Optimize the Summer Solstice!

As we sit with the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, I wanted to take a moment to reach out to you with a message of reflection and gratitude. The summer solstice, celebrated on June 20th this year, marks not only a significant moment in the Earth’s annual journey around the sun but […]

Stop Saying This to Kids!

For your contemplation… What do we create when we put countdowns on school being out? What do we create when we ask kids, especially our young children, “Are you so excited that school is almost out?” This came to my attention last year when my daughter was finishing up her first year in school. And […]

Schools need to be more like sports…

“Schools need to be so much more like sports. In sports, there’s a game and it’s in front of an audience. WE RUN SCHOOL LIKE IT IS A NON-STOP PRACTICE. YOU NEVER GET A GAME. Nobody would go out for the basketball team if you never had a game. What is the game for students?” […]

Stillness is the Key

Two weeks ago I emailed my mentor sharing that my daughter had been home sick all week so things were ‘slow over here’…. slow and steady wins, the race, yes?! She emailed me back. Slow is the only speed. Ugh. Is it? I wondered. My soul can appreciate that, my body and the fleeting speeds […]

Caption:  Seeds of Patience – The Challenge of Waiting for Growth  

You wouldn’t plant a seed and then dig it up every few minutes to see if it has grown.  So why do you keep questioning yourself, your hard work and your decisions?  Have patience, stop over-thinking, and keep watering your seeds. ~ Steven Bartlett I read this daily, some days I’m deeply exhaling and possibly […]

From Drama to Dialogue… How TV Can Help Teens Open Up About Relationships

“Wait, let me get this right… you’re telling me to talk to my kids about their friends’ romantic relationships? You’re telling me to ask what they think of them? And how they’re going?” What?!?!?!? “Yes,” replied the UCLA professor, Andrew Fuligni. “Yes. That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Dr. Fuligni went on to explain – talking […]

Is “Did you win?” really the right question? 

I was turning on the inside, disappointed with the performance, feeling like a pessimist, forcing a smile… Deep down I wondered if I was in the wrong place. “Finally! Great to get that win!” one of my player’s parents said after the game. But I didn’t feel that way at all actually. What’s wrong with […]

Blades of Wisdom:  New Year’s Lessons from the Skating Rink

Often in life those seemingly ordinary moments hold the most extraordinary meaning. ~ Ken Poirot On New Year’s Eve day, my husband, 7-year-old daughter, and her friend, set out for the Toyota Center in LA, home to the LA Kings, for an afternoon of skating. An hour in, my eyes were welling, I was holding […]