by Nancy | Sep 25, 2024
Statistics show that one in three Americans is either a stepchild, a stepsibling, or a stepparent. That’s a lot of blended families! Those of a certain age can certainly remember The Brady Bunch, but let’s not forget that it was a fictional family. There are celebrity...
by Nancy | Sep 18, 2024
If you’ve watched one minute of television over the past month, I know you’ve been inundated with political commercials. This candidate is a liar, this candidate is shady, this candidate wants to end social security or increase social security, this candidate wants to...
by Nancy | Sep 11, 2024
Raise your hand if you understand the difference between sympathy, empathy, and compassion. Congratulations! It’s not the easiest distinction to make, and it will likely come in handy the next time someone close to you is in pain. Here’s a brief...
by Nancy | Sep 4, 2024
Gratitude is ubiquitous. Everyone is talking about it, writing in journals devoted to it, and practicing it. There are literally thousands and thousands of memes created to display the word and what’s behind it, posters and needlepoint pillows illustrating it,...
by Nancy | Aug 28, 2024
Don’t bother Googling the definitions of “translator” and “interpreter.” I just did and, according to Google, they’re synonymous. I respectfully disagree. In my opinion, Mediators are translators. We (attempt to) translate the communication from one party in conflict...
by Nancy | Aug 21, 2024
A few months ago, I was helping to train future volunteer facilitators at my favorite non-profit, Adam’s Place (www.adamsplacelv.org), and one of the participants shared something truly wonderful with the rest of us. I’m writing about this now in the...
by Nancy | Aug 14, 2024
If this article seems familiar to you, you’re right. I’m tweaking and republishing something I wrote a couple of years ago, mainly because this topic comes up frequently in my personal life as well as in my mediation practice. Let’s say your...
by Nancy | Aug 7, 2024
My mom was extremely superstitious. I remember her knocking on wood, throwing salt over her shoulder, or telling me to bite my tongue. By contrast, I don’t think I’m terribly superstitious, except that I never talk about how good my car has been running,...
by Nancy | Jul 31, 2024
We’ve all been stuck in a conflict that ends with an impasse. Co-workers who refuse additional responsibility, teenagers who won’t respect a curfew, spouses who “forget” to mention use of the debit card, are just a few typical examples. There are global examples of...
by Nancy | Jul 24, 2024
I recently had a conversation with one of my favorite people in the universe. (You know who you are . . .) We covered the usual topics: business, politics, and family. During our call, I complimented him on his parenting skills. Instead of simply saying...
by Nancy | Jul 17, 2024
I’ve been wondering about the different ways men and women approach divorce, deal with it, and how people survive it. And although every situation is unique, I’ve come to the conclusion that most men think they have it harder than women as they’re navigating a...
by Nancy | Jul 10, 2024
Often during a divorce mediation, I will ask my clients about their support systems. It’s important that they have loyal friends to lean on during these emotional times. A few years ago, my close friends announced they were getting a divorce, I wasn’t the...
