Family of Origin
My client “Mark” lamented, “I love my family, but honestly? I’m kind of dreading Christmas with them.” Mark is successful at work. He’s a devoted husband and dad. But something changes when he spends time with his family of origin. He reverts to a child. “It’s not that anything terrible happens. It’s just… I become […]
Do you hold your breath when things are going too well? Last week, I was talking to a friend who just landed her dream job. But instead of celebration, she said, “Yeah, but I don’t know if it’ll work out. What if I’m not qualified?” After watching her steal her own joy for ten minutes, […]
I often hear this from my clients: “I was my mom’s confidant. I consoled her when she and dad fought. I calmed my dad down so he wouldn’t get mad. I would change the topic when conversations got heated between my parents.” If this sounds like your childhood, you weren’t just a kid—you were the […]
My client “Maria” is a 48-year-old CEO managing 450 people. She’s built a million-dollar business from scratch. But when she visits her parents, she becomes that powerless eight-year-old girl again. Because your childhood home isn’t just a place. It’s a time machine that activates old survival patterns before you even realize what’s happening. When you […]
Today marks my 27th wedding anniversary. I can barely believe we made it this far. The odds were stacked against us. Divorce runs in my family. My parents’ marriage ended badly. Four of my five siblings got divorced too. My template for marriage was not good, to say the least. But here’s what I learned […]
You know that feeling when you’re convinced you’re the only one who struggles the way you do? The shame that whispers your childhood wounds are too messy, your relationship patterns too broken, your emotional reactions too intense. That if people really knew your story, they’d see you as damaged goods. Here’s what I’ve discovered after […]
I did something my colleagues think is absolutely crazy. On April 1 (no joke), I fired myself as Clinical Director of the therapy clinic I built from the ground up over many years and handed over the practice to my associates. A thriving, well-oiled practice that practically runs itself. Cognitively, it makes zero sense. But […]
Today is Father’s Day, and I have mixed feelings about this day. While social media fills with heartwarming posts about amazing dads, I find that I can’t identify with them. Because my relationship with my father was nothing like those picture-perfect posts. I never realized how much my relationship with my father shaped everything else […]
I’ll never forget the day “Faith” looked her husband straight in the eye and said, “I’m done.” The color drained from his face. Twenty-three years of marriage, and he was genuinely shocked. I wasn’t. For months, Faith had been telling me how her mother-in-law criticized everything. But here’s what broke her: Every single time her […]
I remember when Mark and Sarah (not their real names) walked into my office, their shoulders heavy with 23 years of unresolved conflicts. They sat on opposite ends of my couch—a physical representation of the emotional distance between them. “Why now?” I asked gently. “What made you decide to come in after all these years?” […]
Do you remember where you were when the world shut down during COVID-19? I can’t believe it’s been five years, almost to the date when life as we knew it came to a screeching halt. What began as distant news reports quickly became our shared reality. Schools closed. Offices emptied. Travel plans evaporated overnight. My […]
New Year’s goals don’t work. So stop setting them. Yes, we should all strive to improve ourselves – whether through personal growth, better health habits, career advancement, or stronger relationships. But setting goals just won’t cut it. By January 31st, I hear the same confessions in my office, year after year: “I thought this year […]
