“Jerry, there is some bad in the best of people and some good in the worst of people. Look for the good!” ~George Chaky, my grandfather I was seven when he said that to me. It would later become a guiding principle in my life. My grandfather was twenty-one when he came to the US … Read more

My electric toothbrush has seen it all. I usually look in the mirror when I’m brushing my teeth, and for a while last fall, I often cried when I stared into my own eyes. I did my best to hold it together in front of my sons—most of the time, anyway. But the mask often … Read more

“The only people who get upset when you set boundaries are the ones who benefited from you having none.” ~Unknown For most of my life, I lived with a quiet ache, a longing I couldn’t quite name but always felt. I wanted to be chosen. Not just liked or tolerated, but fully seen, wanted, and … Read more

“Emotions are not problems to be solved. They are signals to be felt.” ~Vironika Tugaleva We’ve been taught to package our emotions like fast food—served quick, tidy, and with a smile. Americanized feelings. Digestible. Non-threatening. Always paired with productivity. If you’re sad, journal it. If you’re angry, regulate it. If you’re overwhelmed, fix it with … Read more

“True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world. Our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.” ~Brené Brown Last year over lunch, my friend, Jess, confessed something to me that hit me right in my gut because I’d been there too—that exact same lie, … Read more

“True healing is not a straight line. It is a spiral. You come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.” ~Barry H. Gillespie I used to believe healing would be obvious. Like a movie montage of breakthroughs… laughter through tears, epiphanies in therapy, and early morning jogs that end with a … Read more

“You can plan for a hundred years. But you don’t know what will happen the next moment.” ~Tibetan proverb Some days it feels like a fog I can’t shake—this underlying fear that something painful or uncertain is just around the corner. I try to be responsible. I try to prepare, make good choices, take care … Read more

“It takes courage to say yes to rest and play in a culture where exhaustion is seen as a status symbol.” ~Brené Brown “You have burnout.” I listened to these three words in a trance, said thank you, and got off the call with the doctor. Part of me had known. The endless days I … Read more

“Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakes.”~ Carl Jung My mom had always been invested in real estate. I remember snacking on open house charcuterie years before we finally purchased a house to flip—the first of four. By the time … Read more

Have you ever felt like fat and food were your enemies? Like everything would be better if you could just lose weight—and eat whatever you want without consequence? I felt that way for much of my childhood and teens, when unresolved trauma and low self-esteem led to a long battle with food and my body. … Read more