matters.

For those of us who are self employed, it can be tempting to measure a year only by growth, revenue, momentum, or visible wins. When things feel slower, heavier, or less certain, it is easy for scarcity to creep in and start telling a story that something is wrong or that we are falling behind.

There is an almost automatic pull to evaluate, measure, and resolve.
🚀 What did I accomplish?
🚀 What didn’t I do?
🚀 What do I need to change next year?

I have never found much wisdom in resolutions. I found myself setting impossible expectations for myself, and then feeling like a failure when it didn’t happen.

Read my latest blog on some of my practices for staying grounded and present this year. 🔗 in bio.

12/12/2025

I have a secret.

And I’ve been trying to hide it my entire life.

My hair is curly.

It may seem silly to come out about my curly hair, but I had stories about it for as long as I can remember. They went something like this:

📚 “It’s messy (I’m messy).”
📚 “It’s wild (I’m not in control).”
📚 “It’s not professional, executive-presence hair (I’m an imposter).” This one truly cracks me up!

Recently, a client bravely shared with me that they were celebrating their “Self-Authenticity Day,” the anniversary of the moment they finally started showing up as their true self. It led to me thinking about my own journey to authenticity.

For decades, I spent countless hours drying it straight, paying to make it straight, and only curling it with a curling iron. The truth? I get more compliments when it’s naturally curly. The story was entirely in my head.

Now that I’m in my mid-50s, I’m embracing my natural curls. At first, I thought I was just getting older and too tired to spend so much time on my hair. But if I’m being honest, it’s that I’m finally embracing my authenticity. I’m more comfortable being who I am. I’ve had stories about many parts of my identity, and the masks I felt I had to wear. The masks, the versions of myself I thought I needed to be, and the imposter are fading away. I’m sad it took me this long to let these things go.

I’m at my best when I fact-check these stories. I’m gifted at challenging toxic organizational systems and leaders, and now I’m challenging my own toxic narratives. The work I do with others starts with the work I’m willing to do myself. Living abundantly and authentically is true freedom.

Stay tuned. I’ll be sharing more about identity, authenticity, and the stories we carry in my upcoming podcast launch!

Be who you are. 💪🏼

  

12/05/2025

🚀 𝑬𝒙𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑵𝒆𝒘𝒔: 𝑾𝒆𝒍𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒉, 𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒏𝒆𝒘 𝑪𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒇 𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒏𝒆𝒓!

Over the past year, Radical Ignition, Inc. has grown in ways that reaffirm something I’ve always believed:  𝑜𝓇𝑔𝒶𝓃𝒾𝓏𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝓇𝒾𝓋𝑒 𝓌𝒽𝑒𝓃 𝓉𝒽𝑒𝒾𝓇 𝓅𝑒𝑜𝓅𝓁𝑒 𝒹𝑜! I am beyond excited to welcome Sarah Alaimo, SHRM-CP, CCHC to the Radical Ignition team. Sarah is responsible for building and leading our fractional HR practice. She brings deep HR expertise, a calm and grounding presence, and a talent for meeting leaders and teams exactly where they are while guiding them toward where they need to go.

As companies continue to wrestle with growth, hybrid work, and cultural complexity, having a strategic People Partner is no longer a luxury - it’s a competitive advantage. With Sarah’s leadership, we’re doubling down on helping organizations build workplaces where people feel seen, supported, and set up to succeed.

If you’re a founder, executive, or HR leader looking for partnership in scaling your people function, I’d love to connect. More info here: https://lnkd.in/gxN_93aF

Here’s to the next chapter. 💥

11/26/2025

To my clients… working with you is an honor. Thank you for showing up with heart, vulnerability, and determination. I am truly grateful for you. 🍂

09/28/2025

And the best part? Being able to share it with my 21-year-old nephew, .paredes who was kind enough to come hand out with his crazy aunt and act as our videographer, (which I’m sure was pretty lame for a senior Computer Science major - hint hint to all of my tech leaders out there - he is truly brilliant, talented, and all around amazing human). ♥️

09/27/2025

It was an amazing day speaking on Courageous Conversations and Thriving through Turbulence with

09/18/2025

HR peeps! Who is registered for the LWHRA Symposium? Well…🥁🥁🥁 ICF Washington State will be there and is partnering with LWHRA this year to offer pro bono coaching to all participants at the Symposium. Experience the power of coaching in real time! Sign up for a 15-20-minute, confidential 1:1 session with an ICF-certified coach. You’ll have the opportunity to join facilitated roundtables on three powerful themes:

✔️Circle 1: HR on the Edge – Stress, Burnout, and Boundaries
✔️Circle 2: HR as Coach – Listening Deeper, Leading Stronger
✔️Circle 3: Belonging in Action – Leading with Equity and Inclusion

Break out into a confidential 15-20-minute 1:1 coaching session with a certified ICF coach to deepen your personal insights.

Complete our pre-conference sign-up form to secure your preferred coaching spot. 🔗 in bio. If you haven’t registered for the Symposium yet, that 🔗 is my bio too!