Just my own story. — One of the darkest times in my life was divorcing my abusive ex-husband. I had spent seven years being cut down and belittled to the point where I no longer had any sort of confidence or self-esteem. It got to the point where I just wanted out. I didn’t care…

While viewing porn is not inherently wrong, I do think there are some toxic misconceptions surrounding it that lead to a degradation of real relationships. 1. It’s Not Cheating Except it is. When you are in a committed monogamous relationship, you have agreed to not have sexual encounters with others. Unless you and your…

We’ve all had one. — We’ve all had one. We dread ever having one again. The bad breakup. I think my most devastating one was finding out I was the side piece when the whole time I thought we were so in love and would get married one day. That one hurt. But why did…

I need to check myself in. — I’m writing an email I have to send to my boss about an issue I found. I dread the conversation that will follow. I hate being the messenger. I reach for my phone and hit that blue and white ‘F’. I scroll mindlessly through pictures of dogs and posts from…

How does someone end up in an abusive relationship? I can tell you how I did. I ignored a lot of red flags. I made excuses for why things happened and why he did certain things. I accepted the blame for his behavior. I never felt good enough so when…

Perspective is everything. — My partner and I were leaving his apartment complex last week. As we were driving out of the complex, we passed by two men about five feet apart. The first man was walking alone and the second was about five feet behind him walking a chihuahua. I love dogs, especially…

On relationships, business, and self-preservation. — Parents aren’t perfect. My father is a human. He taught me many lessons. Some, like the ones I have written about here, are pure gold. Some I have had to work in my adult life to unlearn. Overall, he did his best which is all we can ever hope to…

I spent seven years in an abusive marriage. I wanted to leave for years before I actually left. Most of what held me back was fear. I was afraid of him and how he would react. I was afraid that I would have nowhere to go. I was afraid I…

1. Flip the script — I struggled with anxiety for many years. I have done therapy and meds, but it wasn’t until I started seeing a life coach that I really started to shift my anxiety. I will outline three of the strategies I have used to decrease my daily anxiety and improve the quality…