Years ago I was living in a small apartment with a roommate who was a very kind and genuine guy. I was also neck deep in a life subtly driven by insecurity, a need to prove myself–and a persistent fear that I never would. Like so many of us who’ve lived...
Narcissism is another word that gets thrown around pretty commonly, and not always accurately. But the nature of this disorder makes its impact singularly devastating to the person in whom it manifests as well as to the people in their life. Narcissistic abuse leaves...
Let me start by saying I don’t exactly like the term “toxic people”. There are certainly toxic attitudes, behaviors, and relational styles. But these are usually defense mechanisms–maladaptive and abusive as they may be, it’s the...
All parents know the struggle of needing to broach a hard subject with your teenager. It could be something serious and consequential, or one of those probing, private conversations that’s awkward and uncomfortable, but no less necessary. As clumsy and...
Whether you’re tackling a habit, adjusting your routine, or beginning the journey into healing your inner wounds, there are some things you need to know about change so that you’re not surprised–and more importantly, so that you don’t give up....
When I first moved to Colorado, at the top of my list of things to do was head up to Yellowstone, which isn’t a bad drive if you enjoy road trips. Armed with podcasts and healthy-ish snacks, I made my way up through oceans of empty plains and passed through the...
It’s so hard when you can tell your teenager is struggling, but all they tell you is “I’m fine” or “I’m just tired”. When a parent brings their teenager to my office, they themselves are often wrestling with self-doubt. In a...
Samson would be a terrible jogging partner. Half golden retriever, half rottweiler, he loves to explore, often bursting forward with speed only to stop every few yards to investigate an interesting smell. And he will not be hurried along. But what disqualifies him...
One thing I always envied in other people’s stories was the big post-high-school trip. Honestly it was probably a more common thing in my mind than in reality, but whenever I heard someone’s tale of hitting the road with their buddies for one last...
I’m a relatively new homeowner, and I still feel somewhat blindsided when something happens around the house that I never had to worry about in apartments. Last week the dryer broke. I was super busy, but still determined to fix the thing myself. After a little...
