I was stunned to wake up one day and find myself to be the mother of three boys. Say what? What the heck am I going to do with three boys?!? (You might have heard me yelling/crying that from the Doctor’s office at the amnio appointment for our third one.)

I have years of experience with balls, broken windows, snot, emergency room visits, and most importantly, fun! As a habitual journalist for each of my three boys, I have an endless supply of unbelievable stories, funny sayings, anecdotes, advice, and hard lessons learned.

As a passionate and involved working parent, I am the perfect person to tap for just about anything, especially if you want to get something done!

All of this juggling work and home chaos has made me an extremely practical person. Somewhere along the way, the nickname PractiGal stuck. And here we are, sharing practical advice, showcasing smart, accomplished women, and generally enjoying each other and life.

A few more details about me…

Professional Background

I am in the confidence building business and I love to help women break through the glass ceiling! I work with highly motivated professional women (and enlightened, progressive men) who feel stuck, uncertain, or frustrated in their career. I empower them to find a job they love that is balanced and aligned with their work-life vision. It took me many years to learn to do this and now I help others design and live a balanced life without leaving their sanity behind.

Along with my 1:1 and group coaching, I am a consultant to start-ups and other high-growth companies and I specialize in Business Development, Operations, and Legal work. I was the Vice President, Product Strategy and blah, blah, blah, you can read more about this on LinkedIn. The only relevant part you need to know is that I’ve been an attorney for over 25 years and I left my corporate lawyer job to work for startups after my second maternity leave, thus beginning an unprecedented level of chaos in my life.

In addition to this fabulous blog, I write and speak on many topics, including career planning, women in technology, data analytics, the trials and tribulations of being in-house counsel, entrepreneurism, advocacy, philanthropic grant writing, and fundraising. For more information on my speaking and writing engagements, please see my personal website.

I am a staunch supporter and advocate for women and girls in technology and I have founded or been on the board of a women’s group since I began my career. I feature smart, capable women who are ALL that in articles in my “She’s ALL That!” Series.

Government Experience

I believe in collaboration and transparency in the actions of government.  I also believe in public service. In January 2018, after 14 years of service, I stepped down from my position on the San Carlos Charter Learning Center Board, which is responsible for the budget, policies and procedures, staffing and hiring decisions, the Charter, the school calendar, and is an escalation point for parent complaints and concerns.

I have also run for other offices and positions in San Mateo County – Sequoia Healthcare District in 2004, San Carlos School Board in 2005, Sequoia Healthcare District in 2006, and the San Carlos School Board in 2007. None of which resulted in me holding another public office, but all of which offered me another degree in the school of hard knocks.

Philanthropy

I am a philanthropist and volunteer for many organizations, now and in the past. I worked my way through college and law school and along the way, one of the places I worked was the UC Berkeley Development Office. While there, I learned an enormous amount about donor relationships and cultivation, fundraising, estate giving, stock gifts, and the design, implementation, and management of development and capital campaigns.

In 1999, Greg DesBrisay and I founded the DesBrisay Sigler Family Foundation, an independent private nonprofit dedicated to grant-making for a variety of causes, including supporting our National Parks, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Literacy/Financial Literacy.

I am a creative fundraiser and I have had the pleasure of designing and implementing some crazy, very effective fundraisers for a variety of causes, most notably the Wild Wild West Chili Cook-Off at the San Carlos Charter Learning Center where we have raised over $100,000 each year since 2008. Just call me Sallie Mae, not your ordinary country bumpkin.

Personally

I grew up in Clayton, Indiana, where my dad was a farmer and my mom was a data analyst at Eli Lilly in Indianapolis. I went to school at an open-concept school that was very much like the project-based learning school my kids attended in San Carlos, CA. My parents were divorced when I was 14 and I experienced a very traumatic move from Indiana to California. Boy, was I a fish out of water! Or was it a cow out of the barn? It took me about two years to adjust to the sunshine and California life-style.

I reluctantly attended UC Berkeley and joined the Cal Band after being a huge Stanfurd fan in high school. I joined a sorority (that sure was a surprise to the biggest tomboy on earth) and I received a degree in Philosophy with a Music minor and now you won’t find a bigger Cal fan than me! I graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law with a JD and I concentrated on intellectual property courses while there and at Magdalen College at Oxford University and Franklin Pierce Law Center. One of my favorite memories from law school was playing trombone in the University Orchestra and playing Carmina Burana with the Chorus in the Santa Clara Mission.

I am married to a fabulous partner, Keir Morgan, and we are busy creating a life that involves travel around the world to see friends and family, many hobbies, like singing and dancing, and hosting crazy dinner parties so we can use all of our vintage barware. I am incredibly lucky to have my three beautiful, healthy, and very active boys: Jasper (20), Bryce (19), and McKinley (17), two of whom are in college and one whom is still at home. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! (Actually, most of the time, I miss them terribly and wonder why the house is so quiet and things are still where I put them.)