I’m the grandma I didn’t expect. Remembering Pearl.
Hi friends~ I’ve been thinking of my grandma. Pearl was adorable. She wore house dresses, had a tight, short perm (do perms even exist anymore?), and was incredibly cheerful, funny, and energetic. I remember when I was a young teenager and she was 60+ years old, riding my bike with her perched on my handlebars – […]
Campaigns, Wobbly Boats, and Quitting: The Radical Freedom of Aging
Hello friends~ I hope you’ve had a wonderful start to your week, wherever you are, and whatever you’re up to! It‘s been a whirlwind since I last wrote. Holy moly. We wrapped a local political campaign (and fingers crossed won!), continued to maintain a commitment to a US political campaign, introduced my indoor rowing kids […]
The “Choice Is Yours” Myth: Social Media Health Memes Are Lying to You
Hi Friends~ I hope you’ve had a really good Monday start to your week, wherever you are. Happy June! I’m always so grateful to be able to share my thoughts with you, and I love hearing yours in emails and comments! Take a look at this meme that’s been making the rounds lately – have […]
Honor, and the History of Women in Service
Hello friends~ We’re spending this holiday weekend indoors – at the Jersey Shore it’s crazy rainy and cold for the kickoff of the summer season – and without the usual Memorial Day plans for all-day beach activities, it’s allowing me time to to reflect on what this holiday truly represents. Memorial Day always brings up […]
If Not Now, When?
Hey hi! How was your weekend? Whew. This past Sunday I did something that does not come naturally to me at all: I stood in front of a group of people and campaigned. I’ve heard the exhortation often, if you want real change “run for something”, but I pushed aside, and never considered doing it […]
A Mom’s legacy. Having the feels.
Hi Friends~ Mothers Day…we’re you having the feels? I sure was. Through the years growing up as the eldest of six children, the relationship with my mother was “momplicated”, as it probably is for so many mothers and daughters. My own two beautiful daughters included. Our fun dinner conversation at Bellworks Mabel restaurant included “why […]
Beyond “Busy”. May the Fourth Be With You!
Hey friends, When you catch up with a friend or jump on a call, do you usually open with the standard questions: “How’ve you been?” or “How are you doing?” More often than not, you might hear the default answer in a single word: “Busy!” It’s a safe answer, but it doesn’t tell me how […]
The mental load … and the barriers to women getting strong enough to carry it.
Hi friends~ Do you feel that constant “ping”? It’s the “mental load”, the brain that never clocks out – anticipating needs, and holding invisible threads of a household together. This chronic cognitive pinging creates a kind of overload, a weight that can add incredible stress and strain relationships. It isn’t a metaphor; it’s a physiological […]
Gravity Sucks (And We’re Lucky It Does)
Hi Friends~ Did you see this? Astronaut Christina Koch re-acclimating to gravity after the Artemis landing. After only 10 days in space, she struggled to walk. It was a stark, public reminder of what happens when we lose the load. Since the first Apollo mission in 1969, scientists have known that the weightlessness of space […]
Why Building Strength is an Act of Resistance and Joy
Hi Friends~ I’ve been processing how my work – a strength training platform, my time with clients, and my own training – might seem frivolous or even meaningless during these unstable, frightening times. I’ll admit, I’ve been struggling. Knowing that immigrant people, our neighbors are being quietly picked up inj our city by ICE daily […]