1.If you participate in negative gossip, ask yourself what is really going on for you. Do you feel jealous, resentful or superior? Does it give you a sense of belonging? What is the payoff for participating? Then find a healthy way to meet your need.
It is affirming to see some fathers pushing baby prams and taking parental leave. My Dad never saw the inside of a poopy diaper. By my generation childcare was starting to go in a gender equal direction. Now, I see my children parent with even more equity. Yet, I also see family stress spinning in […]
Although, at times, those with high resilience feel nervous, they are typically immune to feeling high anxiety. For others, full blown panic attacks can not only be frightening and exhausting but debilitating.
It was a pleasant enough social gathering with a diverse mix of guests engaged in light, casual conversation. A young man began to describe how his life would be transformed, fixed, and truly perfect, if only…. He would be happy if only he landed his dream job with an annual salary of $130,000. He presently earns $95,000. He is probably caught […]
I am going to date myself here, but oh, well! For as long as I can remember I love movies about friendship from The Wizard of Oz to ET, to my all time favorite, Beaches with Bette Midler. Back in 2002, the hot movie of the summer was The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood based […]
Loneliness kills!” Dr. Robert Waldinger, Harvard University We were forty-years-old when my hubby was transferred from Ontario to Calgary, Alberta. I felt excited to explore the employment opportunities in this dynamic city. After four months of job seeking, I was still unemployed. I was often home alone and the phone seldom rang from near or […]
For several months, Yvonne E.L. Silver’s elegant book, Words, Women & Wisdom: The Modern Art of Confident Conversations sat on my bedside table. But once I picked it up and cracked it open, I was immersed! Overview Silver packs a mass of empowering content into her work, including flashbacks of moments with her abusive father, […]
Surely we want to tell stories that enhance our vitality, harmony and work satisfaction.
Now and then I watch the popular, some say feminist, some say b%$#ch fest, TV show, The View. It was launched in 1997 by the American broadcaster and journalist, Barbara Walters. Co-hosts included Meredith Vieira, Star Jones, Debbie Matenopoulos, and Joy Behar. Only Joy Behar, a feminist, comedian, writer, actor, and resilient woman remains. Behar […]
Dwayne Peace and I are members of Calgary’s chapter of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers. From the day we met, I have been impressed with Dwayne and his work as an ex-police officer, School Resource Officer, and now youth and parent speaker. He is a strong, no-nonsense, reliable, caring, and gentle guy, who willingly […]
If a key factor to increasing mental health is a sense of humor, perhaps we could all use a booster shot of smile and laugh.
When I was in my early fifties, I met the psychologist, shaman and poet, Gwendolyn Jansma. While living in San Diego, she offered events called Heart Seek Gatherings in the U.S. and Canada. Gwen, as many of us called her, was intuitive, insightful, fun-spirited, creative, healing, and loving. She spoke words of wisdom. Many times […]