by Nancy | Oct 5, 2022
I think we often confuse listening with hearing. Hearing is involuntary. For those of us with the ability, it just happens. On the other hand, listening is a choice. Imagine you’re a doctor using your stethoscope to evaluate a patient’s heartbeat. You are both hearing...
by Nancy | Sep 28, 2022
We’ve all felt it. We’ve been betrayed, cheated on, lied to, and hurt. So, our mind starts conjuring up ways to get back, to get even, and to get one up. It’s probably a common human emotion. But is it wise? Way back when I was in college, I had to...
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....
