The first time I met my husband’s family, we were newly dating, and he took me to Cleveland, OH to meet his Mom, Dad, and Sister. It was a great visit, but I felt like I had stepped into somesort of bizzaro-world where people don’t speak…they shout. Happy, sad, angry, scared, worried–no matter which emotion was being expressed, it was expressed LOUDLY.…

I read last week about an open letter written by parents of the 16 high school classmates who were killed on that horrible Germanwings plane crash back in March.  The devastating loss for these parents and their community is unfathomable. 

I decided to read the letter in German (I am bi-lingual) to understand where the parents were coming from. Translations sometime lose the essence of the message.

The letter was addressed to…

I couldn’t help but chuckle when I read about Ariana Grande’s latest flub a couple weeks ago. But, it did give me something on which to reflect, so I say “thank you, Ariana!”

Let me set the scene for you: According to media reports, she was in a doughnut store with a friend and decided to lick a plate of doughnuts that were sitting on the counter. Yes, tacky and gross. However, what really got the media in a firestorm was what she did next. Allegedly,…

A little snippet posted on the New York Times website caught my eye the other day … because it was about something that I wish I could do.

And that’s nap.

I have never been a napper. I envy people who are. And now there may be even more reason than ever to start getting into the habit.

A recent study, which appeared in a journal entitled “Personality and…

So, in my former life, a.k.a. before I became a therapist, I was in television as both a reporter and meteorologist (quite a change, I know!). And, since most people in Hawaii know me as a television personality, I’ve been approached by a few people to help with producing, writing, etc.

Since my license hasn’t transferred yet, I’ve taken PBS Hawaii up on the offer to co-produce a weekly current events show, and, frankly, I’m really enjoying it!What’s really great is that I’m getting…

I have been a solo operator for a long time. I started my company in late 2000 and have spent the last 15 years working for myself. This week, I am hiring my first full-time employee, which made me realize that things are gonna change.

There will be more responsibility along with lots of benefits.

But, more importantly, I wondered about the kind of boss I would I be?

It’s been a while since I had someone reporting directly to me.

I…

I get it. We’re all busy. A lot of us are overworked. But, really, can’t we just be nice to people?

That was the focus of a recent article in the New York Times called “No Time to Be Nice at Work.” The author studied the topic and writes that more than half of people aren’t nice at work because they’re “overloaded.” More than 40% aren’t nice because they don’t have the time.…

Over the weekend, we celebrated the 4th of July … a time to reflect on our nation and our heritage, in addition to eating a hot dog or 2. And while enjoying an extra day off, I wondered … how on earth did our forefathers arrive at the structure for our government?

Since it’s been quite a long time since I sat in history class, I did a little research. And it turns out there was a “compromise” which is always music to a mediator’s heart.

It was called…

As a parent of three in 2015, I constantly struggle: do I go “old school” on my kids and assert my authority or do I allow them to be a “partner” in family debates over…well…everything?

Even though I’m considered a parenting “expert,” I still flip-flop between the two and wonder if I’m making the right decisions. It’s exhausting.

However, one writer thinks he’s figured things out. Family psychologist John Rosemond says “because I said so” is a…