Do you sleep with a fan blowing directly on your side of the bed even though it is October? Does the window next to your side of the bed stay open even though it is the middle of January? Do you keep a spare pair of pajamas next to the bed to save you the trip to your bureau in the middle of the night? Chances are that if you answered “yes” to these questions, and you can add many more scenarios from personal experience, then you have the almighty night sweats. Fear not, however, there is relief!If your night sweats are due to menopause, you are in good company. Approximately 40 million women... Read More

Recently I received a taping of a speech I gave in another state. I was mortified. I called Mother immediately and asked, “Could my hair have looked any worse?” She said, “Ah, well yes, there was that tim-” Why do people answer you when you ask these kinds of questions? I decided it was time to go in search of the perfect DO. Notice how “hip” I am with the lingo? I use to call it “hair-do,” but learned that noooobody says that anymore. It\’s called a DO. No, don\’t thank me, I enjoy passing on knowledge as I gain it. I do what I can. I... Read More

…by Mary Pearsall Many, many millions of Americans have spent many, many millions of dollars trying to lose weight. And let\’s face it – the natural human tendency is to want a quick fix. The weight loss industry is banking on that and taking full advantage of it by offering a myriad of pills, potions and gadgets promising to melt fat off in record time. It doesn\’t have to happen anymore. I am going to name the top ten weight management lies and give you the truth once and for all. You do not have to become prey any longer. The truth will set you free! And the sooner... Read More

We freely give our hearts to them knowing from the outset that the relationship will be brief. We bring them home to satisfy our need for companionship only to discover that they have entered into the secret places in our hearts and our lives are better for the intrusion. We learn how to love them. We open our wallets and give them everything from biscuits to acupuncture. The one thing we have no idea how to do is say ‘good bye.\’ Miss Katie was a Golden Retriever who came into my life through the back door and stayed to help me when lovers broke my heart, when I was diagnosed with... Read More

…by Julie Clark Robinson “”I need some distraction, oh beautiful release. Memory seeps from my veins . . . let me be empty and weightless and maybe I\’ll find some peace tonight.” –Sarah McLachlan I\’m the one with all the so-called answers about creating joy for every day – even the shitty ones. I\’m what the publishing industry is quick to slap the label of “expert” on in order to sell books. I wrote a book called “Live in the Moment” and have spoken (and written) to women\’s groups everywhere about overcoming... Read More

Talking with aging loved ones about thorny topics can be fraught with snags and pitfalls! So thorny, in fact, that many family members either never try . . . until there\’s a crisis, or try and fail and drop the subject . . . until there\’s a crisis! Since resolving issues is a lot easier before a crisis, here are five pitfalls (plus a bonus!) to avoid, to get you successfully on your way. PITFALL #1) NOT RESPECTING THE GENERATIONAL AND EMOTIONAL DIFFERENCES The fact is that generational attitudes and emotional perspectives matter . . . a lot. But too often family members think that... Read More

Letting Go – Is it giving up or getting more? A large part of my practice over the past 16 years as a psychologist with the nation\’s largest HMO has been working with women in their midlife years-which I have chosen to define as anything between forty and death! In earlier columns I have described how women in this phase of life tend to be too much in the middle of everything-the much abused and misused filling in the sandwich generation. They also tend to meddle in others\’ lives-out of good intentions, but meddling nevertheless. As a result, they end up in... Read More

“Even the most distressing situation can offer a glimmer of hope, an opportunity for self-respect.” — Dr. Gloria WilderBrathwaite, medical director of the D.C. Children\’s Health Project WHAT KIND OF EMPTY NESTER DO YOU THINK YOU WILL BE? Before the countdown to your kids leaving home, try this fun quiz to see how prepared you are for the empty nest. If you\’re already an empty nester, this quiz can help you gauge how you\’re doing. Choose your response in each of these scenarios, then add up your final score at the end. 1. You wake up in the morning and... Read More

When faced with catching a fly ball, Lucy missed again. “The past got in my eyes,” she told Charlie Brown, “I thought I had it, but suddenly I remembered all the others I\’d missed.” In two decades in management, I\’ve known hundreds of workplace Lucys. People who let their past get in the way of their future; who self-determine what they\’re going to do, can do, or might be able to do by what they didn\’t do, haven\’t done, or even failed at. They stay aligned to their past like a Peanuts comic strip philosophy. Past-focused people sabotage... Read More

Many boomer women get so excited about parlaying their passions into sustainable businesses that they sometimes forget to do the legwork needed before jumping into entrepreneurship. While this process may seem tedious at first, and something that is simply delaying your dream, evaluating the marketplace, your skill set, and how the two fit together proves to be empowering, illuminating, and undoubtedly saves you lost time, energy and money. When you think you\’ve done enough research, do some more. You simply can\’t ask enough questions or do enough digging when it comes to starting... Read More