When Mother’s Day Is Hard
I’ve babysat in my youth and am the aunt who bakes. I’ve been called “piccola mamma” (little mother) by my papà when I took on the role my mentally ill mamma couldn’t. As a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for kids in foster care and as a team leader in the workplace, my mothering and…
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World Mental Health Day Time Out
In observance of World Mental Health Day today, you’re invited to take a time out and, yes, take a mental health day from all the crazy of our present day. All throughout history, humans have endured a lot of scary times. Health crises, wars, civil unrest, natural disasters, and more have played out on the…
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Challenges of Aging and Its Lessons
Dismissed, discarded, devalued, discouraged: The injustices, inequities, and challenges of aging are very real. Body image and identity – especially in women over the age of 50 – are negatively skewed with every birthday we celebrate (or keep secret). Add to that the isolation and loneliness that this pandemic has delivered with its social distancing…
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3 Ways to Deal with Failure
We all fail. It’s a fact of life. If we’re not failing at something, we’re not really living. Failure demands that we take risks, stretching ourselves beyond those “sure things.” It also requires us to learn how to deal with failure. Learning how to deal with failure doesn’t come easily to most of us. When…
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Your Mental Health Matters: Stop Pretending You’re Fine
As caregiver to my mom and sister, both of whom were diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, I got good at pretending I was fine. From the outside looking in, I played the role of someone who had it all together. On the rare occasion when somebody would ask me, “Are you okay?” or “What’s the matter?”…
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6 Phrases You’ll Always Hear From Confident Leaders
Whether you’ve just started training your first hire or you’ve been managing scores of people for decades, you’re in the position of being a leader. And if there’s one aspect of leadership that holds true regardless of staff size or industry, it’s that being one isn’t for the thin-skinned or the faint of heart. So much…
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When No Place Feels Like Home: 3 Ways to Find Where You Belong
What do you do when NO place feels like home? What if when watching Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz clicking the heels of her ruby slippers three times and crying out that famous line – “there’s no place like home” – you found yourself shaking your head, feeling very much alone, and silently wishing…
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5 Steps To Getting A Seat At The Table (Where You Belong)
One of my favorite movies is the 1995 comedy Home for the Holidays. Claudia, played by Holly Hunter, heads to her childhood home for Thanksgiving with her dysfunctional family. If you haven’t seen this flick, I highly recommend that you do. Especially if at one time or another, you’ve found yourself back at home, being…
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