I, like you, have experienced many different kinds of leaders in my life. From our principals to coaches, instructors to bosses, everyone does something a little different and still manages to lead people. We all have a little bit of leadership built into us, although some people develop their skills while others are comfortable following the leader. There’s no judgment here, it takes all kinds of kinds. I was very involved in extracurricular in high school and began my own leadership development then. It was accelerated when I attended nursing school at the University of Mary (tag line: America’s Leadership University)  and was invited into the Emerging Leaders Academy. Again, I was exposed to many different leadership styles, despite us all having the same leadership training. Some of my classmates have gone on to fulfill leadership roles in their careers and communities, others use that knowledge to be better employees/parents/humans. 

No matter the...

Have you ever heard it said that kids grow better with love? Research has shown us that our children’s brains actually grow bigger when they are loved. There’s also research stating children grow up to be happier, more resilient adults if they are shown love in their childhood. How cool is that? Something as simple as asking about their day, hugging them before they leave for school and after they come home, and taking an interest in the things they are interested in, helps them become less anxious and more resilient. I do firmly believe in doing our best to raise our babies in such a way that they don’t need to heal from their childhood when they’re grown, but that is not why I bring this up with you today. 

We talk about love and growth because you never really stop growing. Just like we talked about in this post for as long as you are here on Earth, you are growing and evolving. I pray that the person you are today is not the same person...

You know that saying, “if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve always got”? Have you ever thought about the habits you’ve created in your life? The ones that maybe don’t serve you so well, but you do it anyway, simply because you always have. Why is that a thing? 

We are so quick to write off our poor decisions because “that’s just who I am” or “this is just what my family does.” Think about the things in your life that are like that. How often do you use your upbringing, your past, or those bad habits as an excuse for not improving your life? How often do you write off a decision as something you choose because of something that happened to you before? 

Here’s an unpopular opinion: You get to decide what choices you make in your life. 

This isn’t a conversation about privilege. This isn’t a conversation about manifesting...

Offering someone compassion doesn't always feel as easy as criticizing them. Because it feels hard it might even feel “better” to criticize before we offer compassion. Sit with that for a second… it feels better to criticize others than it does to offer compassion. Not just others, but yourself too. It feels better to criticize yourself than to offer yourself compassion because that is easier. Like water, we do take the path of least resistance. But like water in a flood zone, that path can certainly be destructive! 

Today, I want you to check your inner dialogue. Whether it’s walking through the store or after a conversation with your co-workers or interacting with a customer. Your knee-jerk response is likely one with a negative approach. “What is she wearing?” “I cannot believe she allows her kids to do that!” “Grow up and manage your money like an adult and you wouldn’t need to put items back.”...

Most of my clients will tell me that they love working with me because I don’t sugarcoat things. I’m going to tell you exactly how it is. My patients and their families will say the same thing. Sometimes, those things are hard to hear. I understand it is hard and that’s why I say it. 

No, I don’t enjoy bursting your bubble, but I do enjoy watching you grow and succeed. You don’t work with me, or even read these blogs because you want to hear that you’re a perfect human being and you could do nothing better, and if something goes wrong it is always someone else’s fault. No… you’re here to grow. You’re here to get tips, tricks, and insights that help guide you to become the purest version of yourself that you can be. You’re here to gain a new perspective and make lasting changes in your life that lead you to peace and happiness and out of burnout and exhaustion.

The journey isn’t always...

My husband and I have this great arrangement in our marriage. If I’m working at the hospital, he cooks supper, if I’m not, I cook. I had mentioned this at work one day and one of the ladies told me how lucky I was that he would do that. For a while, I thought she was right, I am pretty lucky, not every husband would cook for his family while his wife worked 12+ hour days. And then I thought… wait a second. Although I have a great husband who is loving a supportive, I’m not "lucky" that he cooks supper 3 times a week. It’s not about luck as much as it is the things we value. We have an understanding of each other’s time and energy… Don’t go all thinking that my husband is more evolved than any other man because truthfully he is not. He calls all my work woo-woo and has never once read a personal development book in his life. However, from day one in our relationship, I knew that my time, my energy, and my financial contribution...

We are seeing so many shifts in our society right now. Shifts in inclusivity; shifts in how we use technology; shifts in how our kids receive their education; shifts in what social gatherings look like... Many things are shifting. Sometimes it’s uncomfortable to change. It’s uncomfortable to see new, to embrace new, to like new. However, it’s sitting in that discomfort that we grow and evolve. It’s how change becomes everlasting, not just in society but in us as individuals as well. 

Throughout history, women have had to fight for equality and the same freedoms or rights that men have. For instance, the right to vote (Wyoming Territory, 1869. USA, 1920), the right to equal pay in the workplace (1963), right to obtain your own bank account without a man’s name on it (the 1960s, credit cards 1974), right to participate in education and school-sponsored extra circulars: Title IX (1972), right to take birth control as an unmarried woman (1972),...

Social media is as wonderful as it is frustrating. Often, we joke about how grateful we are that Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok weren’t around when we were kids. Oh, the shenanigans we could have gotten into! Not to sound too cliche here, but times are a-changin’! Obviously, technology has a big play in that. We are no longer waiting for snail mail letters and once a month phone calls to our family members. Dialing long distance is hardly a blip on the radar anymore. Getting film developed is a thing of the past. It’s all instant. Instant connection. Instant communication. Instantly shareable. Not just with family and friends, but the whole world, strangers included. Again, as wonderful as it is frustrating. 

Do you know what else is changing? Social norms. Those things that once were not okay are beginning to become okay. Did you know in the 1960’s it was not okay for a belly button to show on TV? It’s true. Mary Ann and...

There is a quote that says something like, “Preach the gospel every day, and when necessary use words.” I love this as it is a great reminder that actions speak louder than words. Not just in a religious tradition, but in how we show up in the world. There is often some dispute between the way people act and the words they preach. So many tasks are easier said than done. Everyone has great intentions and poor execution. We all WANT things to be different, but very few people do the work to create a different life. There’s never any judgment here, but what a great opportunity for some self-reflection. 

My mom always used to tell me, “do as I say, not as I do” anytime she was going against her own teachings. “Don’t cross your legs like that, it’s bad for your circulation and your hips” “Don’t drink pop, it’s a hard addiction to break” “Don’t stay up too late, you need your...