Happy Stress Awareness month! When I learned there was such a thing as stress awareness month, I thought two things: first, “We need to be reminded to be aware…
In my last post, I shared some of the incredible benefits of exercising as a family–including boosting family members’ physical and mental health and strengthening family relationships! Hopefully, learning about…
Raising a healthy, happy family is a tall order, especially considering the many stressors, challenges and roadblocks children, parents, and well, everyone faces each day. How can we raise happy,…
Enjoy this Free Excerpt from my NEW book, “8 Keys to Mental Health Through Exercise! “To be beautiful means to be yourself. You don’t need to be accepted…
It’s Easter Sunday, and though I don’t usually write here about religion, I am compelled to write today. I am thinking about Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and whether you’re…
When it comes to mental health, happiness, and life satisfaction, there’s one common denominator: exercise. The research on exercise and mental health is clear and solid: exercise is…
The first time I heard of essential oils was about 8 years ago, from a dear friend of mine. Cooped up with a broken leg, she was telling me…
It’s 3:30 a.m. I was simply rolling over to fall back asleep, when my brain switched on like a 100-watt light bulb, and now I’m flooded with stress, worries, and…
Childbearing Years Mental Health & Exercise The years of childbearing and parenting young children can be some of the most challenging. For one, the hormonal shifts that accompany pregnancy and…
It’s late January and there’s no better time to talk about motivation. We may have set goals, resolutions, and themes, but are we still going strong? Or is motivation starting…
There’s something about January and another new year that gets my personal growth juices flowing. I just love the meaning of this time of year—the idea of hope and renewal,…
It’s that time of year again—time for “getting it all done,” time for planning and parties and presents and…peace? Are you feeling peaceful this season? Are you feeling joyful?…
Making marriage work takes work…period. It’s not easy and it’s not always blissful. You will have your high and low points. In fact, if there’s one thing you can count…
Today, October 17th, is “Shannon day,” the day my sister died, eight years ago. When Shannon died, it was so unexpected, so traumatic, so tragic, so unbelievable, it sent…
Today is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, a day for families to remember the loss of their baby. Whether through miscarriage, stillbirth, or neonatal death, the loss of a…
What creates the ups and downs so common in female emotions? What role does the brain play, and how do hormones factor in? Why is it that most women were…
As women, and especially as mothers, we are creators. Creators of human beings, creators of families, creators of homes. We nurture, love, uplift, and inspire, and all of these…
I am deeply honored today to share a very important guest post. I recently published an article here, titled, “Mental Illness, Stigma, & Suicide: Finding hope in the darkest times,”…
**I realize this is a tough subject to talk about, and I do speak very candidly in this article about some painful, but important, things. If you are in a…
Depression affects one in five women throughout their lifetime and is especially prevalent during the childbearing years. Pregnancy, postpartum, hormone shifts, sleep depravation, and the pressure of parenting and raising…
The body and mind are inextricably linked. What we do to one affects the other. When we care for one, we care for the other. How can we take better…
Simplify. Don’t you love that word? That concept? I sure do. I love the idea of a simpler life. Simpler doesn’t mean simple or boring. No. For most of…
Do you have a picky eater? Or a child who just won’t seem to eat what you’d like him to? Do you ever feel guilty, stressed, or fearful about your…
I was particularly inspired by the topic of this week’s Motherhood radio show, with guest Dr. Daniel Singley, founder of The Center for Men’s Excellence. I knew I wanted to…
I have to say this episode of my new radio show, Motherhood, has been my favorite so far. Perhaps it’s because the topic is the one I need most right…
Family life can definitely be stressful. Whether it’s the daily stress of activities, learning, problem-solving, emotional support, and the exhaustion of it all, or the bigger stressors, like illness, death,…
This week, I had an intriguing discussion on my new radio show, Motherhood, with Dr. Michael Mascolo, professor and author of 8 Keys to Old School Parenting for Modern Day…
For the first time ever, my internationally-sold DVD, Postpartum Couples, is available online for FREE! I’ve seen Postpartum Couples probably a couple hundred times, and yet I still get…
Women are particularly vulnerable to depression and anxiety in pregnancy and postpartum. In fact, 15% of pregnant and up to 20% of postpartum women experience depression, while 6% of pregnant…
It’s that time of year again–May, or as my friends and I call it, “May-hem!” The end of the school year, commitments galore, graduations, the summer-shift approaching, and all month…
It’s that time of year again! Maternal Mental Health Awareness Month begins on May 1, and in honor of this important month, Postpartum Support International is sponsoring it’s third annual…
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the power of personal transformation. It started with Easter, which, no matter your faith or belief system, is really a holiday about our…
Birthdays and death anniversary days have been on my mind. Monday was my sister, Shannon’s, birthday. She would have been thirty-nine. Thirty-nine! It’s hard to imagine. She’s forever frozen in…
I am pleased to continue my “Many FACEs of DEPRESSION” campaign this month with Jami’s story. Jami is a counselor, speaker, and mother of seven! Her story shows how depression…
“In order to give love, we must receive love; as we receive love, we learn to love ourselves; and as we love ourselves, we have so much more love to…
I wasn’t planning on posting today. Yesterday, my second book, Who Am I Without You (with New Harbinger Publications), came out–successfully, thank goodness! And today my third book manuscript, on…
It’s time! My brand new book, Who Am I Without You, is being officially released this week! In honor of the book release, I’d love to share with you…
I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to begin my “Many FACEs of DEPRESSION” blog series. After reviewing dozens of submissions, I’ve selected 12 individuals to share their stories…
As I write, it’s a few days before Valentine’s Day. The world seems to be covered in pink and red, candy hearts, and flowers; it’s beautiful. I, however, am thinking…
I haven’t always been a meditator. I used to think it was kind of strange, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to try it for a long time. But about…