Our society today is facing an epidemic of anxiety. Despite technology that promises to make our lives faster and easier, it seems that we’re more anxious than ever. In 2020, Google searches for “anxiety” reached an all-time high.   We have to look beyond the diagnosis of anxiety and seek to find the root cause of why so many people are living with such high stress and dysregulation that are creating anxiety. There is something bigger going on here.   And since we’re whole humans,...

Do you ever feel like you’re being disloyal to your family for having your own life? Or do you feel like you’re second fiddle to your partner’s parents?   If so, you or your partner might come from an enmeshed family: a system of relating to each other that is based on dependency, guilt, obligation and too much closeness (yes, that can be a thing!).   In today’s episode, I’m bringing back one of your favorite guests, Dr. Ken Adams, to talk about the important topic of enmeshment –...

Rejection is one of the greatest fears we have as humans. Even simple rejections like not making the team or being chosen for a job – things we know aren’t personal – still sting deeply. Why does rejection seem to hit at the core of who we are?   Susan Anderson began asking this question when she went through a personal experience of abandonment. The love of her life left her suddenly for another woman, and although she was a practicing psychotherapist with immense knowledge of the human...

In my 25 years of private practice, the #1 issue I worked on with clients was feeling their emotions.  Whether someone was anxious, reactive and raging or numb to the world, the question they were all asking was, “What the heck do I do with these emotions?” I’ve been there too. And it breaks my heart, because experiencing emotions is one of the gifts of being human.  But the good news is that all of us can reclaim this part of ourselves and learn to feel our emotions. And when we do, it...

You landed the dream gig, got the promotion, submitted your book for publishing, had an amazing first date. So, why do you feel so insecure, unsure and even unworthy? Hello, imposter syndrome! Imposter syndrome, or feeling like a fraud, is something that everyone struggles with from time to time — yep, even those super successful people you look up to. It’s that feeling that you don’t really deserve the recognition or opportunities you’ve earned or you worry you’re not really good...

Cheers. Salud. Skol.    Wherever you are in the world, it seems like alcohol punctuates every celebration.    But have we stopped to ask if alcohol is really good for us? Or have we paused to get curious about why we drink – and when it moves from genuine enjoyment to unhealthy numbing out?   Recently, I’ve noticed more people having conversations about sobriety, from giving up drinking entirely to swapping a few cocktails for mocktails, and I thought it was time we talked...

There are so many different aspects of being an emotionally healthy adult. We’re complex, connected beings, and our bodies, our minds, our emotions, our spiritual lives…they all play a role in how we feel every day. It all matters! One of the areas we don’t talk about enough is our hormones. Hormones impact SO many of our bodily and mental functions, and we’ve been kept in the dark about them for too long! Everyone deserves to understand this part of themselves! In this episode, I talk to...

You see their name pop up on your phone, and you immediately notice yourself feeling stressed. It’s that friend who always seems to be in crisis, who always calls to gossip or vent. We all know that person…many of us ARE that person.  It’s called drama addiction, and there’s a part in all of us that is drawn towards chaos and stress. Sometimes this shows up in big, dramatic ways, and other times, it’s subtler, like our need to always be busy, doom scroll through the news or argue with...

Trigger Warning: This episode discusses topics such as exercise, relationship with food and body image. Though the intent is to promote a conscious and healthy mindset around these topics, please use caution in listening if you have a history of an eating disorder or body image disorder. Summer is here…and with it, thousands of messages about diets, weight loss and fitness.  There is so much pressure from society to look a certain way, and these messages can be so harmful to our mental and...

There’s someone in your life you love, but the relationship just isn’t working.    Despite your best efforts to communicate and try to work things out, nothing is changing. This person seems totally uninterested in listening to you or working on the relationship.   You’ve hit a wall, and the relationship feels stuck.   This can be so maddening, frustrating, disappointing and painful! You wouldn’t be trying to make it work if you didn’t care for this person, but you can’t make...

“I’m such a horrible person.” “I can’t believe I did that…I’m so stupid.” “I’m not good enough.”   Do these types of thoughts sound familiar? If so, you’re not alone.   As humans, we can be so mean to ourselves. We make a mistake and beat ourselves up for hours. We look in the mirror and are met with a barrage of negative self-talk. Sometimes these thoughts come at us relentlessly, like a flood.   But these thoughts are not the truth about who we are. They come from an...

As humans, we all have needs. From the time we’re babies, when we literally need someone to feed us and take care of us, to adults who need connection, safety and belonging, our wants and needs are part of our inner world and part of ourselves.  But somewhere along the way we start to feel ashamed of these needs, believing we’re “too much” or “weak” or too “needy.” But I believe being able to acknowledge and ask for what we need is actually a superpower!  My guest today, Mara Glatzel, is a...

Watch any rom-com or fairy tale and they’d have you believe relationships are as simple as meeting someone and falling in love. But is love really all it takes to have a healthy relationship?    Though we often think of relationships as a matter of the heart, the truth is there’s a whole world of chemistry happening in your body and brain that has more impact on your relationship than you realize, such as:   What partner you pick How you bond and attach  What you perceive...

There’s something in your life you want to change. Where do you start?   My friend, business coach and wildly successful entrepreneur, Michael Hyatt, says there’s one thing we can change that transforms everything else: our minds. Our thoughts drive our actions, and our actions drive our results, which is why if we want different outcomes in life – whether in our relationships, our business, our finances or our happiness – we have to start by looking within. In this episode, Michael...

It’s easy to think everyone processes the world the same way we do. After all, we’re all born with a mind that is here to help us make sense of our human experience. But what if there is actually a huge range of ways we each make sense of reality – and superpowers to be found in our ways of processing the world?   Empaths are people whose nervous systems are wired with the ability to mirror others around them; in other words, they can actually feel the experiences of others in their own...

I believe that we are born as beautiful, pure beings, connected to God/Source and full of love – our true selves.  Though we never lose our true essence, throughout our lives, we have experiences that wound us and we put on masks to feel safe in this world. This creates a sort of “false self” that covers up who we were really meant to be.  But I believe all of us can reconnect with our true selves – our Adult Chairs – and in doing so, live more authentic, peaceful and intuitive lives. This...

Guess what? I got triggered this week. AND I was able to work through the trigger and meet the most beautiful younger part of myself using the tools in The Adult Chair® model. In this episode, I’m letting you guys in on exactly what happened and walking you step-by-step through how I transformed this trigger — and how you can use the exact same process the next time you’re triggered. It all started with a relatively simple interaction with my husband, Graham. Though we didn’t have a fight,...

Are you ready to have all your relationship questions answered by not one, but two couples therapists…who also happen to be a couple themselves?  Linda and Charlie Bloom are psychotherapists who have been married to each other for more than 50 years, and in this week’s episode, they’re spilling all their secrets about how to have healthy relationships – secrets from both their clinical training and their personal experience of building their marriage. This discussion is like getting weeks of...

One of the things I get asked about the most is how parents can help their children grow up to be healthy adults. How do you set your kids up to naturally slide into their Adult Chair, while they are still literally children and adolescents?  I decided to put myself out there and talk with my son, Blake – who is now a young adult and coaching clients of his own – about his experiences growing up and what he believes is most important in helping kids get into their Adult Chairs.  In this...

We know that trauma and addiction affect the brain and body in so many ways. But when Dr. Elisa Hallerman overcame addiction and began working with others in recovery, she realized there was something big missing in the conversation about trauma and addiction: how it affects the soul.  This inspired her to create a new paradigm for talking about sobriety called “Soulbriety,” and it’s changing the game for how people heal.  In this episode, Dr. Hallerman shares all about what the soul is and...

Throughout our lives, we hear so many voices of others telling us who and how we should be. Societal norms, our parents, our partners…it can feel like everyone wants something for us and from us.  To cope with this, we develop limiting beliefs, survival strategies and masks that we wear. We start to think these things are really who we are, and they become our roadmap for life…unless we find the courage to look within and discover who we really want to be. In this episode, I talk with...

In my 25 years of private practice, the #1 issue I worked on with clients was feeling their emotions.  Whether someone was anxious, reactive and raging or numb to the world, the question they were all asking was, “What the heck do I do with these emotions?” I’ve been there too. And it breaks my heart, because experiencing emotions is one of the gifts of being human.  But the good news is that all of us can reclaim this part of ourselves and learn to feel our emotions. And when we do, it...

You just met the new love of your life, and after a season of single parenting, you’re so excited to build a life with your new partner and create a beautiful blended family.  But you don’t just have yourself to think about. Between their kids, your kids, exes and in-laws, forming new bonds and creating healthy dynamics can be, well, complicated. Not only do you want to be a great parent or stepparent to your blended family, but you’re also navigating brand new territory with your partner,...

We’ve all felt it: the extra tense political discussions, the harsh climate on social media and the overall division between people. It often feels like half the planet is living in a different world and we just can’t seem to understand each other. This isn’t just in our heads. Studies show that empathy has declined 40% since 1979, and today, one third of people say they can’t easily see the point of view of somebody else. We have to learn how to listen, hear and respect each other again. ...

Cheers. Salud. Skol.  Wherever you are in the world, it seems like alcohol punctuates every celebration.  But have we stopped to ask if alcohol is really good for us? Or have we paused to get curious about why we drink – and when it moves from genuine enjoyment to unhealthy numbing out? Recently, I’ve noticed more people having conversations about sobriety, from giving up drinking entirely to swapping a few cocktails for mocktails, and I thought it was time we talked about alcohol through...