What if the voice that criticizes you isn’t trying to hurt you — but trying, in its own way, to protect you? When we understand what’s beneath that voice, our relationship with ourselves can truly begin to change.

Every New Year invites us to become a better version of ourselves. But sometimes the most powerful shift is learning how to choose the person you already are.

The ways we protect ourselves from being hurt often become habits we don’t even notice. And over time, those same protections can keep us from the deeper connection we want.

Sometimes our choices are shaped more by old wounds than by our true self. One of the most powerful shifts in life is learning to tell the difference.

Most of us want to be loving people. And yet sometimes we still say things we regret or react in ways that surprise us. Often those moments say less about who we are, and more about the parts of us that are still hurting and need care.

Sometimes we find ourselves reacting in ways that don’t reflect the person we want to be. Breaking those patterns and changing those reactions isn’t about willpower; it begins with understanding where they came from.

Emotions rarely appear out of nowhere. Slowing down enough to listen to them with curiosity and understand what’s underneath them can become the beginning of real healing.

Many of us spend years trying to silence or control our thoughts. But sometimes the real shift begins when we start listening to them differently.

Whether we realize it or not, the ways we were loved — and the ways we weren’t — continue to shape how we move through the world. Understanding those influences can change how we relate to ourselves and others today.

It’s comforting to believe that time heals all wounds. But sometimes healing requires more than simply waiting for time to pass.

Happiness rarely comes from one big decision. More often, it grows out of the small choices we make every day.

Many of us learn how to cope with life long before we learn how to truly live it. Here's what you can do if this is where you find yourself.

Trauma isn’t always dramatic or obvious. Many of the experiences that shape us most are small moments repeated over time. It’s these experiences that are in need of our loving, healing attention.

Children grow up surrounded by expectations about who they should become. Imagine what would happen if, instead of being raised not to disappoint, children were encouraged to be free to be who they are!

Many of us believe being hard on ourselves will help us improve. But harsh self-criticism often keeps us stuck in the very patterns we’re trying to change. And fighting it rarely brings the relief we’re hoping for.

Learning to love our bodies can be a long and complicated journey, especially in a world that constantly tells us we should look different. This is my story of how I grew to love my body more and more.

The November 11, 2021 edition of Happy Mail — a few thoughts and reflections from my inbox to yours.

Emotional healing often begins when we start paying attention to the parts of ourselves that learned how to survive difficult moments. Here’s how you can begin to meet those parts of you with care.

Our early relationships leave traces in how we love today. But those early relationships don’t have to define the future of our relationships. With awareness and care, those patterns can begin to shift.

True happiness is rarely about adding more (money, love, success) to our lives. Oftentimes, it begins by reconnecting with the younger parts of us who carry the experiences that shaped how we see ourselves and the world today.