Each Friday, my family has a tradition. Two of my adult sons visit for what I call our weekly dinner and a movie. Choosing what we will watch next has become quite the process. My youngest is a cinephile; the show must be well made. We will watch a whole gamut — from older TV series, current streaming options, and full-length cinematic choices — as long as it has excellent reviews.

One Way to Lose Our Audience’s Interest

A few weeks ago, we decided to watch a popular Netflix series, Altered Carbon. …

I was one of those kids who was bullied — the awkward, nerdy type. The kind that others couldn’t resist picking on. It didn’t matter if I stayed hunched down, slumped over, and stuck to the corners of life. Somewhere on me was a neon sign that must have read “kick me.” The bullies sure had some type of radar or sixth sense I was ripe for the picking.

The Social Pecking Order

I’d seen how this worked firsthand as a farm kid. Chickens were notoriously cruel. …

I came across an interesting dating profile recently. The guy had swiped right on mine, so I stopped to read through his. His disclosures made me pause. Along with a few close-ups of himself, he’d written a brief description, including his blunt preferences. Listed at the bottom was this sentence, “I have herpes. If that a problem for you, please pass on by.”

“Alrighty then,” I thought.

To be frank, his admission took me by surprise. I initially was a bit put off. …

No one tells you what to expect when an immediate family member dies.

You’d think everyone would naturally come together to grieve. Pain, however, does odd things to relationships. Since no one likes to talk about losing a loved one, many of us ill-prepared for its occurrence. I did not know the loss of my husband would threaten our family.

Here’s What Happened

My husband and I had been married thirty years when we learned he had a rare small intestinal cancer. …

Despite being a psychologist, I had a poor understanding of autism. My stereotypical views of its presentation now embarrass me. Developmental psychology wasn’t my specialty, and during my schooling, our knowledge of this condition was in its infancy. I thought autistic children were mute and locked within their interior world. I thought they avoided eye contact, rejected physical touch, preferred to rock their bodies, and twirled toys and blocks.

I gave birth to three sons in six years. My first was a challenge with severe insomnia and repeated ear infections. He used to scream for hours and was difficult to…

When coaching a new writer, one of the first things I want to hear is their marketing plan, which includes their five key writing topics. Whether they know this, these subjects will be their brand or author theme.

Most look puzzled.

“What do you mean?” they ask.

“What five general topics will be your focus?”

Most list a range of unrelated ideas. They want to write about toxic narcissism, tiny gardens, and short-term investments. They hesitate to limit their writing to five closely related subjects for fear of stifling creativity.

I understand. I made the same error when I first…

A young woman posted before and after photos of herself taken a few months apart. In the first image, she looked worried. Stressed. Her expression was tense. You could see the tight lines around her mouth and eyes.

In the second photo, she looked at ease, even relaxed.

The difference was dramatic.

No, the change wasn’t because she had lost weight or started a fitness program. She had left her partner, a sex addict.

My Before and After Photos

As I looked at these images, I thought back to what it had been like to live with my ex. He neglected to tell me about…