profile

Untether Together with Phoebe Vaughan

I'm a speaker, writer, certified coach, and mom of two. I spent my 30s leading teams at Google and embracing new technologies every step of the way. As a parent of school aged kids, it was clear that reading books, making art, and just being together were no match for the dopamine jolt supplied by short form videos, social media, and gaming. So we cut some cords, and discovered that life is so much brighter when our screens go dark. Subscribe and learn how rich life can be when we untether together.

Photo by Hans Toom
Featured Post

nature never gets old

Hi Reader, There are things I miss about living in Brooklyn, but walking my 100-pound, dog-reactive German Shepherd on crowded sidewalks is not one of them. We now live in rural Vermont, and our walks are blissfully peaceful. Peaceful, but not uneventful: my dog and I have seen beavers and otters splashing in the river and coyote and bobcat tracks in the snow. Bald eagles, barred owls, and great blue herons soaring overhead. One hazy pink summer night, we even spotted a mother bear and two...

Hi Reader, Do you ever find yourself treating life like a decadent brunch buffet, tottering around with a plate piled high with the waffles and the pancakes and the omelette and the quiche? Or are you someone who knows their limits and has learned how to say no? If so, I salute you. My brain understands that less is more, but my heart rebels against constraints. Alongside running my business and taking care of my kids, I coach and facilitate as a contractor, chair a board, volunteer locally,...

two kids gaze at a fire inside a woodstove

Hi Reader, We are well into cozy season and I’ve been stressing Alex out with my open-flame candles on the mantle at night. I only set ONE window shade on fire back in Brooklyn and I still haven’t lived it down. 🤷 I’m not sure when I first heard the Danish word hygge (pronounced “hooga”), but it was long before having kids. I've always loved how beautifully it describes the way I want to feel at home, and how I want friends and family to feel when they visit: cozy, comfortable, connected. Or...

a young child gazes at the Gowanus canal

Hi Reader, They say you can't go home again. I call bullsh*t. Last month, we piled into the car for a roadtrip from the sticks (Vermont) to the bricks (Brooklyn). Thanks to the generosity of an old friend in the South Slope, we were able to stay in a beautiful house just blocks from where our kids were born, made their first friends, and were ruined on bagels and pizza from anywhere but NYC. I'm lookin' at you, Bagel Hole and Peppino's. Returning to our old stomping grounds, seeing old...

Welcome to Untether Together with Phoebe Vaughan I'm so glad you're here. In all of my coaching work, I help clients make space for what matters most. This often starts with asking them what they love to do but haven't been prioritizing. For me, the answer has been writing. Even the journal I use at bedtime has room for just "one line a day." Better than nothing, but I often jot down what I did rather than how I'm feeling, or what I really want to remember most. That's where this newsletter...