Self Development
Owning Our Story: A Personal Reflection One of my favourite quotes is from Dr. Brené Brown: “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy–the experiences that […]
Is It Possible? There’s a question that I keep getting asked over the decades when helping couples. It is one of the most challenging and loaded questions. It’s also a question that is tender to me because it reminds me of one of the main reasons why my parents’ marriage failed… How do I move […]
Transforming Past Hurts Into Secure Connections Life has a funny way of teaching us lessons, sometimes through the most unexpected – and occasionally unpleasant – experiences. Here’s mine… Believe it or not, I’ve had the dubious honour of being pooped on my head by a bird twice in my lifetime. Once this week, and once […]
Attachment & Letting Go This week my husband and I said goodbye to our daughter. Our baby girl moved across the country for college. We’ve been dreading this day. As we stood in my daughter’s dorm room, surrounded by half-unpacked boxes and the nervous energy of new beginnings, we felt a tidal wave of emotions […]
And Learn to Love Well I still remember growing up, often hearing from my parents, insults and judgments like, “You are a terrible kid.” “You’re good for nothing.” “You’re so stupid.” “I wish I never had you.” As a child, criticism and shame were my constant companions, guests that overstayed their welcome throughout my childhood […]
7 Powerful Strategies for Couples to Overcome Conflict & Rebuild Trust Let’s talk about something that hits close to home for so many of us – those moments when our relationships hit a rough patch. You know the ones I’m talking about, right? The silent dinners, the cold shoulders, the feeling that you and your […]
Why Gossip Kills Connection and How to Build Real Bonds In my 26 years as a relationship expert, I’ve witnessed countless attempts at connection. But recently, a scene in a local café crystallized a truth I’ve long observed: sometimes, our efforts to bond can actually push us further apart. Picture this: four new moms, babies […]
It’s Not What You Think Twenty-six years ago, I stood at the altar, blissfully unaware of the challenging yet beautiful odyssey that lay ahead. Today, as I celebrate my 26th wedding anniversary, I’m struck by how much we’ve grown – not just as a couple, but as individuals. When we first met, like many couples, we […]
And What We Can Do About It When we hear the word “patriarchy,” most of us think about how it impacts women. But have you ever paused to consider how this age-old system harms men and sabotages their relationships? I’ll be doing a two-part series on patriarchy. This week’s focus is on how patriarchy […]
But have it so wrong When I reflect back on my life, there are so many things that I thought I got right but was so wrong about. Like, when I was a teenager, I thought I was invincible and didn’t think about the consequences of my actions. So I did stupid things like pull […]
When I reflect on my life, I realize there were many things I thought I had right but was completely mistaken about. For instance, I used to believe that never saying “no” and always agreeing with others made me kind and well-liked. In reality, it often led to resentment and burnout because I neglected my […]
Face Fears for Deeper Connection Why is fear an essential part of change? As a relationship psychologist, I encounter this conundrum frequently. My clients, like many of us, wish for change in their relationship but balk at the process. We crave the outcome but want to bypass the inherent risks of getting there. Our fears […]
