Carpenter Smith Consulting, llc

Carpenter Smith Consulting, llc Inspiring Leaders | Changing Lives You dream about having the power, impact, and influence to create success and meaning in your life.

You aspire to be better at work, at home and within your community. As “people whisperers,” we are experts on what makes people tick, and have developed easy to implement approaches to leadership, strategy, and engagement. We are dedicated to helping you claim your power, increase your impact, and expand your influence, beginning today. No matter where you are in life, we will work with you as you

r ally on your professional, personal, or career leadership. We inspire leaders and change lives. If you’re worn down by your inability to effectively influence people, at work, at home, or in your community, we can help. At Carpenter Smith Consulting, we provide career consulting, executive coaching, business consultation, strategic planning, and leadership development to people like you. Whether you’re an executive, a manager, part of a work team, or an individual, we will encourage, support, and teach you how to be a leader in your life—at your own pace. There has never been a more important time to bring the best you have to offer to your family, your career, and your community. We are certified as a Women Business Enterprise (WBE) within the state of Oregon.

When you envision standing shoulder-to-shoulder with others, you’ll have an amazing shift in how you approach conversati...
08/19/2026

When you envision standing shoulder-to-shoulder with others, you’ll have an amazing shift in how you approach conversations and interactions.

Take a moment to think about how it feels when you’re in an important conversation with someone and it feels like you’re on one side and they’re on the other.

Maybe you sometimes have the feeling that when they talk, they’re poking a finger at your chest and you’re doing the same in response.

Now, imagine, that you’re sitting side-by-side—looking at the problem, issue, or opportunity, together.

Shoulder-to-shoulder puts you on a team. One where you’re exploring how to move forward in a way that works best for the success of you, them, the team, and the company.

Whether you’re tackling a problem, coming up with new ideas, or navigating stressful situations, consider what it might feel like if you switch to physically or mentally, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the other person(s).

Let us know how it goes!

Today, we're discussing how you can use Curiosity, Caring, and Connection to support your team with burnout.

Today, we’re focusing on ways that you, as a manager, leader, executive, or owner, can support your team members (and yo...
08/05/2026

Today, we’re focusing on ways that you, as a manager, leader, executive, or owner, can support your team members (and yourself!) in avoiding and managing burnout.

We're sharing some ways of connecting and communicating that could help your team to feel supported, which will ultimately result in you being more supported.

⚪️ Curiosity ⚪️
Genuinely ask how people are doing and what support from you would look like.

As you have these conversations, remember to approach people as if you’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder, working toward their individual success and the organizational success, together.

⚪️ Caring and Value ⚪️
People feel like they matter to you and belong to something larger than themselves, when you demonstrate that you care about them as humans and that you value their unique skills and contributions.

Being specific when you see them contribute, and curious about how they’re doing, will increase their experience of being an important member of the team.

⚪️ Connection ⚪️
Building a sense of connection is not a one-and-done.

True connection grows over time, by having shared experiences, dealing with success and failure together, talking about development needs, and in having each other’s back.

It can feel like extra work when you first lean in, but the increase in satisfaction and the sense of engagement that fuels the team, will accelerate everyone’s success.

Let us know how it goes!

Today, we're discussing how you can use Curiosity, Caring, and Connection to support your team with burnout.

In a recent article on Psychology Today's website, Joel Wong, Ph.D. discusses the importance of cultivating a level of H...
07/28/2026

In a recent article on Psychology Today's website, Joel Wong, Ph.D. discusses the importance of cultivating a level of Healthy Dependence in our relationships.

HEALTHY DEPENDENCE / NOURISHING RELIANCE – this is the sweet spot where you lean on others and they lean on you, creating authentic and strong relationships.

This type of dependence can play an important role in nurturing relationships and enriching your life.

What can you do if you see yourself in one of the unhealthy dependence categories? We encourage you to use the first part of our Reflect practice, which is to Reflect on SELF.

Ask yourself questions like this,
🔵 What am I afraid of in this situation? What's keeping me from asking for support?

🔵 What do I typically do when I feel that fear? When you become afraid, what does your behavior look like?

🔵 What would you do if you felt safe? How might you show up if you felt comfortable asking for support?

Click through for additional details and helpful examples.

Let us know what comes up for you!

Today we're sharing the differences between healthy and unhealthy dependence.

We've heard from you that somedays, you're just feeling too overwhelmed to practice self care or even gratitude.To suppo...
07/21/2026

We've heard from you that somedays, you're just feeling too overwhelmed to practice self care or even gratitude.

To support you today, we're sharing a simple suggestion to Look for the Neutral.

Rick Hanson, Ph.D. recommends,

“Let neutral things be without prodding.
Acknowledge the day-to-day,
ordinary moments
without needing to make them
more interesting or exciting.”

By learning to sit with the neutral parts of your day, you prevent your mind from needlessly creating suffering or craving, and you may even find that you have space for some gratitude!

The next time you’re feeling too drained to practice of reflecting, reframing, and restoring, consider taking a moment to look for what’s neutral.

Let us know what you find!

When you're feeling too overwhelmed to refuel or even make note of your gratitudes, it can be helpful to look for what's neutral.

Leading others can be draining. Not because you’re doing it wrong or you don’t have great employees but because it can c...
07/13/2026

Leading others can be draining. Not because you’re doing it wrong or you don’t have great employees but because it can carry emotional burdens like:
🔵 taking on the stress of others
🔵 navigating constant change
🔵 making difficult decisions

If you’re a leader and are feeling drained, we want to remind you that you’re not alone. Even the most successful leaders can become overwhelmed at times.

In an article from last summer on physicianleaders.org, they talk about this very topic, and suggest three key areas you can focus on for your recovery: Reflect, Reframe, and Restore.

We love these three suggestions and are sharing our take on each one.

REFLECT.
It’s always good to pause and reflect on your behavior, so that you can assess whether your actions had the effect you intended.

Consider asking yourself questions like:
🔵 Did I show up in a way that was in alignment with my leadership goal? What was my intent for how I wanted to communicate?
🔵 If not, what was I afraid of? What got in my way?
🔵 If I were to show up in a way that’s in alignment with my goal, what would I do differently? How might the situation be different?

REFRAME.
Instead of just focusing on the challenges or issues, consider taking a more detailed look at the situation so that you have a more well-rounded view and can put all of the aspects into perspective.

Consider asking yourself questions like:
🔵 What went well? What do I feel good about?
🔵 What did I learn (either from a success or a challenge)?
🔵 What can I do right now to improve the situation? Who do I need to follow-up with to clear the air?

RESTORE.
The research on finding ways to restore and replenish is key to your health and wellness. Today, we’re sharing our top three suggestions that our clients (and us!) have found useful over the years.

To restore, consider if one or more of these practices could be supportive for you:
🔵 Practice Mindful Breathing: The simple act of mindful breathing has multiple positive effects like reducing your stress, slowing your heart rate, and signaling to your brain that things are okay.
🔵 Schedule and Take Breaks: A great way to renew, reenergize, and refuel, is to take a combination of micro and macro breaks throughout your day.
🔵 Find Joy: Finding Joy is important for your emotional and physical well-being, and can also support you, your colleagues, and your team as you navigate challenging times.

Learning how to take care of yourself is critical so you can live with energy, success, and satisfaction.

This week, consider how one or more of these suggestions could support you in recovering from the stresses of leadership.

Let us know how it goes!

Today, we're sharing some suggestions to support leaders in recovering from the stressors of managing others.

Today, we want to talk about the importance of being a good mirror to others.To support you, we’ve come up with some ref...
06/29/2026

Today, we want to talk about the importance of being a good mirror to others.

To support you, we’ve come up with some reflection questions to help you think about how you show up when providing feedback to others.

As you read through the questions below, assess whether you’re a good mirror to the people in your life.

🟠 Do you confirm whether they’re actually looking for feedback (or perhaps just looking to vent)?
It’s important to know the difference so that you’re not trying to provide feedback when it’s not needed.

🟠 When they do ask you to provide feedback on their actions or behavior, do you clarify with them what their intent was?
This can be helpful to get an understanding so that you can provide them a clearer picture of whether their impact matched their intent.

🟠 Do you actively listen?
When you’re fully present (focused and without distractions), you’ll be better positioned to understand the situation before providing feedback.

🟠 Do you show up with objectivity and respect for them as you provide both positive and concerning feedback?
Being an effective mirror, has the potential to leave the listener feeling valued and receptive to understanding the impact of their behavior.

With time and practice, you can become very skilled at helping people see how their behavior affects others.

Being an accurate mirror to others is a powerful gift.

This week, consider what it might look like to embody some of these behaviors when providing feedback to others in both your personal and professional life.

Let us know how it goes!

Today, we're sharing some prompts to support you in assessing whether you're a good and accurate mirror to others.

To be a successful leader in your personal and professional life, it’s important to regularly reflect on who you are, wh...
06/23/2026

To be a successful leader in your personal and professional life, it’s important to regularly reflect on who you are, what matters to you, and how you want to engage others in your life and your work.

One very important way that we know who we are and how we are in the world is by looking into others’ eyes to see what they see.

Accurate mirrors reflect the many sides of you. They’re not distorted to show you only the good nor are they warped, showing you only the bad.

To be a great leader, it’s important to be aware of your gifts and of your messiness, so that you can more consciously and thoughtfully choose how you navigate life.

To support you today, we’re sharing a few questions to help you assess the mirrors you have in your life.

We encourage you to ask yourself these questions:
⭕ Is this someone whose opinion and perspective I respect?
⭕ Is this someone who is able to communicate well about their experience of my impact and influence?
⭕ Is this someone who is willing to give me glowing, positive feedback as well as concerning or critical feedback, in a thoughtful and respectful way?

Whether it’s a trusted ally, colleague, or coach, ask them to let you know how they experience you. Then listen closely.

Remember to hold both the positive feedback and the suggestions for change with great pride, so that you can move forward to create the successes that truly matter to you.

Let us know what you find!

Today, we're providing you some questions to help you assess whether your have accurate mirrors in your life.

Some of you have reached out and asked how to go about assessing whether you’re in the right workplace.To support you to...
06/09/2026

Some of you have reached out and asked how to go about assessing whether you’re in the right workplace.

To support you today, we’re sharing questions we commonly use to help clients assess whether their organization is the right fit for them.

As you read through the questions below, consider which ones can support you in defining the right work environment for you.
🟠 Are you able to bring the best version of yourself to work (i.e. use the skills and talents you love) and are you appreciated for it?

🟠 Do you feel appreciated (vs discriminated against) for the various dimensions of you, like gender, race, sexual orientation, socio economic background, culture, experience, education, etc.?

🟠 Do you feel that your position is secure?

🟠 Does your manager support you in your career development?

🟠 Are you able to ask for support, talk about successes and challenges, and provide your opinion, all without being negatively judged?

🟠 Is your workplace in alignment with your life priorities and vision of a work/life balance? Do they honor it?

After answering these questions, review whether or not your current workplace aligns with the items that matter most to you.

If they don’t align, consider having a conversation with your manager about what’s possible.

Keep us posted!

Today, we're providing some guidance on navigating difficult and messy conversations.

We know that there is a lot of pressure in the culture today to do “work you love” and yet for many people, in their eff...
06/05/2026

We know that there is a lot of pressure in the culture today to do “work you love” and yet for many people, in their efforts to create a life they love, work is only a part of that.

Today, we’d like to encourage you to think about the role of work in your life by asking yourself something like,

“If I’m feeling satisfied and successful in life, what role do I want work play?”

This can be a big question to answer, so, to support you in getting started, we’re sharing some answers we’ve heard over the years, from our clients.

🟣 I work to make enough money to spend on my true love which is my art.
🟣 My work is at the center of my life; it’s how I know who I am. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have it.
🟣 Work is a means to an end. I work to create a safe and stable home life for myself and my kids.
🟣 As long as I can do work that’s fun with a great group of people, and make enough money to travel, that’s all I need. Traveling is where my passion lies.
🟣 I’m just out of college and want to get a couple of years under my belt at a small company where I can try on lots of different hats and find out what my strengths are.
🟣 I’m “retiring” from my career and want work to be part-time and something that brings me a sense of meaning.

We encourage you to take some time to think about the role you’d like work to play in your life. Then, consider what’s possible to get closer to that vision.

Let us know what comes up for you!

Today, we're providing some guidance on navigating difficult and messy conversations.

Whether you’re a seasoned CEO, soccer coach, new manager, employee, teacher, spouse, or kid, you’re not alone if you str...
05/18/2026

Whether you’re a seasoned CEO, soccer coach, new manager, employee, teacher, spouse, or kid, you’re not alone if you struggle with messy conversations. We do too!

Today, we want to support you in navigating these messy conversations.

So, we’re providing you some suggestions, using some steps from our Leader in You® Framework, of how you might show up for messy conversations, in any area of your life.

Here are a few highlights from our post. If you're interested in the full details, click below.

🟠 BEFORE the conversation, PAUSE, and consider your goal for the discussion. How do you want to show up? What would you like the outcome to look like?

🟠 DURING the conversation, seek to INFLUENCE and be INFLUENCED by. What are the possibilities to create a solution, together?

🟠 AFTER the conversation, REVIEW & REFINE how things are going. What's gone well? What's been challenging? What will we do moving forward?

🧡 When you can show up with compassion, curiosity, and respect for yourself and others, you’ll find that you have more meaningful discussions and create deeper relationships. 🧡

As you identify an important and/or potentially messy conversation on the horizon, consider some ways that you can prepare to show up at your best as well as supporting the other person to show up at their best.

Let us know how it goes!

Today, we're providing some guidance on navigating difficult and messy conversations.

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Portland, OR
97202

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+15032749447

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