Welcome to Monday! Every so often, I re-introduce what I consider to be a freakishly simple communication tactic into my repertoire. See if you can spot it in this story … Last night, I had a SUPER successful conversation with my teenager (no small feat). It went like this: I said, “Hey! How does it feel knowing you are one month away from being a senior?” Her eyes danced. She replied, “It’s SO weird. I feel like it’s not real.” I said with warmth in my voice, “You feel like it’s not real?”

Recently, I did an Instagram Live dedicated to helping people find their fire and rekindle their energy after losing a job. These are challenging times, and I feel so helpless watching as smart, talented people are eliminated from jobs they love. I wanted to do what I could to support others in this time of transition (and opportunity!).

I was recently at a large dinner gathering with my husband. Around the table sat old friends and new, and about an hour into the meal, the conversation started to wane. We had caught up on family news, work news, life news. I kind of panic when conversations go quiet, so I like to have an engaging question ready to keep the connection going.

Our bodies are miraculous, digesting everything we put into our mouths. Teeth, saliva, esophagus, stomach, intestines … these systems work diligently to keep us alive and functioning at the highest levels. But when it comes to digesting and metabolizing the stress and traumas both major and minor that come with this business of living, our psycho-spiritual systems may be running on autopilot, but they aren’t always functioning in a way that serves our highest good.