WARNING: Spoilers ahead. If you haven’t finished Game of Thrones, proceed with caution.

“When you play the game of thrones, you win, or you die” ~Cersei Lannister

With the final season of HBO’s Game of Thrones finally over, what have we learned? That fans don’t like it when you outpace the books and fundamentally shift narrative styles? Absolutely. But more importantly, we’ve learned vital lessons about what it means to be a leader and the importance of emotional intelligence.

Body changes, mood swings, weird cravings, little kicks from the little bundle of joy in your womb—pregnancy is undoubtedly a major chapter in a woman's story that’s full of surprises and challenges. That’s why mothers-to-be around the world see to it that they document this important part of their life.

Whether you're looking to display a striking maternity photo in your living room, or you want to create a photo book full of your pregnancy mementos, here are nine essential tips for capturing the best maternity portraits!

Saying no can be one of the most relentless challenges for any parent. Whether it's a stomping toddler, an obstinate preschooler, or a convincing teenager pressuring you, it's important to understand what your job is and why it is so vital. Your job as a parent is to set limits. And your child's job is to test those limits. So when you're faced with power struggles, remember: It's your job! Now here's the prize: saying no appropriately is extremely critical to a child's development. When you set appropriate limits for your child or teen, you are giving them the chance to practice and learn [...]

I tentatively climbed the stairs of the high diving board, trying to build up my courage with each ascending step. As I reached the top, I positioned myself perfectly to begin my approach—but then my body froze with fear. My challenge: 1½ somersaults with two twists, my first time, as a freshman in high school from the high diving board. My stomach was churning like a lawnmower blade devouring tall grass. However, my fear did not win me any sympathy. My diving coach, an Olympic diver himself, would only say, "Here's a quarter. Go call someone who cares."

“Gotta pick up the kids from school.” “Gotta get this report done by tomorrow.” “Gotta shop for dinner.” “Gotta pay the bills!” “Gotta get to the gym and lose this extra weight.” “Gotta get to the dry cleaners before they close.” Gotta, gotta, gotta.

The hustle and bustle of life and the need to get somewhere are themes I hear frequently. We are seekers. We are travelers. And we are often unaware that we are reaching for something while ignoring what is happening right now—within ourselves and around us.

Habits control our lives whether we recognize it or not. If you’ve ever tried to overcome a bad habit, you’ll relate to the power of habits.

From the moment you get up in the morning, your activities are on cruise control: brushing your teeth, showering, eating breakfast, exercising (or not), checking Facebook or your email inbox, rituals once you’re at work, etc. Whatever you repeat enough and do routinely, the brain will create a habit. Why? Because the brain is a superhighway of efficiency.

Ponder for a moment how magnificent your brain is. Your unconscious mind orchestrates trillions [...]

"Forgiveness" is a term used so often that few people question its intrinsic value. You'd probably agree that asking for and offering forgiveness has become common practice. Just like many others, I was taught growing up that when you hurt someone—even accidentally—the right thing to do is to say you're sorry and ask for forgiveness. Children quickly learn when adults expect an apology, even when a child may have lacked the skill to respond differently.

Many may be surprised for me to question the long and treasured tradition of forgiveness and how we view love in the context of forgiving [...]

As I was driving on the interstate a while back, I passed a truck with the license plate EZ2LOVE. My mind tossed this little saying around for quite some time. In my line of work, I think about love quite a bit (don't we all?), but "easy" and "love" aren't words I usually hear my clients use in the same sentence. I wondered why the driver had posted this little saying for all to see. And what did it mean? Was it a statement that he or she is easy to love? Was it a general statement that love is easy? Although the latest studies show a lowering of the divorce rate, particularly with the M [...]

Recently, I've been facilitating a women's group, and the group has reminded me of how difficult it can be for people to be present to where they are and allow themselves to feel. Emotions can be so overwhelming, especially the heavier feelings. One of the hardest challenges for a person is to be burdened by a stockpile of unpleasant, charged emotions—but instead of feeling them, the person judges them, censors them, beats himself or herself up over even having them, and dutifully says, “I shouldn't feel this way; I have so much to be grateful for."

As teens plug through the high school years and prepare to leave home, parents often begin to squirm. Not only is it a gigantic letting-go process for a parent (and a teen), but the big question that plagues many parents is: “Have I prepared my child adequately?” And emotional intelligence is critical for your teenager to be successful.