Heartmanity's Blog

We’ve all said it. Children grow up so fast.

In the blink of an eye, your little one is getting their driver's license or heading off to college. That’s why documenting your baby’s firsts is so important. You'll want to remember them when you’re coping with teenage mood swings and piles of dirty socks!

From opening their eyes for the first time, smiling and giggling, to crawling and taking those unsteady first steps, there are plenty of milestones your baby is going to reach.

Having taught parenting classes for over 20 years and coached scores of children, parents, and families for just as long, I’ve heard many stories from parents riddled with guilt and worry. Parenting is hard enough without feeling doubt and judging ourselves. The one question that is asked more times than you can imagine is “Am I a bad mom?” or “Am I a bad dad?”

There are many versions of this concern, and it isn’t reserved for any particular developmental stage or parental season. At one time or another, every parent questions whether they are up for the job! And when doubt creeps in, it [...]

Emotional intelligence is my specialty, but it wasn’t always. As a young adult, I was angry all the time. Every day I had frequent meltdowns—yes, way too emotional with no ability to regulate my emotions. I felt continually jerked around by life’s challenges and other people’s expectations of me. As a teen, I was severely depressed; even when I was functional, anxiety and a brutal inner critic were my constant companions. Learning emotional intelligence changed everything for me. It gave me the tools and the encouragement that I needed to heal and create inner peace. It’s why I am so [...]

Years ago, when a friend and I would meet for lunch, somehow, it always turned into a meal of complaints or a conversation orbiting around the critique of others. I’d walk away from the luncheon splattered with the emotional mud of gossip, feeling dis–appointed and reticent to get together in the future.

However, I ached for relationships that challenged me to be my best self and held me accountable to be kind and loving. To create trustworthy relationships that were strong enough to handle complete transparency, I committed to putting honesty and kindness first, regardless of the fear of [...]

How many of you grew up encouraged to freely express your emotions when you were a child? What happened when you got angry? Or sad? Growing up in a family where the whole spectrum of emotions was accepted, encouraged, and explored is rare, yet it’s one way that children develop emotional intelligence. Most of us grew up with a double standard where it wasn’t okay for us to express our challenging emotions, but it was okay for our parents to react out of tiredness or busyness.

Do you remember seeing your mother cry when you were young? I do. I remember asking my mom what was wrong as she [...]

Description: Quarantine has been a challenging period for many relationships. People have had to deal with many pressures, worries, and anxieties. Being together is equally complicated as many partners find it difficult to spend extended time together peacefully. Everyone was hoping the pandemic would fizzle out; however, its effects are still impacting our lives. We offer tips that can help make your relationship strong enough to survive the quarantine and the challenges life throws at you.

Partners have found it hard to sustain their relationships during this pandemic and accompanying [...]

Employees across all industries complain about micromanagement. In my work as a business consultant and leadership coach, micromanaging surpasses all other complaints. It is one of the quickest ways to shut down productivity, creative minds, and passionate employees. And it’s one of the leading reasons why employees flee a company.

Micromanagers are not deliberately trying to cause distress in the workplace even though the outcomes are usually fed-up employees and burnout. In fact, people who micromanage rarely intend to disempower those they supervise. They often mean well and don’t [...]

Dr. Charles Raison said in an interview recently with The Sun magazine: “We’ve replaced a fictitious certainty with an honest confusion.” A statement has never felt truer.

Whatever certainty we may have thought we possessed has since blown away like an empty plastic bag in the wind. This past year has been unprecedented and challenging, with disruption felt to our core. The pandemic has taught us many lessons, and one shouts louder than most: we affect one another—profoundly. In times like these, emotional fitness, resiliency, empathy, and inner peace are priceless treasures.

Do you know the recipe for keeping your relationship with your preteen and teen strong and healthy? As a parent, are you aware of the critical responses needed to support and ensure vital teen brain development? Simple and crucial parental responses can make the difference.

One of the greatest concerns of every parent is keeping their teen safe when teenage rebellion and risk-taking are prevalent. Science shows that teens rebel more when parents react and are unable to regulate their own emotions. Too often, parents engage in fighting matches and arguments, flinging reprisals and wielding [...]

In today's busy world, it doesn't take long for two people in a relationship to become distant or fall out of love. If you really think about it, although you live with that person, sleep next to them, eat meals with them, and maybe even talk to them during the day, how much of that connection is really mindful and nurturing? Because of the day-in, day-out details of life we are constantly juggling, many times our relationship can begin to cruise on automatic. As we all know, relationships take time—and sometimes they feel like a lot of work. But it doesn't have to be that way; it can be [...]