Category Archives: Life Coaching

Why? Why did I have such a hard childhood? Why did one of my best friend’s die in her early forties, just as she was beginning to discover who she really was? Why has the Corona Virus become our new reality? Why do innocent people sit on death row? And why don’t my adult childrenContinue reading “It’s like this…”

I’m tired of feeling like I have to fulfill some expectation of how I should look or feel or express myself. I am tired of being ashamed of my past, my trauma, my pain. I am tired of being anything other than little old authentic me. At the end of Marge Piercy’s poem “What areContinue reading “What are we made of?”

The ten days in between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, are referred to as “The Days of Awe”. It is during these days when Jews reflect on their conduct, make amends for past wrongs, and set intentions for the year ahead. As I prepare for Yom KippurContinue reading “Awe”

A friend recently shared that she was reading “Wintering”, the beautifully written memoir by Katherine May. Every now and then it just so happens that the planets align, the skies open, and you are convinced that a book was written specifically for you. “Wintering” is one such book. I rarely recommend books, but go getContinue reading “Wintering”

We’ve all seen the “Let your light shine” memes, bumper stickers and fridge magnets. But what does that mean? What is this light? And what keeps us from shining it? I think our light is what Elizabeth Gilbert calls creative entitlement, which is “believing that you are allowed to be here and that merely byContinue reading “Light”

Trust is something I have struggled with most of my life–swinging between the extremes of naive adoration and cynical suspicion. And big thick boundaries. I grew up with a Hobbesian belief that life was “nasty, brutish and short” and expected that life and people would let me down. At the same time, I was hardwiredContinue reading “Trust”

I was fascinated with spy movies and books when I was little, and in particular with the concept of a safe house–that place in a secret location where the spies knew they would be safe. Anyone who has experienced trauma knows the feeling of being unsafe. In response, our bodies, in their infinite wisdom andContinue reading “Safe House”

In a recent interview, author Akwaeke Emezi was asked where they feel a sense of belonging, and they replied, “I only belong in places I create.” Those created spaced, they went on to explain, are both the physical space of their home and the space in their mind–how they think about the world, humanity, themselves,Continue reading “Belonging”

Disclaimer: I love Glennon Doyle. I’ve read her books and I love her podcast. I love her authenticity and her vulnerability. In a recent podcast, she responded to a caller who was asking for support during a hard time. Glennon explained that hard times give us an excuse to forget everything but what is mostContinue reading “The Next Right Thing…”

I discovered Carl Jung when I was pregnant with my first child, which on reflection surprises me. As I lay in bed incapacitated with morning sickness, I read everything I could get my hands on. This was long before ebooks and I was living in St. Petersburg Russia, so after I reread my Dostoevsky, IContinue reading “Shadow”