We judge what we don’t understand. Last month, before the weather turned, my husband and I were sitting on our little deck sipping coffee. Now, if this sounds like some kind of relaxing, romantic ritual we share, let me wipe that cute little image away. Because, neither of us can usually sit still in the…

Do you take on other people’s feelings from social media? Maybe you find yourself irritated, scared or angry after scrolling a few minutes. Or you got off that intense Zoom meeting and now you’re in a state. That’s emotional contagion. Yep, it’s true…our emotions are contagious. It sounds like woo, but it’s actually neuroscience. We’re…

Think about the kindest person you know. Maybe it was your grandmother, or it’s your work friend that ALWAYS remembers everyone’s birthday. Chances are that the person you are envisioning has also hurt someone with their words or actions. We are complex human beings who have the capacity to do great benefit and great harm.…

In this complex time, please keep in mind that we are ALWAYS making decisions from our Core Beliefs about things like safety, belonging, power and freedom, which includes our pain. Maybe we are vigilant about doing every possible safety precaution due to PTSD. Maybe the western medical system has previously saved our life. OR Maybe…

Humans are terrible at assessing risks. Keep reading. This isn’t a judgment. Because of the involvement of the amygdala, or lizard brain, we assess risk through an emotional filter. Which means we give more weight to feelings than data. It’s why we buy lottery tickets and fear snakes over distracted drivers. We underestimate complex threats.…

Let’s talk home organization and your brain. Many of you are neurodivergent and don’t even know it, so you may beat yourself up about your struggle to keep your home tidy and organized. Or maybe you know you have ADHD, or some other neurodivergence, but you don’t know WHY that impacts your space. So, here’s…

Anyone who has experienced trauma likely understands the concept of triggers. There might be an old song, or a particular location, that triggers a long lost traumatic memory or trauma response (anxiety, physical illness, dissociation), but what about when these things seemingly come out of the blue? In my work, I have found that there…

Are you a Chimp or a Bonobo? Are there multiple approaches to existence? We share approximately 98.7% of our DNA with both chimps and bonobos. And yet, chimps and bonobos have very different approaches, from one another, to life and community. So, is it really a surprise that holds true for us, as humans? Chimps…

“This one is different,” they’ll tell us. “Ah, this one is different,” we’ll repeat. “Split-second decisions,” they’ll tell us. “Yes, split-second decisions,” we’ll repeat. “No other choice,” they’ll tell us. “Of course. No other choice,” we’ll repeat. And they are not wrong—because they are correct in the context of the system they have built. And…

Maybe you’ve been vaccinated. Maybe you are back to working in person. Maybe you’ve started to visit with friends and family again. And maybe you feel SO relieved. And that is fantastic. But what’s this other feeling? There’s this shadow of frustration or anger or resentment or guilt or even more exhaustion rising to the…