Summer family kindness to create a more compassionate world
"Mom," my son asked me one day as we were stopped at a light. I looked in the rear view mirror and I saw that he was looking at the homeless man who stood at the island in the middle of the road with a sign that read, "Homeless veteran. Please help. God bless." My...
Don’t “keep calm and carry on”
We barely said “hello” and she started to cry. “I’m so sorry,” she said with a shaky voice through her tears, “I usually don’t cry so easily.” “Most people I talk to in coaching and therapy cry at their first appointment,” I shared with her. “We as women have been...
Facing mortality, surrendering to grace.
Kissing my mom’s forehead before she went into surgery, not knowing if that would be the last time my lips would feel the warmth of her body, my eyes would see the deep love she has for us in her eyes, or my ears would hear her soft way of saying my name, I...
Claim your life as your own: 18 soulful practices to get unstuck and live your joy
I don't remember the exact moment when I decided to stop justifying, explaining, rationalizing, or defending my decisions. But I do remember the myriad situations before when I'd "feel bad" for saying "no" to a request, when I'd take on more than I really wanted to,...
The choice you can make for less guilt and more joy
My son came home from Scouts last night and he had a story to tell me. But I was busy on my computer finishing up a project I had promised a big group. I have a few deadlines looming over me this month. And I felt the pressure to keep going and working, even though it...
what happens when you listen to their story
It was an ordinary moment on vacation in Key West. We were just hanging around at the beach. My dad is an introvert. So when he started to share a story from his early years of being married to my mom, working hard, and going through college, we all tuned in. With...
The one morning habit to reclaim yourself as CEO of your life
Earlier this year, I noticed how I had slowly dropped my morning habit of quietly journaling, getting grounded, and setting my intention for the day. Instead, I started to work. And I gave away my power first thing in the morning to the pressure of productivity. “Oh...
Empower Our Teens to Be Compassionate Leaders
The next generation of leaders and “game changers” are inclusive. They are what William Damon, the director of the Stanford Center on Adolescence, defines as “the purposeful.” They are focused. They have incredible ideas. They believe in unity. And they know how to...
Teens and their need for sleep
"Insufficient sleep in adolescents [is] an important public health issue that significantly affects the health and safety, as well as the academic success, of our nation’s middle and high school students.” - The American Academy of Pediatrics Awhile back, my son was...
Soul-Nourishing Sunday Gem: Two Empty Hands
Sometimes we hold really tight to our current story, our way of doing things, or our view of ourselves, our relationships, and our life, even though it has stopped being life-giving. We keeping trying so very hard to “make it work.” We keep going. We keep putting in...