When was the last time you got or gave a big bear hug, and you were really present for it?  Hugs make us feel good.  When someone hugs us it’s comforting, and we give hugs as a way to comfort others.  We usually don’t give much thought to it, but there is so much research on the impact of hugs on our physical, mental, and emotional well-being.  Hugs are very powerful from a parenting...

Do you worry about what other people think of you as a parent?  Do you need other people to think of you as a good parent, in order for you to feel like you’re doing a good job?  I ask this because that was me.  I was not a confident parent, but I had a child that was naturally confident — I learned a lot from her.

My daughter was born opinionated, and she figured out a way to express her...

Happy New Year!!  Have you thought about what you want for this year?  Is this the year that you stop yelling and become the calm and effective parent you want to be?  Is this the year that you improve your relationship with your kids so you can stop walking on eggshells in your own house?  How do you want to grow, what experiences do you want to have, and how do you want to feel?  

The...

As you get closer to the end of the year, have you started thinking about next year?  What you want to change, what you want to start, what you want to stop, what you want to accomplish?  The beginning of a new year is like a reset, where many people start thinking about the better version of themselves they want to become.

The problem is that most of us start from a place of what we don’t like, what we...

Every year at the holidays, do you struggle to squeeze in as much as you can, wanting to create the best memories possible for your kids?  In the process, do you miss out on the Joy of the Season because you are carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders?

Trust me - I get it!  For so many years that was me!  I was so busy with holiday cards and gifts for everyone for both home and work, baking...

This time of year, do you find that your kids are highly focused on everything that they want?  It’s an exciting time of year for many children, but as a parent are you concerned about getting your kids to think about giving as much as receiving?

This came up in a recent coaching session with a client as her son is all caught up in what he wants right now.  And for some families that have multiple sets...

If I told you there was one thing that you could teach your kids that would help them every single time they were stuck not knowing what to do — one thing that could help them figure things out in every single aspect of their lives, can you imagine what it is? 

I’m guessing that many of you are going to answer “I don’t know”, and ironically, that is actually the answer!  

...

Have you ever stopped to think about the difference in how it feels when you say “I should”, versus “I want” to do something?  I’ve been playing with this concept myself a lot lately around cleaning and organizing my house, but you could apply it to every area of your life.  Just a slight shift in perspective can make a world of difference, and teaching kids this concept early...

Have you ever noticed that when you have a list of 25 things to do, and you knock out 20, your brain still focuses on the 5 that you didn’t do?  You can blame your ancestors for that!  Your brain is wired to put more emphasis on negative experiences than positive ones.  It’s how our caveman ancestors survived and our brains evolved.  It’s called the Negativity Bias.

That’s...

As we are now into the season of gratitude, what are you most grateful for?  I know that when I stop and take stock, I’m usually most grateful for those small moments of connection with my loved ones — the moments talking before bed, the random hug in the middle of the day.  The question is how present are you for these moments?

Are you able to enjoy them, or is your mind occupied with lists of...

Do you keep running lists of all the things that you think you should be doing?  You know, that list in your head about all the “right” ways to do things.  The list of things that you think you need to do to finally be a good parent, spouse, partner, friend, daughter, employee, or more.

The list might cover exactly how you should feed your child (maybe all homemade food with a certain amount of...

Do you feel like you’re in the dark about what’s going on in your child’s life?  Do you find yourself asking lots of questions to try to connect more and keep up to date on where they’re at and how they’re doing?  I know that’s my first instinct!  How was school?  What did you do? Is everything okay? What happened?  Did you get all of your homework done?...