This week I started preparing for a presentation I’m giving to a large women’s organization. The main topic is depression and mental health. This is a topic our society does not talk about enough. We all struggle with feeling down and discouraged. Sometimes that discouragement can be debilitating. There are a couple of different schools…
A couple of weeks ago, I walked downstairs to find my kids had made waffles for breakfast. Our two girls love to cook, but they occasionally forget to clean up after themselves. It only took three seconds for me to assess the mess and go looking for the kids. When I found them, the first…
Did you know that willpower is a finite resource? It’s true. There comes a point when you can’t just keep telling yourself to keep on. I was reminded of that this week as the stress level at our house continues to mount with our upcoming move. I found myself frequently reaching for my favorite chocolates.…
It’s that time of year. Everyone is making resolutions, thinking carefully about how they want the next 365 days to be different from years past. As I have thought about my own resolutions this year, I have found myself approaching them much differently than I have before. In his bestselling book Good to Great, Jim Collins tells…
In a recent interview with Mashable, I talk about many of the challenges that busy families and couples face. Finding work-life balance is necessary for both family harmony and job satisfaction. Demanding careers often lead to burnout if steps are not taken early on to avoid it.
As Thanksgiving approaches, we will inevitably hear much about the importance of gratitude. Our Facebook feeds will be filled with gratitude posts, Sunday school lessons throughout the month will focus on this topic, and as parents, we will try to help our children understand this principle before they begin asking for Christmas gifts. Yet as…
Marriage experts used to assume that couples fought mostly over what I call “content issues“–the things a couple discusses during a fight, such as money, in-laws, sex, and parenting styles. They believed that if they addressed each individual content issue, they could help the couple improve their relationship. But addressing the content of the fights often didn’t do much…
Over the last few weeks, there have been several posts on our Facebook Group – Nurturing Medical Marriages™, about how to not be resentful when medical training requires the non-physician spouse to put their life and career on hold for more than a decade. This is such a hard situation and one that many spouses…
In my recent interview with ALLPARENTING, I talked about ways that you can make a living doing what you love while also balancing your family. “Kim Blackham, a licensed marriage and family therapist, advises moms to brainstorm what it is that they love to do and then see how other people are making money doing…
If you have ever asked yourself, “Do we need marriage counseling?” then that is a pretty good indication that you should pursue that thought. I believe that dedicating time to improving your relationship can be beneficial for every couple. Seeking guidance from a professional marriage therapist can help you develop the best possible relationship. Romantic…
I love this quote! That really is what sets us apart and allows us to contribute to society. When we make the sacrifices to work hard today, we are in a better position to excel tomorrow. Keeping New Year’s Resolutions is difficult for everyone. According to research by the University of Scranton, only 8% of…
It’s that time of year again where we talk about evaluating our life and set goals for things to change. Most of the time we have abandoned our goals by the end of January and our good intentions remain just that . . . good intentions. But what if this year could be different? What…