My Personal Journey Archives - Page 2 of 10

Did I get away with murder?

As readers of my blog know, I have had a high pressure career while being married to a man who also has a career, and raising two children. That's the backdrop to something my father said to me last weekend which stopped me in my tracks. Talking about a woman we know whose husband is divorcing her, my father said "Well you got away with murder!" Wow. Talk about judgement from your Dad. Now it's important to note my father is absolutely one of the good guys. He's always been [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-13T06:32:20-08:00September 30, 2015|My Personal Journey|3 Comments

The Queen… and my mother

A little something to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II being the longest reigning English monarch today. Here she is with my Grandfather, Sir Ambrose Flux Dundas, visiting the Isle of Man where he was Lieutenant Governor early on in her reign. But just as importantly - there is my lovely mother, so young and pretty (on the right), greeting Prince Philip with my Grandmother, Lady Mary Dundas. We still have the agenda for her visit, plus the table seating plan and the menu. Mummy sat with the Queen and used to [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-13T07:06:01-08:00September 9, 2015|My Personal Journey|0 Comments

On turning Fifty Five – Am I halfway there yet?

Turning 50 five years ago seemed like a big deal at the time. When I wrote the post Fifty is Just a Number Isn't It? in July 2010 I was musing on the minefield that the fifties looked like to me, and the challenges of aging, without having a clue what was actually going to happen and what it was going to feel like. Now, turning 55, navigating my way through the minefield, I find myself wondering if I am halfway there - and if so halfway to what? Maybe [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-13T06:35:32-08:00July 21, 2015|My Personal Journey|0 Comments

When Uber Made Me Think About Terrorism

Uber and terrorism. Not two things I would have thought about together until today. Under normal circumstances I'm a happy, relatively frequent, Uber user. I grab taxis for short trips around NY but when I know my ride is going to be 10 minutes or more I'll whip out the app and make the request. The car shocks are usually better and I am less likely to arrive at my destination green to the gills than I do from riding with the average New York cabbie. So today started out [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-03T02:44:23-08:00July 2, 2015|My Personal Journey|1 Comment

Kindle or Paper? The pros and cons of my ongoing dilemma

Books are magical. They take me into other worlds, and increasingly into the mysteries of the past, in a way that transports me and consumes my mind. But I find I am facing a dilemma - digital or paper? ephemeral or tactile?When I say digital I am talking about the Kindle - but both the actual Amazon kindle device and the Kindle app on my iPad and iPhone. I switch back and forth - the Kindle device when outside in the sun, the iPad when on a plane. Back and [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-13T07:10:37-08:00June 24, 2015|My Personal Journey|0 Comments

Christmas Book Recommendation: From the Holy Mountain

Asked for a recommendation for bizjournals.com holiday book guide I sent in: "From the Holy Mountain: A Journey Among the Christians of the Middle East" by William Dalrymple Recommended by: Penny Herscher, president and chief executive of FirstRain. Why it's a must-read:"William Dalrymple's evocative descriptions of his journey give a profound context for the rapid changes happening in the Middle East today. This area was the cradle and center of Orthodox Christianity for the last 1,700 years, and it changed little for most of that time until the dramatic political [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T09:47:36-08:00December 9, 2014|My Personal Journey|0 Comments

It’s All About Me! at Defrag 2014

Broomfield, CO - on a cold morning in November... I was invited to be a keynote speaker at Defrag 2014 which is a terrific conference of interesting ideas, and even more interesting people. Personalization is such a key aspect of creating a great experience for our users that I took the tack of total selfishness - It's All About Me! This is what creates the magic for our users. When FirstRain can ask you just a few questions, and then read your mind, it's an enchanting experience. Here's my presentation: [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T09:47:47-08:00December 4, 2014|My Personal Journey|0 Comments

Me in the New York Times: What Parents Can Teach A CEO

When the New York Times said they wanted to interview me for the CEO Corner I had a series of reactions:"Wow - that's great!! Fantastic exposure for FirstRain!" "OMG - what will I say? What if I sound like an idiot?" "Help! What will I wear?" Classic girl. Worried about what I'll wear and what other people will think. Yes, even 54 year old CEOs have the same thoughts you probably have if you are female. But in the end, I'm very pleased with the result... and I wore my [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-13T07:08:55-08:00September 28, 2014|Leadership, My Personal Journey|1 Comment

Appreciating my freedom of speech in Turkey where Twitter is now banned

There's a lot written about "social selling" in tech these days, and how to use Twitter to engage your prospect, but this week we are all seeing just how trivial a use of Twitter this is in comparison to the power it can have on a global scale. I flew from New Delhi to Istanbul a few days ago and as I flew the PM of Turkey, Mr Erdogan, shut down Twitter in Turkey. I was in the air, reading the news on line (36,000 ft up) on Turkish Airlines [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T09:49:42-08:00March 25, 2014|My Personal Journey|2 Comments

The Biggest Little Industry You’ve Never Heard of Turns Fifty

Posted on the HuffingtonPost earlier Chips touch every aspect of our lives. You use chips in your car, in your phone, in your TV, in your fridge, when you play a video game, when you text, Skype or blog, in the bar code reader at the grocery checkout, when you take a photo, as your luggage is routed through an airport -- any time you use electronics today you are using chips. Now I am not talking about potato chips, I'm talking about semiconductors -- integrated circuits. Those small, intricate [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T09:51:40-08:00October 16, 2013|My Personal Journey|0 Comments