What determines a successful marriage? Many people want to have healthy relationships yet struggle to know how. Why can most couples quickly tell when their partner is upset with them, but not know how to create the understanding and honesty necessary to resolve conflict? This ability is one crucial factor that builds successful and long-term marriages, so how is it that it's commonly lacking? On the contrary, couples can identify their partner's exact looks, facial expressions, body language, and the myriad ways that they are upset.

In these relationship conflicts, a love seat is not a [...]

Approximately one-third of our adult lives are spent at work. Americans spend more time working than any other task, second only to sleeping. For entrepreneurs and business owners, that time might be even greater. With work time adding up to an estimated 90,000 hours over a lifetime, job satisfaction has a substantial impact on our lives. Our work can be a fulfilling and positive experience that enriches the rest of our life—or not. We can love what we do in our work and have both a supportive, nurturing home and work environment—or not! How happy we are in our career determines, to a [...]

Emotional intelligence and social intelligence are no longer optional in leadership. And there are many leadership styles, yet there is only one kind of leader that raises profits while also growing people, engaging employees, cultivating thriving teams, and producing brilliant results.

That’s authentic leadership. This leadership style can make the most significant difference. And showing up authentically as a leader clears the obstacles to success with one irreplaceable skill that outshines all others.

What is a blended family? A blended family is defined as a family composed of a couple and their children from previous marriages. Yet, each blended family is unique and comes with its own dynamic challenges. With divorces and re-marriages involving children, blended families vs. traditional or nuclear family structures are becoming the rule rather than the exception. Adults and children alike are facing major changes that come with adjusting to a new way of life.

If you’re learning about mindfulness, perhaps you’re curious whether mindful living will improve the quality of your life. So why is mindfulness important, and does it make a difference? There still may be many misconceptions about mindfulness, such as it’s a Buddhist practice, or it requires sitting in a lotus position for hours. Regardless, it is becoming more widely accepted—and for good reason.

“Take the emotion out of it. This isn’t personal; it is business.” That was the response received early in my career from a new boss when sharing a tough client situation. I had reached out to him for guidance because I needed to talk through the issue and was seeking support. How could they dismiss so abruptly how I was feeling? I did not feel understood or valued. 

Had my boss taken the time to show empathy to my perspective, that interaction would have been much different for me. Empathy is about genuinely looking to understand someone else’s perspective, which creates a connection. [...]

A key to healthy relationships is understanding how best to express your love to your partner—loving in a way that resonates with them and fulfills their needs. Dr. Gary Chapman devised a meaningful method to communicate with your partner and show your affection based on their innate preferences. Dubbed the Love Languages, this approach relies on the theory that every individual has a predisposition to and identifies more heavily with one of five ways to spread and receive love.

One of the most challenging times in life is when your child hits the teenage years. Parenting teens is as much a rite of passage for you as it is for your teen. It’s when your sweet, agreeable child turns grumpy, rebellious, and pushes you away seemingly overnight. I’ll never forget my own experience as a first-time parent of a teenager. During one incredibly difficult time, my 14-year-old son and I had just had an argument, and he had stormed off abruptly. My daughter, who was five years younger, had witnessed the whole blow-up. As she saw the tears welling in my eyes, she looked up at [...]