If someone teases you and you are hurt by it who is at fault? Is it your fault for “not being able to laugh at yourself” or for “always taking things too seriously”? Or is it the fault of the teaser? Have they tried to be funny and only succeeded in being mean.  Is saying [...]

  I turned on CNN this morning and there was more news of bullying and suicide and it broke my heart. In the past couple of weeks we’ve lost Tyler Clementi, Seth Walsh, Asher Brown, Billy Lucas and earlier this year Phoebe Prince.  I wish that was an exhaustive list but there are others.  Bullying [...]

Words are powerful. They start can start a revolution, they can start a family, they can change a nation, they can end a war.  We decorate our walls with words, some of us tattoo them on to our bodies.  In the moment it can be hard to find just the right words which might also [...]

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can wound forever. I went from a gregarious child to a silent teenager, and I never told anyone was what going on. This is the story that saved my life.

There’s quite a conversation happening on the “She Won’t Change her Last Name” article.  Passions run high on both sides, and it’s easy to see why.  There is always a long and emotional journey when it comes to naming a baby.  Why should it be any different when naming an adult? I am pro-name changing [...]

I am still trying to decide if identity is a solid, sure thing or if it changes. Do we become different versions of ourselves over time, or does time give us the wisdom to accept who we were all along? Are the new versions simply deeper levels of self acceptance? I was reading a friend’s [...]

I was a little surprised to see a headline on CNN this morning that was in favor of High School reunions. I could feel my stomach curdle just thinking about it.  Why would anyone subject themselves to high school again, even just for a night?  Surely the only people who actually go to those things [...]

Standing about five foot six in her shoes, Danielle always felt too tall to be beautiful. Growing up in China she was told a beautiful woman is polite, delicate and unassuming. Not tall. I’m five foot nine and grew up in England. When I heard Danielle’s story I had to smile. Runway models are often [...]

A recent issue of O, The Oprah Magazine featured a quiz that used a pie chart to plot how you spend your day.  The quiz was in two parts. Part one plotted what you actually do now and part two was a list of things you love doing. The last part of the task involved [...]

People talk a lot about happiness in the future tense. How many times have you heard friends say, “If I could just find the right guy, I’d be so happy?” But happiness is not a circumstance to wait for. Happiness is being satisfied with who you are, where you are, and where you’re going. It’s [...]