Going through life with mental illness is like running a marathon with an added 100lb weight on my back. 

I don’t love the metaphor of life as a marathon, because that is really not how I see it, but it works for this analogy, so let’s go with it.

The marathon itself isn’t going to change just because I’ve got to lug this extra weight around. The mileage will still be the same. All of the rules remain in place. I am the one who has to adjust. Sometimes that makes me feel angry and frustrated.

Believe me, I get into the “It’s not fair!” mentality from time to time. And you know what? It’s NOT fair. But you know what else? The marathon still goes on and I still gotta run in it.

Here is where I get to make a choice.

I can stay in the “It’s not fair” mindset, yell at healthy runners as they go by, trip up those doing better than me,  complain to the judges, seek sympathy from the bystanders....

I think a lot of creativity and color is lost in convenience.

Americans are weighed down by how easy it is to survive alone here. I know it brings many advantages with it, advantages others would surrender a lot for, but it brings intangible disadvantages with it as well. Take for example running water. We wash our hands, clothes, dishes, bodies, etc. in it daily. We have control over the temperature, pressure, frequency, etc. We can get it from multiple sources within and around the home - 7 easily accessible sources in my house alone. We take all of this as a given.

Can you imagine how most average Americans would respond if they had to walk outside of their house to get water? Hell, even if there was only one main facet right in the house to provide all of the inhabitants' water. Most people would be outraged by this. Yet, in other countries entire villages walk to the well and wait to get their rationed amount of water for the day or even week. They would lose...

When my partner and I began living together he inherited full grown dogs, and I inherited a growing garden - something I had always dreamed of. It isn't huge, and we certainly couldn't live off of its contents, but the act of nurturing it has taken its place in my daily routine. I thoroughly enjoy getting to help take care of the garden. It has given time and space to see and experience new things (well, new to me). It is a wonderful daily reminder

(I am pausing mid sentence as I write this because through the sounds of birds and barks and traffic I hear the soft melody of a flute. I've never heard it before while sitting on the back patio. I have to strain to hear it behind the rooster and garbage trucks... And just as quickly, it's gone...)

reminder of how there is so much more to the world than me and the goings-on of my life. It makes me think of how big the garden seems to the spider or how huge the yard seems to the baby frogs. Surely they think that is the whole...

Lots of people I talk to nowadays struggle to unplug from work. And no wonder considering that for most of us it's right at our fingertips day and night!

Work as an area of addiction is particularly tricky. In America it is celebrated when people sacrifice life, healthy, fun, happiness and family for work. Some companies even expect it

Considering all of the ways addiction showed up in my life, I can honestly say that WORK was the 2nd most dangerous. A lot of people are surprised to hear that when they know about my other areas like alcohol, but it had a hold on me that was incredibly destructive.

Here is how my brain used to think: Being busy = Being significant and Being productive = Being worthy enough to be alive.

So you can imagine the immense anxiety I felt when I wasn't being productive or busy. I seriously felt like I lost my right to continue living if I wasn't being productive EVERY second of EVERY day.

I recall one holiday where I promised my boyfriend (at the time) that...

Does any of this sound familiar to you?

"When I get home from work, I am just too tired to write the novel I've been planning."

"The best time for me to workout is in the morning, but I've got to get the kids ready for school while my husband is at the gym."

"I try not to, but I always end up resenting my my wife for having to spend every Christmas with her family. What about my parents?"

"My boss demands too much of me. I'm getting burnt out and important details are falling through the cracks."

If you can relate to any of the sentiments above, I've got a killer tool for you to add to your kit!

It's called BOUNDARIES, and let me tell you they are AMAZEBALLS!!!

A lot of people I work with come in feeling like they don't have the energy to do what they want to do to work towards their goals, dreams or purpose. They experience regular burnout at home and work. Their relationships are weighed down by resentment. They are exhausted and unsatisfied. 

Why? They do not set...

I really struggled with the idea of becoming a coach. I couldn’t help but think, “Who am I to be coaching anybody?”

I’m not famous. I haven’t climbed my way to the top of the proverbial ladder. I haven’t won any awards or been recognized among the Who’s Who. I thought to myself, “You should only begin to coach after you’ve become fully successful.” Successful. That is a term that has taken on different meaning for me throughout my life.

In the beginning getting up the guts to jump from the high dive was my idea of successful. However, I quickly found upon hitting the water that such a heroic act did not bring on feelings of success.

I was told that getting good grades while in school would lead to success, so I studied hard, did my homework, prepared thoroughly for tests and remained on the Honor Roll as I climbed to the summit of graduation.

Then I was told a high GPA wasn’t enough. I also needed to...

Airports are very special places.

My new path has taken me to many terminals, and they all have one thing in common. Among the Chili's Express and the souvenir shops sits something I've never noticed. A powerful energy exists within these hubs that is unmatched anywhere in the world. I've spent so much time rushing through these spaces that I never caught it before. Now with much of my week measured in layovers, I feel overwhelmed by it.


Perhaps you're like me and in a hurry to get to where you're going. Or maybe you are a people watcher and devote your time to guessing what destination lies in store for each traveler. It’s possible you maintain the same view everywhere you go. To sit in an airport with your headphones on and your forehead permanently tilted toward a screen is a great disservice to yourself. You are missing out on a genuine human
experience.

Take the headphones off. Slow down. Stop guessing. Just sit. Feel. Listen.

In what other place can you find so...

Some of my favorite memories take place around the family dining room table.

It is important to note that I come from a home that had all girls. We were three rambunctious young ladies raised by one amazing little woman. I donʼt mean that in a degrading way. My mom is actually little; sheʼs 5ʼ3.

Each person who has ever joined us at this dinner table could tell you the same thing: it gets loud. Thatʼs the thing about raising three strong, opinionated daughters, they have strong opinions each as urgent as the next and all spoken at deafening volumes. There is only one way to survive an environment like that and it is through humor. My mom was never short on her ability to bring a little laughter to the table. We would spend the evening eating and yelling and laughing and giving each other a hard time and if the meal was right, eating again!

I love thinking back on these nights when it was just the four of us and the rest of the world seemed to be quieted...