As a body safety educator in the state of West Virginia, my job is keeping kids safe. From situations like sexual abuse, bullying, neglect, and more. So far this year, I’ve taught 1,800 K-8th graders how to stop the bad guys (or gals) in their lives. The keeping kids safe process can be distilled down
(My summary of Brene Brown’s podcast episode with the Drs. John and Julie Gottman) Want to know what makes love last, but don’t have an hour and a half to listen to Brene Brown’s podcast episode on the topic? Here you go: my info-mini-hack of the above-mentioned episode. John and Julie Gottman are both super
Your story is your glory. My boss, Karen Haring—founder and executive director at the nonprofit Libera—loves that saying. Personally I’m fond of an offshoot of this idea: “Your mess is your message.” These two sayings took on new meaning for me recently when… I volunteered as a “Listener” at a body safety assembly in a
by Josy (Tarantini) Hu Miscarriage is one of those words you don’t hear every day. Miscarriage doesn’t come up in casual conversation, or on social media, or in songs on the radio. So whether it’s because miscarriage is a private issue or merely because society has made it taboo, couples experiencing miscarriages tend to find
This week in a private Facebook group, I read 368 comments reacting to a woman who posted, “I could care less if I never have sex again.” 368 comments. Clearly this gal touched upon a hot topic, (don’t) pardon the pun. Curious, I tracked the number of women agreeing and disagreeing with her. Seventy
Question: How are you protecting your children during the pandemic situation we’re currently experiencing? During the pandemic, child abuse statistics have fallen. In West Virginia, and no doubt, all 50 states. You may think that’s a good thing. I did. But it’s not a good thing. Over half of all reports of child abuse are
The Fundamentals of Fundamentalism Many folks associate “fundamentalism” with religion. As in this definition from dictionary.com: “a religious movement characterized by a strict belief in the literal interpretation of religious texts, especially within American Protestantism and Islam.” Recently I heard an interesting theory. That the term “fundamentalism” can actually refer to several subject areas, not
So this week, in the interest of protecting children from sexual abuse, I did a thing. I told my story—you know, the icky one—to a group of community care providers, many of them practicing counselors. My co-presenter was Robert Peters, founder of SHIELD Task Force, Senior Cyber and Economic Crime Attorney with the National White
Here’s what you need to know about your elderly parents and finances. Since we all have aging parents, there’s lots we need to know in order to help them “grow old gracefully.” Today I’m going to concentrate on one area of this topic: elderly parents and finances. Watching your mother and father age can be
I’m here to give you permission to not like your mother. If she’s mean. Or worse. I know. I know. It sounds like heresy to say you don’t like your mom, but let’s be honest. Some of you were born to a mother, perhaps an abusive and/or narcissistic mother, who has absolutely earned your contempt.
