For many of us this is a PARADIGM SHIFT.

I know. I get it. It was for me too.

The idea that I could and actually SHOULD put myself on the top of my to-do list was foreign territory. It went against every grain of my nervous system. It was preposterous, selfish, impossible to even consider given the set up of my life.  After all, I have two kids….a husband, a house, a dog, a...

Yesterday a man with a gun went into three different locations in my hometown and the result was that 3 civilians and one police officer were killed. The schools went on lock down. People spent hours in a state of fear and chaos.

Humanity is sick. The diagnosis is fear.

The symptoms are:

• depression
• hopelessness
• worthlessness
• anxiety
• hate
• anger
• pride
• rape
• greed
• genocide
• suicide
• school shootings...

I KNOW FOR SURE that I have just as much access to power, abundance, and energy as every other “powerful” person on the planet (how’s that for a ballsy statement from a middle-class Midwestern wife and mother of two?) I haven’t accessed the full extent of it yet, but I now understand that it’s all there for me. I just need to step into it and own it.

I KNOW...

This week, I attended a fundraising breakfast for an organization called TurningPoint. They provide advocacy and support for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse. One of the main ideas shared at the event was that abuse thrives in silence.

It struck a nerve.

Like so many families, I come from one where generational alcoholism, and the unspoken emotional abuse and psychological trauma that...

As my husband, two kids, and I were driving to our hometown this past Thanksgiving weekend, I found myself asking, "Why is it often so stressful for so many of us to spend time with our families?"

I've asked that question many times before, but this time the answer that came to me seemed simple.

Triggers.

Of course. It all comes down to triggers. You see, left to it's own device, our nervous...

In my quest to connect the dots as to what drives people to step into their own greatness, I’ve happened upon an Olympian caliber coach in my own small town of River Falls, Wisconsin. 

As an athlete who went undefeated throughout his high school career, rocked his Division 1 (UW-Madison) college team, and made the All-American team for wrestling, it’s no wonder Kevin Black was...

If you’re ready to simplify your life, start with your living space.

Day after day, do you feel like your brain is constantly on cognitive overload trying to find and organize all of your and your kids' stuff?

Do you feel overwhelmed by all of your family’s material belongings?

Every time you go through your stuff, do you hem and haw about getting rid of belongings, and...

Throughout my childhood, high school, and even college years, I developed a preconceived notion that “business people” are, in general, sneaky, sleezy, selfish, and somehow inherently “less moral” than those who work in the public sector.

Yes, as much as I prided myself on being an open-minded individual…that was one snap judgment that I often found myself jumping...

I’ve recently come to realize how much  thought, emotion,  energy, human potential, and just plain old damned brain space is used up by the defense mechanisms that we as humans have created to “protect” ourselves from difficult, painful experiences.

I mean, I’m not just talking about a little emotional release here.

I’m talking like half of my energy,...