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Thought for the Week – Did AI Write This?

did-ai-write-this When did clear, thoughtful writing start sounding “too AI”?

Last time, we explored “The Words We Don’t Say” – we often think communication is all about what we say. Yet so much is shaped by what we don’t say. If you missed it, you can catch up here

Lately I’ve noticed a growing trend: people are starting to question punctuation. Have you noticed this too?

When something is structured, grammatically sound, and punctuated, these days it’s often met with: “Hmm… this sounds like AI.”

Yet punctuation doesn’t strip our words of humanity – it gives them shape, clarity and emotional tone.

Without it, meaning gets lost:

“Let’s eat, Grandma.”

“Let’s eat Grandma.”

Right! One of those is a dinner invitation. The other is… well, a crime scene!

Have you ever sent a message that was misunderstood because of missing punctuation?

Have you had a moment where a tiny punctuation choice changed the tone of what you were trying to say – maybe at work, in a leadership role, or in a personal moment?
Did someone teach you the power of punctuation in a way that stuck with you?

I have learned that even something as small as a missing full stop can shift the tone – making a message feel rushed or careless, even when it’s not.

We don’t punctuate to impress. We punctuate to be understood.

“Punctuation marks are the road signs placed along the highway of our communication – to control speeds, provide directions, and prevent head-on collisions.”

– Russell Baker –

[American journalist & author]

So, here’s some encouragement for this week…

If you like using punctuation and writing with care, keep doing it. Use punctuation. Use pauses. Use your voice. It’s not robotic – it’s respectful.

In a world full of noise, clarity is a gift.

I’d love to hear what you think on this topic!

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!

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Thought for the Week – The Words We Don’t Say

the-words-we-dont-say-image What conversation have you been rehearsing in your head and still haven’t had?

Last time, we explored “The Words We Whisper” – the quiet voice we carry inside. The gentle resilience. The encouragement we can offer ourselves. If you missed it, you can catch up here

This week, I’ve been thinking about another layer to how we communicate – just as quiet and just as powerful:

The words we don’t say.

You know the ones…

The kind that linger in the back of your mind during a conversation.
The kind you rehearse in the shower, or rewrite in a text you never send.
The kind that feel too honest, too messy, too vulnerable – or just too much.

We hold back for all kinds of reasons…

Because we don’t want to make it awkward.

Because we don’t want to rock the boat.

Because it’s easier to pretend we’re fine than to explain why we’re not.

The “thank you” we meant to share, but we moved on too fast.
The boundary we need yet never voice.
The “I miss you” that feels too tender to admit.
The apology we think about but aren’t sure how to offer.

Yet unspoken words don’t disappear. They collect. They shape the distance between us.

They become weight we carry quietly – sometimes for days, sometimes for years.

We often think communication is about what we say – yet so much is shaped by what we don’t say.

Sometimes, silence is self-protection. Sometimes, it’s wisdom.

At other times, it’s about fear, or habit, or the weight of not wanting to risk disrupting things.

It’s worth asking yourself:

What have I been holding back?
What conversation am I avoiding?
What part of me is asking to be heard – by someone else?
What would I say if I trusted I’d be heard with compassion?

Speaking up can feel risky. It might be something simple:

A thank you.

An “I’m still hurt.”

An “I need some space.”

Or even: “I care about this too much not to say something.”

There’s no pressure to say it all at once – maybe there’s one thing you can say. One sentence. One step. One truth.

Even a whisper can make space for healing. It can be a form of release – of reclaiming something inside you.

It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be dramatic.

“We say ‘I’m fine’ because we don’t know how to say, ‘This is hard, and I don’t know how to talk about it yet.”

– Morgan Harper Nichols –

[Musician, songwriter, mixed-media artist, and writer, whose work is centred around the question “how can we create connection?”]

This week…

What have you been meaning to say and haven’t?
What could shift if those unsaid words were gently, kindly named?

Sometimes, just a few words can change everything.

Here’s to courage – and to choosing our words, even the quiet ones.

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

P.P.S. Book a complimentary Clarity Session with me here

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Thought for the Week – The Words We Whisper

learning-and-becoming When you make a mistake, what’s the first sentence you say to yourself?

Last time, we explored the idea of giving ourselves credit – recognising the quiet resilience, hard choices, and the ways we’ve grown (even if it didn’t look “perfect”). If you missed it, you can catch up here

Thank you again for the messages you sent in response – it’s a privilege to share your reflections with you.

This week, I’ve been thinking about the voice that we carry with us day to day – the tone, the words, and the internal dialogue that so often goes unnoticed.

That quiet murmur that either lifts us… or slowly wears us down.

It’s worth asking:

How am I speaking to myself today?
If I heard someone talking to a friend, the way I am speaking to myself… how would I feel?
What belief is hiding behind the way I’m narrating my own life right now?

Here’s what I’ve noticed…

We can’t always silence that inner critic – we can learn to meet it with kindness though.

We can gently shift the tone. We can speak back in a positive way.

We can remind ourselves that we are allowed to be a work in progress and a masterpiece in motion – at the same time.

This week…

What if your inner voice was your inner encourager?

What if, just for a moment, you spoke to yourself as you would to someone you deeply care about?

It doesn’t have to be loud. It just has to be true.

If your inner voice was your closest ally, what would it say to you today?

Try whispering:

“I’m doing better than I think.”
“This is hard, yet I’ve done tough things before, and I can again.”
“I don’t have to earn my worth. I already have it.”

“Talk to yourself like someone you love.”

– Brené Brown –

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

P.P.S. Book a complimentary Clarity Session with me here

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Thought for the Week – Look How Far You’ve Come!

look-how-far-youve-come What’s something you’ve achieved recently that you haven’t given yourself credit for?

Thought for the Week – Look How Far You’ve Come!

Last time, we reflected on “I Was Still Learning, Growing“; forgiving our past selves – the younger, less-experienced versions of ourselves while we were still learning, still working it all out. If you missed it, you can catch up here

I received some lovely emails this week sharing how this resonated with you – I feel honoured that you shared this with me, thank you.

Here’s something else I have been thinking about lately:

We’re often quick to criticise who we used to be while being far too slow to acknowledge how far we’ve come.
We minimise our growth because we are focussing on the work ahead that’s yet to do.
We downplay our progress because it doesn’t look ‘perfect’.
We forget to acknowledge and celebrate the quiet resilience it took us to get here.

And yet – that version of you who made it through tough challenges…

Who kept going no matter what…

Who chose to change, even when it was uncomfortable…

They deserve some credit!

So, this week, instead of only noticing where you want to improve, I invite you to pause and also recognise this:

You’ve come a long way.
You’ve grown in ways you once believed impossible.
You’ve made hard choices. You’ve softened. You’ve stretched.
And you’re still becoming your most magnificent self.

That counts.

“You’ve been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

– Louise Hay –

[Founder of Hay House, American motivational author and professional speaker]

Here’s a question to carry into the week:

What do you want to give yourself credit for? (Even if it feels small. Even if no one else saw it.)

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

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Thought for the Week – I Was Still Learning, Still Becoming

still-learning-and-growing Last time, we explored “Let Them Adjust” about allowing for those around us to adjust when we grow or change. If you missed it, you can catch up here

Yes, there are moments from my past – choices I made, ways I showed up – that I now look back on and wince. Sometimes, people remember us for who we were, not who we’ve become.

And that stings.

Now, here’s what I’ve come to understand:

I was still learning.

Still growing.

Still figuring it all out.

I still am.

We all have chapters that we would write differently today. Yet those chapters shaped us, are part of our growth, our story – and often, our greatest lessons. Not something to be erased.

So, if you’re holding onto regret about your past self, I want you to know that growth isn’t a straight line. It can be messy, unpredictable, and profoundly human.

So, if you’ve ever found yourself feeling embarrassed or ashamed of an earlier version of you, I invite you to pause and remember:

You were doing the best you could with what you had – and you’re not standing still.

And look at you now – you’re not stuck. You’re moving, learning and evolving!

Here’s a question for you to consider over the next week:

What have you learned to forgive yourself for? Or maybe you’re still working on it?

“Forgive yourself for not knowing what you didn’t know before you learned it.”

– Maya Angelou –

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

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Thought for the Week – Let Them Adjust

let-others-adjust-to-the-new-you Have you started saying “no” more and noticed who doesn’t like it?

Last time, we explored “The Invisible Communicator”. This was about how many professionals can feel unseen, unheard, even when they’re saying all the right things. Often, the issue isn’t about you, it’s how others have been conditioned to hear (or ‘unhear’) your voice. If you missed it, you can catch up here

As we constantly develop and evolve, here are some of the shifts we have to navigate along the way:

What happens when you start showing up differently?

You start saying “no” to things that no longer fit or overstretch you.

You say what you mean.

You drop the ‘qualifiers’, the ‘softeners’, the over-explaining.

And suddenly, the dynamic changes. You might notice:

– Raised eyebrows
– Subtle resistance
– Silence or guilt trips
– Or even your own moment of self-doubt

It can feel unsettling – it doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong though.

People get used to a version of you that makes them comfortable – not necessarily the version that reflects who you are now.

If you’ve always been the reliable yes-sayer, the fixer, the one who keeps the peace – then becoming more direct and having firmer boundaries will feel unfamiliar to them. And maybe even to you.

Here’s what’s important to remember:

That’s their adjustment to make. Not yours.

Yes, if we have been conditioned not to upset anyone, then this will feel uncomfortable – at first. Here’s the thing …

Clarity creates discomfort – before it creates respect.

So, if you’ve recently started owning your voice more clearly – and things feel a bit off – it might just mean that you’re disrupting old dynamics and narratives.

You’re not losing your voice – you are using it! You have discovered that it is much easier and less stressful using it in an authentic way.

A few reflections for this week:

I invite you to ask yourself:

Who am I showing up differently for – and how can I reintroduce myself?
Where am I being pulled to shrink back into old roles for the sake of harmony?
Can I hold my ground while others adjust?

You’ve done enough adapting – you are choosing to remain calm, respectful and assertive in all of your conversations. Let them adjust.

“Respect yourself and others will respect you.”

– Wayne Dyer –

With quiet strength and warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

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Thought for the Week – The Invisible Communicator

invisible Ever feel like you’re being overlooked – even when you’re speaking up?

Last time, we explored “Are We Really Having a Conversation?” This was how, when we shift from broadcasting to connecting, we change the dynamic of relationships – at work, at home, and in ourselves.

If you missed it, you can catch up here

You prepare, contribute, show up with ideas… and yet it feels like you’re invisible.

Many professionals feel this, and yet rarely articulate the subtle, frustrating experience of not being taken seriously, even when they’re saying the right things.

It’s not just frustrating. It’s demoralising.

And you start to question yourself:

“Am I unclear?”
“Am I lacking confidence?”
“Is it because I’m not senior enough?”

Here’s the hard truth:

It’s not always what you’re saying – it’s how others have already decided to hear you.

Possible Reasons:

Somewhere along the way, professionals were taught to:

– Shrink their voice to sound “non-threatening”
– Add softeners to avoid sounding “too confident”
– Wait for space instead of taking it

We don’t always notice how we’ve been trained to disappear.

Could some of the following invisible habits be undermining your credibility:

– Are you using softeners and filler words such as: “like”, “actually”, “just,” “maybe,” “kind of” etc?
– Are you speaking in an apologetic tone in some way without realising it?
– Are you over-explaining things?
– Could your body language be saying something different to your message?

Feeling invisible isn’t a personal failure. It’s often the result of invisible dynamics – and learned and habitual communication patterns.

If this is happening to you, I invite you to ask yourself:

“What do I unconsciously do that might make my voice smaller than it really is?”

If you are a leader and you want to encourage others to speak up more, you could ask them that question.

And a gentle reminder…

Being overlooked doesn’t mean you’re not worth listening to. Sometimes it just means it’s time to reclaim your voice.

Now, here’s the thing …

It is not about turning up the volume or quickening your pace! It is not the loudest person in the room who is being taken seriously either.

It is all about how you influence others i.e., by actively listening, asking relevant and powerful questions, remaining calm and assertive and owning your own views as you present them.

“You can influence people without being the loudest voice in the room.”

– Malala Yousafzai (Nobel Peace Prize Winner) –

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

P.P.S. Book a complimentary Clarity Session with me here

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Thought for the Week – Are We Really Having a Conversation?

are-we-really-having-a-conversation How do we know if we’re truly having a conversation – or just broadcasting our thoughts?

Last time, we explored “Listening Between the Lines” and how communication isn’t just what’s exchanged in words, it’s how we show up for each other when words fall short. If you missed it, you can catch up here

We live in a world of constant updates, opinions, and noise. From meetings to messages, social posts to performance reviews – communication is everywhere.

How do we know if we are really having a conversation?

It’s easy to mistake talking for communicating. But what if, more often than we realise, we’re just broadcasting?

This week let’s pause to consider the difference between real dialogue and performative exchange – the kind of surface-level interaction where we speak at each other, rather than with each other.

Real dialogue asks something more of us. It asks us to:

Listen with curiosity instead of waiting to speak.
Stay open to being changed by what we hear.
Ask questions not to confirm our assumptions, but to deepen our understanding.

So, here’s a gentle reflection for the week ahead:

“How often do you invite – rather than simply allow – others to influence your perspective?”

If you’ve ever walked away from a conversation or meeting feeling flat, one-sided, or disconnected, you’re not alone. Sometimes we’re so focused on what we’re contributing that we forget to truly receive what’s being offered.

This week, see what shifts when you approach conversation as co-creation rather than performance.

“The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.”

– George Bernard Shaw –

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With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

P.P.S. Book a complimentary Clarity Session with me here

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Thought for the Week – Listening Between the Lines

listening-between-the-lines What if the real power in communication isn’t what you say … but what you’re willing to hear?

Last time, we explored “From Tension to Trust” – the art of repair and how to rebuild trust when connection breaks down. If you missed it, you can catch up here

We can spend so much energy trying to be clear, clever, or correct in what we communicate. However, deep trust isn’t built on how well we speak – it’s rooted in how fully we listen.

So, this week, let’s turn to something quieter, yet just as radical: The kind of listening that makes people feel safe, seen, and truly understood.

It’s the kind of listening that hears what’s said, what’s meant, and even what’s unsaid. And it doesn’t come from technique. It comes from presence.

When was the last time someone listened to you without interrupting, fixing, or rushing to respond?

That kind of listening is rare – and unforgettable, right?

It’s not passive. It’s not silent agreement.

It’s a courageous choice to:

Put your agenda to one side for the moment.
Resist the reflex to defend.
Make room for the other person to find their words, even if they’re messy or slow.

This kind of listening doesn’t mean you agree with everything – it signals care, and opens the door for collaboration, empathy, and yes, repair.

This week, I invite you to reflect on:

Where might deeper listening shift the energy of a relationship?
What gets in the way of your ability to be fully present?
How might you listen – not to respond, but to understand?

Because communication isn’t just what’s exchanged in words, it’s how we show up for each other when words fall short.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.”

– Winston Churchill –

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See you inside!

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

P.P.S. Book a complimentary Clarity Session with me here

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Thought for the Week – From Tension to Trust

tension-to-trust (Kintsugi) When was the last time you truly repaired a relationship rather than just moving on?

We’ve all been there.
You speak with care. You stay present with someone.
And yet somehow … the other person hears something completely different.

It’s frustrating. Disorienting. Even painful.

Last week, I wrote about how being misunderstood is part of real human connection – and how we can respond with curiosity and grace rather than defensiveness. If you missed it, you can catch up here

That’s only the beginning …

Because true communication doesn’t end at talking and understanding.
It goes one step further – into the brave and transformative territory of repair.

What happens after the misunderstanding is what matters most.

How do we come back into connection when there’s been a misunderstanding?
What does real repair sound like?
And how can we do it without shame or blame?

This week’s “Thought for the Week” dives into these questions – with practical tools and a fresh way to think about relational resilience.

Because communication isn’t just about what we say.

It’s about co-creation.
It’s about the courage to stay in the room – and find our way back to each other.

When we learn the art of repair, we move from transaction to transformation. We cultivate a field of trust where people feel safe enough to be real – even when it’s messy.

This week, I invite you to reflect on a conversation or connection that felt strained.

Is there a thread you might gently pick up again?
What would it mean to repair, rather than retreat?
Where could you lead with grace, even if you weren’t “wrong”?

Because regenerative communication isn’t about perfection.
It’s about staying in connection – and finding our way back to harmony.

“A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month’s study of books.”

– Chinese Proverb –

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See you inside!

With warmest wishes,

korinne-sig

Korinne Le Page
Thrive Coaching & Training – Empowering You to Thrive!
P.S. Feel free to share your experiences and insights!

P.P.S. Book a complimentary Clarity Session with me here

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