About Peggy Holtman

Peggy Holtman has been a teacher, corporate executive and a leadership consultant. In all of those careers, she has always been keenly interested in personality and behavioral psychology. She is the author of two books, Leadership at the Edge, a leadership book, and Mimi and Papa’s Surprise, a book for her grandchildren. Currently, she is writing her family’s memoir focusing on personality traits and historical context.  She lives on Cape Cod, Massachusetts with her husband Ray.

About the Project

Peggy Holtman has spent many years exploring personality characteristics as a leadership coach and consultant. Now she is writing a family memoir with a focus on how history impacted her ancestors’ behaviors. She believes that in addition to outward physical and genetic traits, specific temperaments can also be passed down.

Follow Peggy on her journey as she uncovers her Irish-Italian family’s place in history. She will explore their challenges and opportunities, along with what they passed on to their descendants—like certain personality traits, such as resilience—in addition to genetics. Her story will make us think beyond genealogical facts, leading us to a more nuanced understanding of our ancestors’ historical context. 

“Our ancestors have handed down an internal set of resources to deal with change, adversity, and hardship. Once we hear their stories, my mission is to show how we unlock these traits.”