It turns out vulnerability is essential for connection. — When I was a kid, I had a lively imagination. My parents were divorced, and my dad was in prison. I couldn’t even begin to touch the pain buried inside, so I escaped into a vivid fantasy world. …

I hadn’t seen my dad’s face or heard his voice since I was a kid — My mom loved my dad, and I think he really did try to love her back. Together, they brought me and my brother into the world, and they wanted to make us a happy family. ​ But our family broke and fell to pieces. ​

A well-known research study found that consistently grateful people are 25% happier than those who aren’t. Yes, twenty-five percent! If you want that kind of joy, then start practicing gratitude. I say practice because gratitude is a skill. Humans tend to lean toward the negative, so we need to put…

An artist for the outcast — Steve was the hippie dad I never had. He told me all about his heroes — Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Mother Teresa, and Sophie Scholl. Now, I want to tell you about him. Steve Malakowsky’s message was simple… Hope. Just typing his name lights a fire in my chest. He was legendary…

With all its pain, courage, and joy! — Hey, can I share my epic birth story with you? After receiving twin baby girls via Cesarean Section three years ago, I wanted to try for an unmedicated vaginal birth. But there was a problem. Baby Judah was sunny side up — a not-so-ideal position. I called my doula, Noleen…

Now, her close friend is a Nazi’s daughter. — I have to tell you about my friend, Hanna Zack Miley. She’s petite with short, snow-white hair and eyes that emanate light. Her small frame contains an enormous soul. Hanna’s beautifully written memoir, entitled A Garland for Ashes¹, tells one of the most important stories I’ve ever encountered, and it…

She was screaming and emptying out her backpack all over the street. — I was sitting outside a coffee shop with my husband. Several others were around sipping coffee, chatting and working on computers. A few yards away, a petite woman with shoulder-length gray hair was screaming profanities — raging about how no one acknowledged or cared about her. She was throwing the…