Today is International Women’s Day. Can you believe we have an entire day that the whole world has devoted to celebrating women? Stop and think about that for a minute. In the United States, it was barely 100 years ago that women were finally respected enough to be allowed to vote. Following that came the ability to go to college, be the sole owner of property and be the only name on a bank account or credit card. 

These changes did not happen THAT LONG AGO but for many, they are still just events of the past, not anything we truly experienced. No today, we experience a whole new variety of self-worth deterioration. Social Media. 

The ability to compare your life to someone else's right now is as easy as picking up your phone. Videos, photos, podcasts, blogs, books, magazines, etc are all readily available with a few taps on your device. That means we have constant exposure to people’s opinions, stories, and lives. Albeit very short looks into...

It is safe to say we have seen many things over the last couple of years that have tested our patience, our values, and our thoughts about the world around us. Watching your partners, your co-workers, your kids, and your society navigate the pandemic, the economic hardships, and the continuing challenges we are all facing has certainly been an adventure.

It is easy to fall into a space of judgment when evaluating how others are handling these situations. "Well, I wouldn't have done that" or "if you'd do it my way, it would all be perfect." The reality is that you may have done it differently, and your way might be easier for you... but that doesn't mean that you get to judge them for how they chose to live through this challenging phase of life. No different than you don't get to judge a new mom or another couple's relationship. 

Among other things, one of the biggest reasons we don't judge is because we are all here on this earth to learn things. And my goodness,...

“I’m so weird.”

I hear that from clients from time to time and it always makes me smile. Webster's definition of weird is, “of strange or extraordinary character.” 

Isn’t that interesting… strange OR extraordinary? We don’t usually use those words interchangeably, yet they are both listed in this definition. Generally, strange has more of a negative connotation in our society, and extraordinary is a positive one. And this is why I smile when people self-proclaim being weird. Because aren’t we all? 

Aren’t we all a little of both? A little mix of good and bad, strange and extraordinary, light and dark? 

Often when this comes up in conversation, it is used as a precursor to a statement that a person may feel judged for. For example, “I’m weird, I like carrots dipped in peanut butter.” Or, “Maybe, I’m weird but I’d rather shower at night instead of...

I had an experience the other day that really made me think. It was a prime example of how we as women tear each other down. How instead of encouraging and embracing each other in their power, we work to prevent that in one another. Now, I’d imagine that most of us don’t do it on purpose, but it is something we need to begin to be aware of. I’ll tell you the story...

There I was having a conversation with someone about raising children. The struggles, the successes, the challenges, and all the things that come with guiding a young human in this crazy world. We have had different experiences, as she has her own biological children and no nieces/nephews and I have a bonus daughter, as well as many nieces and nephews. During our conversation, she said something to the effect of, “well you haven’t had children so you don’t really understand.” My knee-jerk reaction is to say, “yeah, you’re right” and give this person my power....

Be honest with yourself... Are you holding a grudge against someone? Do you frequently find yourself judging someone’s action because they made choices differently than yours? This isn’t necessarily a conversation about shame, blame or judgment. This is a conversation about understanding.  

You see, each of us is here on this earth to learn through our experiences. It's “Earth School” if you will. The difference between Earth School and Grade School is that we all start our learning experiences at different stages. One person may have learned how to hold their ground early in life, someone else may not learn how until their 60s. Some people don’t experience loss until their twenties, others know its bitter taste much younger. Some people are born into a home full of love, where they learn how to love and show compassion for others, others have to teach themselves how to love and show compassion. We are all in a different place in our...