Over the years, I’ve found it hard to connect with new people. Old friends? Easy.You find a handful of people you can call when… You need to solve all the world’s problems over coffee or a 5K run.Or you need someone to help you bury a body, and they don’t flinch. New people are different. … Continue reading Connecting with new people →

Jenny Lawson’s new book dropped last week, so of course I binge-listened all weekend while gardening. Her books have a way of finding me exactly when I need them. I will be forever grateful for discovering Furiously Happy the fall after my mom died unexpectedly. It helped me heal in a way I didn’t think … Continue reading Micro celebrations →

A friend posted on social media this week that our President said Gavin Newsome had a “mental disability” referring to his dyslexia. Umm… what? Another example of why words and labels matter. Especially as the President of the United States. But there’s an entirely different post related to that loaded statement. For now, I will … Continue reading Words Matter →

My latest project is officially up and running, and I have all the feelings. Excitement.Fear.Worry.Pride. My first podcast guest was a national expert on childhood behavior. The recording didn’t go quite as I had hoped, which left me feeling disappointed and a little doubtful about the project as a whole. He was what I would … Continue reading Educating the Uniquely Wired Child: The Launch →

I have been following the Miller hearing for the Raleigh teenager who killed his brother and four neighbors in 2022. He pleaded guilty. But because he was a juvenile at the time of the offense, he cannot automatically be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole under Miller v. Alabama (2012). Today were closing … Continue reading What is fair and just? →

I have been looking for a job since we knew we were moving back to NC last January. An entire year of surfing LinkedIn, Indeed and Idealist. Hundreds of applications. Tons of interviews and only rejections as a result. A new project landed randomly in my lap a few months ago, and I am super … Continue reading Follow your arrow →

The holidays require a lot of socializing with people you might not normally socialize with. This is a time of year I try to balance pushing and giving in with my social anxiety. The balance can be hard to find. For me, it is the anticipation of the event that creates the anxiety.... who will … Continue reading Social anxiety: When to push and when to give in →

I am wrapping up my writing project for 2025 and starting to think about what 2026 will look like for me. I know what I do not want - daily job searching on LinkedIn, Idealist, and Indeed. My brain needs more than that, especially after a year of this daily routine. As I was doing … Continue reading The next book →

We foster failed with our sweet Duchess but not in the way most people experience foster fails. Hindsight helps me see where we potentially went wrong, but our intentions were ALWAYS in everyone's best interest. I boarded our pups so that when Duchess came to our house she could check things out and get settled … Continue reading Foster Fail →

I wrote over the weekend about the first grade school shooter civil trial currently underway in VA. This case bothers me on many levels.... as a parent, as a special education teacher, and a behavioral consultant. I also asked some podcasters who investigate unique cases if they would cover it on an upcoming episode. Fingers … Continue reading Failed by many adults →