Leadership requires much more than business smarts. Poor decision-making, breakdowns in communication, knee-jerk reactions to employees, taking credit for another's work or a lack of engagement are a few examples that can be problematic. These behaviors can act as a disease in business and undo even the most prominent companies. And what do these behaviors represent? Low emotional intelligence!

What is becoming more and more corroborated is that a leader's success depends not on a business degree but much more heavily on emotional intelligence: their ability to get along with people, and to [...]

Brain fogginess is a terrible plague on productivity. Do you know that feeling when not all your circuits are firing? Your thoughts feel vague, the right words are elusive, reaction times slower, and your motivation levels slump into the doldrums.

What’s the solution for mental fatigue? More coffee...maybe. But there are more sustainable, natural substances that won’t leave you with that jittery buzz, caffeine withdrawal, or an energetic nosedive.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

Pop Quiz: How Do You Cope?

What do you do when you have everything you want and need, but you still don’t feel happy? You have satisfying work; your finances support you; you have a strong home life... but it still feels like something is missing and true happiness remains just beyond reach. 

What are your coping strategies? Do you shut down? Do you avoid your feelings? Do you rev up? If you want to exit the conversation the second I ask you if you feel fulfilled, that’s probably a clue.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

It’s common to hear couples complain about behaviors of their partners while wishing their life could be happier. Somehow, we think that if our partner changed, we would be happier. Or we think, “If my partner would stop annoying me, start appreciating me, or be more intimate with me, our relationship would improve.” However, the key lies in our ability to love ourselves.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Blurred family boundaries have repercussions. At best, they can be annoying; at worst, they’re completely soul-crushing. We’ve all seen examples: siblings who constantly bicker, helicopter parenting, in-laws stopping by unannounced, and grandparents who try to dictate how to parent. Difficult family members definitely can be challenging!

Setting healthy boundaries, on the other hand, creates dynamic, thriving relationships where both parties can be genuine and grow together. That’s the ideal, and it is not always—hardly ever—easy to achieve. Establishing limits in family life is worth the [...]

There’s been a lot of truth-speaking filling the social discourse lately...and a lot of not-truth speaking. With the proliferation of sexual assault discussions as well as the more recent Black Lives Matter discourses arising nationwide, the idea of “speaking your truth” is front and center.

Have you ever wondered why you don't give voice to your truth? Before we discuss how to find your voice, let’s figure out where the phrase came from in the first place. If we’re honest, it’s been a buzzword for a while. This is not a straightforward walk down memory lane to one definitive point where [...]

You know that whirring-through-space feeling the holidays tend to bring? The crazy that comes with getting ready for a gathering or shopping til you drop!?

Everything tumbling around, moving overly fast, twisting out of the normal routine, and amplified by familial turbulence.

It’s enough to make you wish for some powerful, calming potion you serve your family (and yourself).

HINT: Not wine.

Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

“Look what you made me do!” Sound familiar?

How do you deal with someone who blames you... for everything!? Even if you contributed to a situation, blaming is a trap door in any relationship and outrages most people with a sense of injustice.

So, how do we respond when we find ourselves being blamed? How do we escape the blame game?

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Do you ever think, “When is it going to be my turn?” Do your needs come last—after the needs of your spouse, your children, work, community service, in-laws, siblings, friends, and pets? My needs always used to come last. As a young adult, I remember rarely having time or energy for myself and what was important to me. It was very disheartening. And it took me years of conscious effort to replace my well-practiced compliance and pleasing with strong boundaries that supported my life and relationships.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes     Estimated time to master: a lifetime! 😊