The Inner Bottom Line ® ..where Choices & Values meet

“I’m More Than Mad as Hell.”

February 9th, 2014   •   no comments   
“I’m More Than Mad as Hell.”

“I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore.” God bless, Howard Beale. And Paddy Chayefsky. And this morning, Maureen Dowd in the Sunday NY Times. I couldn’t say it any better. The thing is, I’m so far beyond mad. I’m exhausted. Exhausted from buoying up everyone else, along with myself, with words of encouragement, optimism, hope, determination, and surety. It takes every ounce of conscious will and energy to keep that fatigue from dissolving into defeat and depression. Which, of course, is what makes me a cock-eyed optimist than a dark soul certain the world will [ Read More ]

“Feast Your Eyes”

November 15th, 2013   •   no comments   

“Feast Your Eyes” As the holidays approach, the universal stresses and worries crop up. Here’s one reader’s dilemma that I’m sure a lot of folks can relate to as the big Thanksgiving feast zooms towards us and family gatherings loom. While there are always tons of articles that appear in publications on reducing the stress of entertaining, cooking, serving the big meal, etc. few address the endemic family histories and dynamics that underpin the entire affair. So here’s food for thought. Dear Olive, Thanksgiving’s coming and I’m feeling distressed. After having my second baby last March, I decided it was [ Read More ]

“How to Hold a Pigeon in Your Hand”

September 15th, 2013   •   no comments   

It may seem way off target to write a column always focused on ethical dilemmas and personal choices to pen a restaurant review, but really, go with me on this, because it’s completely on the mark. Last night, I had the distinct pleasure of taking my beautiful older daughter and her darling husband to dinner to celebrate their wedding anniversary at Le Pigeon, http://lepigeon.com/, a small restaurant in Portland, OR listed as one of the city’s best. And yes, it certainly is. But it’s also a whole lot more. The restaurant business is considered to be one of the toughest, most unforgiving [ Read More ]

PERSONAL BEST® ANNOUNCES OPENING OF PRIVATE EXECUTIVE COACHING PRACTICE IN PORTLAND, OREGON

August 31st, 2013   •   no comments   

July 1, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Julia Botts (503) 908-7842 [email protected] PERSONAL BEST® ANNOUNCES OPENING OF PRIVATE EXECUTIVE COACHING PRACTICE IN PORTLAND, OREGON Lake Oswego, OR – Olive Gallagher, founder and CEO of Personal Best, a creative marketing and ethics consultancy specializing in consistent, accountable brand messages and delivery, announced the relocation and opening of its private executive coaching practice in Portland, Oregon. “While Personal Best started off offering unique creative consulting services to large corporations like Toyota, Avon, PG&E and IDG,” Gallagher explains, “I’ve always worked in private session with clients who ranged from major CEO’s to small [ Read More ]

PERSONAL BEST® ANNOUNCES RELOCATION OF CONSULTANCY TO PORTLAND OREGON

August 31st, 2013   •   no comments   

June 1, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Julia Botts (503) 908-7842 [email protected] PERSONAL BEST® ANNOUNCES RELOCATION OF CONSULTANCY TO PORTLAND OREGON Lake Oswego, OR – Olive Gallagher, founder and CEO of Personal Best, a creative marketing and ethics consultancy specializing in consistent, accountable brand messages and delivery, announced the relocation of its offices today to Portland, Oregon. Gallagher explains, “After twenty-five years of stressful travel on planes, trains and automobiles consulting and speaking, it became time to change it up a bit. With this move, we will be able to continue to deliver the unique work The Inner Bottom Line® [ Read More ]

PERSONAL BEST ANNOUNCES BOOK RELEASE OF OLIVE GALLAGHER’S A SIMPLE PATH TO THE GOOD LIFE™

August 30th, 2013   •   no comments   

April 4, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Gloria Minarik 505-466-9200 [email protected] PERSONAL BEST® ANNOUNCES BOOK RELEASE OF OLIVE GALLAGHER’S A SIMPLE PATH TO THE GOOD LIFE™ Personal Best announced today the launch of founder and CEO Olive Gallagher’s book, A Simple Path to The Good Life™, published by Rising Moon Press. The respected ethicist, TV host and producer of the award-winning series, The Inner Bottom Line®, who writes a nationally syndicated weekly column of the same name currently found in first run in the Santa Fe New Mexican, the oldest and most prestigious newspaper in New Mexico, is currently preparing [ Read More ]

“A Summer of Contradictions”

August 5th, 2013   •   no comments   

This has been a summer of odd contradictions. Of people behaving badly and moments of unexpected courage and heart. Moments when a remarkable president stepped up to the podium, unscheduled, without notes or teleprompter, and asked some vulnerable, heartfelt, and hard questions with an intimate candor no president since perhaps Lincoln has revealed. Comments about race in America that cannot be ignored any longer. Questions that should never have been ignored in the first place. And then, just weeks later, another moment in which we find a great athlete sadly standing on the edge of scandal and a lifetime ban, [ Read More ]

“Have We Crossed the Line?”

July 15th, 2013   •   no comments   

At least once a day, I am appalled by behavior or comments made by strangers or people I know. Examples of inappropriate behavior, arrogant demands, inconsiderate actions, and blatant disregard for common courtesy, helpfulness, kindness or empathy. But occasionally, on days like today, on the heels of the Zimmerman verdict, and the strong reactions that immediately followed, I find myself deeply ashamed of and gravely concerned for my culture, society and country and the choices and actions that are being taken. From Hollywood to Main Street, America, people are shocked and many are outraged. And now, the latest screaming headline [ Read More ]

“Reinventing A Life”

July 9th, 2013   •   no comments   

A very compelling piece of video surfaced today. The three young women who had been kidnapped and abused for so many years while locked away in a house in Cleveland spoke out publicly for the first time. Each face and voice was unique and touching; each smile and word retrieved and honed, I suspect, at an emotional cost far greater and more painful than any you and I will ever be asked to pay. How brave to reveal themselves to the media and world. Yet, in order to move forward and rebuild their lives, how essential. While listening and watching [ Read More ]

“Moving Can Be Mind-Bending”

June 25th, 2013   •   no comments   

It continually occurs to me as I rattle around my new Portland flat, trying to figure out the best place to store old and familiar things, how mind-bending a move can be. It’s like going through an intense year-long therapy session that ends up getting compressed into a few stressful weeks. Not only are our materials things, our “stuff,” relocated and re-placed in a different and foreign configuration, kicking up tons of unseen dust bunnies, surprises and confusion, but in the process, if we pay attention, it also stirs up wisps of memories, bits and pieces of nostalgia, even fragments [ Read More ]