by Nancy | Sep 21, 2022
I don’t know whether the three words in this title constitute a new, frequently used expression, or whether the phrase has been used forever and I’m just tuning into it. Regardless, I often wonder if people who start their sentences with to be honest are...
by Nancy | Sep 14, 2022
I know people who step on the punchline when I’m telling a joke. Or get it right when I rhetorically say, “guess who I bumped into at Costco?” Or interrupt me when I pause for dramatic effect. Annoying, right? How about when we do it to...
by Nancy | Sep 7, 2022
I’m big on giving advice, especially the unsolicited kind. (In fact, I do it here, every Wednesday morning!) Lately, I don’t seem to need advice quite as often as I dish it out, but when I do, I generally first consult Google or YouTube. And once in a...
by Nancy | Aug 31, 2022
As I am sure you can imagine, tempers often flare during mediation and dealing with emotions is a large part of what I do.For example, last year I worked with a divorcing couple who had three teenagers. According to “Jessica,” her husband had a drinking problem....
by Nancy | Aug 24, 2022
“It’s easy to be wise after the event.” ~ Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If I had a crystal ball, I certainly wouldn’t have gotten married for the first time at the age of 20, and I would have left the marriage sooner than I ultimately did. The...
by Nancy | Aug 17, 2022
My mom used to subscribe to a magazine that had a monthly feature entitled “Can This Marriage Be Saved?” I loved reading those articles because they’d showcase each party’s side and then the marriage counselor would weigh in with sage...
by Nancy | Aug 10, 2022
While I was at UCLA, I worked in a law office with a married woman who was about 10 years older than me. The day after every single holiday or gift-giving occasion, she would come to work bitterly disappointed because her husband never did what she wanted him to do. I...
by Nancy | Aug 3, 2022
Imagine you’re out walking your dog on a Saturday morning enjoying the exercise and the fresh air when, all of a sudden, he pulls on his leash and starts to growl. Why? Because somebody else’s dog has approached, and that dog is not on a leash. Fortunately, your...
by Nancy | Jul 27, 2022
Throughout my ongoing personal journey of grief and loss, I’ve discovered that there is a universal commonality. We are all resilient. It’s amazing, it’s comforting, and it’s also mind-boggling. How can we, in the depths of our despair, manage...
by Nancy | Jul 20, 2022
If you’ve ever been involved in a heated discussion and found yourself enraged by a single statement, you probably understand that your partner, sibling, colleague or parent knows exactly how to push your buttons, and you likely know exactly how to push theirs....
by Nancy | Jul 13, 2022
This subject comes up from time to time, particularly when I’m having a private conversation with a male client. I tend to wonder about the different ways men and women think about divorce, how they deal with it, and whether the court sometimes has an...
by Nancy | Jul 6, 2022
As much as I’d like to write about baseball today, it’s not happening. Instead, I’m going to address the concept of second chances. I wonder whether you’ve ever asked someone for a second chance, or if you’ve given one to somebody...
