There are 1,676 students in Harvard's Class of 2029 with the entire cohort entering their sophomore year this August. Nicholas McCullough is one of them and one of a handful of Wisconsinites.

In this interview, fodder for chapter 10 of the Harvard Mum Essay Project, we stand with Nick and hear about his summer; his self-funded travels to Europe; and lessons on self calm and time management from having completed his first year of studies and football living 1040+ miles away from home.

We also learn how he and fellow college athletes cope with the rigorous 60 to 80-hour weeks (combining sports with studies) that come next. Extra naps, focus, and camaraderie tend to save the day.

You can find Nicholas McCullough on LinkedIn here for internship opportunities.

Debbi McCullough is an Economist and Financial Times-trained journalist who became a Master Certified Coach with the Intl Coaching Federation and a communications coach for newly-promoted Fortune 500 leaders. Book her for coaching, training or ICF mentoring here. Train with her on Maven here.

You can read Harvard Mum Essay Project excerpts on Substack, rolling out as a memoir and essay collection 2029.

My Harvard son's travels through Europe this year and last year at ages 18 and 19 remind me nostalgically of my own adventures at his age. He self-funded his travels as did I. He went with his mates, with no adult companion. I went solo.

Reflecting on a journey I took around Nicholas' age, from Christchurch, New Zealand, to Kodaira, on the outskirts of Tokyo, required navigating Shinjuku station along the way, with its 3.5 million daily commuters, then the population of New Zealand.

Looking back, it was presence, trust, and focus that got me through, and without mobile technology, GPS, or a lick of Japanese language.

You can read my Substack essay which I read in this episode here. If you or someone you care for want to feel more present with stranger conversation, write to me at hangingrockmedia@gmail.com for a free tip sheet. Put "stranger conversation" in the subject line.

Debbi McCullough is an Economist and Financial Times-trained journalist who became a Master Certified Coach with the Intl Coaching Federation and a communications coach for newly-promoted Fortune 500 leaders. Book her for coaching, training or ICF mentoring here. Train with her on Maven here.

Menopause has more than 34 symptoms recognized by the medical community and around 100 symptoms that women experience. And yet menopause, which impacts 75% of women, remains largely undiscussed and unplanned for.

In this episode of Competency No. 5, on staying present as we coach, lead, and live, we speak with Simon Salt, a British author based in Florida and newly certified Menopause Coach, whose book The Quiet Transition is underway.

Salt trains men to stay present through their partners' menopause — not to fix it, but to notice it, without judgment. His method: book regular time to sit and ask, and listen. How are you feeling? What symptoms are showing up? What's shifting? What is and isn't working?

The exchange runs both ways — men share their own experience of the transition, and each partner asks the other for more, less, or none of something. Repeated often, this attention keeps couples oriented through a change most face alone.

It's a case study in presence: show up, ask better questions, resist the urge to solve before you understand.

Follow Simon Salt and The Quiet Transition on Substack, and his other books on Amazon.

Debbi McCullough is an Economist and Financial Times-trained journalist who became a Master Certified Coach with the Intl Coaching Federation and a communications coach for newly-promoted Fortune 500 leaders. Book her for coaching, training or ICF mentoring here. Train with her on Maven here.