Many of us have experienced loss, grief, guilt, overwhelm, distress, and confusion in recent weeks.  No two people are in the same situation and our world has become difficult, unpredictable and extreme.  Some have more downtime; others are working more than they ever have.   Here are two strategies to help us be our higher selves...Read More

For many people, holidays bring up a wide range of old and new emotional pain.  One client of mine is spending time with a relative in active addiction; another is facing a belligerent parent.   It can be helpful to have some tools at-the-ready when dealing with our most difficult family members.  Rather than avoid, attack...Read More

When my sister was in the throes of addiction, I did everything I could to try to fix her, make her different. No matter what I did, the outcome was the same: chaos and heartbreak. A client spent hours leading a search for a new director. A well-qualified candidate was selected, but the boss said...Read More

 As countries get richer, they do not get happier.                                           The Easterlin Paradox The 2018 World Happiness Report is out and while America’s income per capita has increased markedly during the past 50 years, well-being...Read More

The story of the human race is the story of men and women selling themselves short. ~ Abraham Maslow, American Psychologist, 1908-1970 It is estimated that we are exposed to 5,000 ads a day. Our economy is built on us consuming things, food, clothes, shelter improvements…. Businesses tend to create things that cluster at the...Read More

In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit.                   Anne Frank An old fable goes that a lion was roaring night and day, terrorizing a village. One day, a shepherd named Androcles heard whimpering in a cave, and found the...Read More

A nail is driven out by another nail. Habit is overcome by habit.      Desiderius Erasmus We all bought into the myth that a habit takes 3 weeks to reach “automaticity” (the ability to do things without occupying the mind). This was based on junk science that has not been reproducible.   A study...Read More

Our habits of mind can play incredible tricks on us. One of the first things I learned to do as a nurse was to accurately name things… once we have the accurate assessment, then the right remedy can follow. This simple principle can help us self-regulate, get unstuck and acknowledge and remedy unspecified stress or...Read More

Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing Quincy Jones Play to your strengths.  New research from the field of positive psychology and beyond has been providing the scientific underpinnings for why this matters and the benefits...Read More

Just because something doesn’t do what you planned it to do doesn’t mean it’s useless.                     Thomas Edison When a designer attempts to solve a problem, they first offer up several options and experiment. They know that the solution to any problem can be solved in...Read More