Search the blog:
Good advice.
The Fall hangover (it’s NO-vember)
I'm tired. I don't think you even need to have kids to be feeling the hangover from everything going on right now. It's Fall, y'all!. It's getting darker earlier and getting colder where I live in Nebraska. I'm preparing for my winter hibernation. There are so many things that could leave us feeling down or just worn out. So... what am I going to do about it? A lot of nothing. And I encourage you to a lot of nothing, too.
Don’t start at the top of the mountain
Everybody seems to want to start at the top of the mountain! How often do you meet someone and within days or weeks are thinking "He's perfect!" "He's amazing!" "We really hit it off!" "He could be the one!"
The One?!? THE ONE?!?! It’s too soon to tell!
If you’re doing that, you're starting at the top of the mountain. And when you start at the top of the mountain, the only way to go is... down.
Is your relationship (or job) complete?
How do you know when it is the right time to leave a job or a relationship? How do you give yourself permission to breakup, move on, or decide your current circumstance no longer suits you? You just decide.
Most of us are conditioned to believe we have to have a 'good reason' to make such decisions. You don't have to have a good reason to change jobs or change relationships. You can just decide that the one you are in is 'complete.'
The #1 type of person I don’t go out with
You're heard of The One Before the One? Well, I was becoming the One After the One. I learned a lot from that experience. What I have noticed is this: newly single, newly separated (or not even separated yet!) and newly divorced men are not ready to be dating. At least not in a meaningful way that might lead to a relationship. If you want to get out and have fun, go for it! If you want to date for a relationship, you need to be a little more discerning about where you spend your time.
On a funeral, napping, and people pleasing
What do my uncle's funeral and a podcast about resting have in common? We need to let go of the need to people please in order to have everyone cry at your funeral when you die. Women are socialized to believe our value is in serving others. That we should always be busy, that we are never allowed to rest. There is another way. You do not have to earn your rest. You are allowed to say no to projects and people that aren't aligned with the kind of life you want to create for yourself.
On looking for the ‘perfect’ match
One of the biggest mistakes I think women make is deciding after a couple of dates or a few months of dating that the person they are seeing is 'perfect.' But what happens next is usually heartbreak when this amazing person turns out not to be ‘perfect’ after all. What is the solution? Read on.
How I went from hating my ex to getting along better than ever
Five years ago I was full of rage and divorcing my then husband. Today we get along better than ever - including having family time with our son and my (not his) daughter. What changed?
Hint: Not him.
‘Ghosting’ is not a problem
Let's talk about 'ghosting'! Presumably everybody's least favorite part of online dating. I see so many posts of women in the different Facebook groups I am in or coaching complaining about being ghosted. I get it. It sucks.
... but does it?
Urban Dictionary describes 'ghosting' as: When a person cuts off all communication with the person they're dating, with zero warning or notice before hand. My question is: why is this a problem? Seriously.
Why is it so hard to ask for help?
Women are notoriously bad at asking for help. What keeps us from asking for help? Usually shame, for starters. But doing it all is not the answer.
Why I don’t go on ‘first dates’ and what I do instead
I no longer think about going on a 'first date.' Why? Because first dates traditionally are filled with a nervous energy and a lot of expectations placed on how they should go and what they mean and what will happen after. After having too many disappointing Saturday night dinners out when I would rather have been home, alone, or doing something, literally anything, else, I rethought how I approached first dates. What I do instead is go on a 'meetup."
You are creating your own results
Take a moment and look around at your life --- notice your relationships, your work, your family --- take a quick stock of what is. Then consider for a moment that you have created all of this with your thoughts. How so? Your thoughts create your feelings which lead you to take actions which create your results. The good news? You can change your thoughts and feelings to change your results!
Do you know what you are looking for in a partner and relationship?
Are you dating and looking for a partnered relationship? When you meet someone do you think “I’ll know if it’s a fit when I meet them?” If that’s the case, you’re approaching dating wrong. You need to know what you want so you know it when you see it.
Your resistance is causing you suffering
Does it seem like if other people would just do things differently, you wouldn’t have to suffer? That if other people would just change, your experience in life would be better?
This is called resistance and it is causing you to suffer. Here’s why and what to do about it.
Dating apps are NOT actually the worst!
Do you find yourself saying "I hate dating apps!" or "I'm so sick of dating apps!"? If you're feeling exhausted with dating apps, the apps are not the problem. The apps provide a solution. How you're thinking about them is the problem!
What is shame and what can you do about it?
What is shame? It is the feeling of distress that stems from believing there is a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do something and that you are doing it wrong. This is not a helpful emotion. Here’s what to do instead.
Why are you in a rush to get into a dating relationship?
Why do women often rush into dating relationships? We don’t do this with friends or work colleagues. Only in dating do we think the connection should be instant or it might not work. I disagree and here’s how I slow things down.
Confusion is a lie
You think you’re confused. Confusion makes you feel stuck and unable to make a decision. You’re not confused, you’re scared. Here’s what’s really going on.
Why asking ‘why?’ is not a helpful question
Women spend a lot of time wondering ‘why?’ a guy did or didn’t do something. This is never a helpful question because it only leads to rumination and feeling stuck - not any good answers.
An abridged list of things I (think I) am bad at and why I want to share them with you
Do you spend a lot of time thinking about allll the things you are bad at or doing wrong? Here’s my list. And a few things I think I am doing right!
Are you ‘dating’ someone you’re not actually DATING?
Are you in an intimate relationship with someone that feels like dating… but you’re not actually DATING? See why I think that is a bad idea.