God grant me the serenity… Everyone is familiar with the Serenity Prayer written by Reinhold Neibuhr, or at least the first stanza which reads: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference. When I recite the first three words, most of the women whom I see in my psychological practice can recite the rest of the initial stanza. But they do so with a certain air of resignation. Oh, yeah…THAT! Intellectually they understand that there are things they cannot change; they probably wouldn\’t be... 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

…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

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

…by Suzanne Falter Barnes OK, who\’s hitting the Ben & Jerry\’s because they can\’t somehow get all their marketing tasks done? (That would be me.) BUT … I finally rose and said ‘no\’ to the angst. Here are some ways I\’ve developed to tackle the creeping overwhelm: 1. Realize you don\’t have to do it ALL. To get known in the world, you don\’t have to pursue every last marketing vehicle, just the right ones. Target like mad. 2. Focus on your market (and know who they are.) Some niches can rely purely on on-line promo, because that\’s... Read More

…by Prill Boyle Most of us are our own worst critics. Why is that? I started thinking about this a few years ago when a friend confided to me that he didn\’t think he was particularly successful This man is a partner at a large law firm and on the board of several civic and professional organizations. He\’s constantly sharing his expertise with colleagues and lending others a hand. I don\’t know what benchmark he\’s measuring himself against, but if he\’s not successful, who is? Another friend is the CEO of a technology company. He\’s confident... Read More

…by Suzanne Falter Barnes No, this isn\’t an essay about turbo goal setting, keyword optimization, or high pressure sales tactics. It\’s actually about harnessing the power of love to build your business. Yep, you read that right. Love. That\’s all it takes to build the business of your dreams. Now before you dismiss me as being way to woo-woo to take seriously, let me explain myself. For the last week I\’ve been sick in bed with bronchitis … and so I\’ve been doing a lot of thinking. When I look at the really profitable months for my business last year,... Read More

…by Julie Clark Robinson             You did it! You\’ve given yourself a break. You\’re reading – what\’s more, you\’re reading something that\’s not a To Do list, a bill, ingredients or the fine print on the back of a speeding ticket. Well done. (I\’m giving you the benefit of the doubt here – I\’m assuming that you\’re sitting down, dare I hope that your feet are up as well?) At least for today, you can say you were able to carve out a few minutes for yourself. That means, even if the rest of the day goes south, you... Read More

…by Prill Boyle When life veers from the script, why not improvise? That\’s what sixty-year old Keni Washington did. Literally. I first met Washington in October of 2003 on a United Airlines flight from Indianapolis to San Francisco. Wearing a black turtleneck and carrying a tenor sax, he stood out from the throng of business travelers and Midwestern moms. He looked intelligent and intense in a gentle sort of way, and I thought to myself, I hope that man sits next to me. And to my delight, he did. As soon as we settled into our seats, we began talking and didn\’t stop until... Read More

…by Mary Pearsall At one time or another, you have almost certainly stepped on a scale to check your body weight. But relying on the scale to tell you if you\’re at a healthy body weight can be frustrating. Understanding what the scale does and does not tell you will help you keep the scale\’s information in perspective. The difference between fat and muscle. A scale simply measures your total body weight in pounds (or kilograms). It does not measure how many of those pounds are muscle, bones, blood, etc. and how many are fat. Exercise physiologists call this ratio... Read More