Experiencing segregation in the 1960s When I was a child in the 1960s, I travelled with my parents and younger sister to spend summer holidays with our US family in Hampton, Virginia. My uncle and aunt worked at the Black College; one was a French teacher and the other the librarian. They were happy to …
An All Too Painful Déjà Vu and How White People Can Help Read More »
A couple of years ago, I blogged about American psychologist Rick Hanson’s Red Brain, Green Brain model and how it can help us to reflect on our mental wellbeing. I regularly use this model when coaching my institutional clients on how they can improve their workplace cultures and facilitate their employees’ mental wellbeing. But these …
All Systems Red: Mental Health Under COVID-19 (part 1) Read More »
This is Part One in a Two Part Series. Watch for Part Two next week. I needed to do a grocery run today. I wasn’t out of food, but I was out of some necessities and fresh fruits and vegetables. On my way to the grocery store I stopped at a little local health food …
Staying Calm in a Crisis is Good for your Immune System Read More »
Disruption: Something that interrupts your flow, your habits, your autopilot. Sounds uncomfortable, right? I’m learning that it’s not just uncomfortable—it’s also vital to our growth and resilience. (Why isn’t this stuff ever easy?) But there’s even more to the story. Seeds in a wildfire The fact is that big changes force growth. Just as the …
I’ve never met anyone who enjoys receiving criticism or negative feedback. But it’s something we all have to face from time to time. A few years ago, I met with a client who had a particularly hard time with it. Even discussing the criticisms, mild and constructive to my ears, in his recent performance review …
Recently, my adult son and I experienced some tension in our relationship over decisions he was making that directly affected me. I have to say that we butted heads for some time until I began to think more deeply about my role the dynamic we where creating. Like most parents, I still worry about my …