The Daily Ascent

In today's episode, I'm talking about the phone call I had with a friend of mine who told me she was "grieving the end of her career."  And why I gently pushed back — because what she was describing wasn't the end. It was a messy middle.  And our brains are actually wired to prefer bad certainty over good uncertainty, which is why we'd rather call something dead than sit in the not-knowing.  Brené...

In today's episode, I'm sharing what happened after I completed a month-long EMDR intensive — and why the days that followed were some of the most important days of the whole process.  But this isn't just about therapy. It's about any time you open yourself up, give everything you have, and then judge yourself for needing to rest afterward.  Wayne Muller reminds us that we have to let the seeds we...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the thing Harrison Ford's character says on Shrinking that made me pause the TV: "You don't know whether your choice is right or wrong until you make it."  I share why so many of us get trapped in the spin cycle of overthinking and worrying — and why worry is not a form of preparation, no matter how much it feels like one.  Eckhart Tolle reminds us that any ac...

In today's episode, I'm sharing what happened when a client in deep grief told me she wanted to double down on a strict food plan — and why I suggested something completely different instead. I suggested: What if your food plan right now is just to make the next loving choice?  Megan Devine reminds us that some things cannot be fixed — they can only be carried. And that true comfort in grief is in...

In today's episode, I'm telling you about the night my ex walked into my meeting and turned into a brick wall.  I felt the armor go up, the rage come in, and the toxic smoke start pouring out of me.  But then I tried something I didn't plan — I started naming the truth of who he is instead of the story of how he hurt me. And my heart started to change. Question to carry into your day: Who are you...

In today's episode, I'm telling you about the patch of snow on my nature trail that refused to melt — and what it taught me about why our deepest patterns are always the last to change.  Turns out, the most well-traveled path is the hardest one to thaw.  And that's not a character flaw. That's physics. Question to carry into your day: What pattern are you judging yourself for that might just need...

In today's episode, I'm giving you a Danny update! His surgery went beautifully, but now we're navigating the chaos of a joyful seventy-five-pound Lab on bed rest.  Watching him be confused by his new limitations made me think about all the times in my life when I didn't understand why things felt restricted, smaller, or wrong - and how often that turned out to be protection, not punishment. Quest...

In today's episode, I'm sharing a conversation I had with one of my closest friends who asked me the question everyone loves to ask: "So what's going on with the love life?"  I talk about why my answer surprised him, the dialectic I'm living right now of being completely open to love while being completely focused on the beauty of the life I already have, and the Buddhist concept of grasping that...

In today's episode, I'm sharing what happens when my dog Danny's third surgery sends me into full shutdown mode, and the reading from Melody Beattie's Journey to the Heart that pulled me out.  I talk about what overwhelm actually looks like for me (hint: it's not panic, it's paralysis), why looking at the whole mountain keeps us stuck, and why the only antidote to shutdown is to begin. Question to...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the moment a coaching client said to me — half joking, fully serious — "I'm worried you're going to fire me because I'm not doing this perfectly." And why it reminded me of something my teacher Marsha Linehan taught me that changed how I do this work.  I share why so many of us believe our struggles make us unlovable, and what Tara Brach means when she says im...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the Instagram trend of calling out wellness influencers for the endless cycle of products and fixes — and the time my friend Stephanie put me on a healer ban that changed my life.  I share why there's a massive difference between growth and fixing, and how the wellness world profits from you believing you're broken.  We'll explore what it means to be whole — n...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened when I stopped waiting on my brother to tell me what my own life was going to look like - and took down the dog crate myself.  I share how listening to what people do (not what they say) can set you free - and how taking action gave me back not just my space, but my peace.  We'll explore why resentment lives in the gap between what we need and wh...

In today's episode, I'm talking about a story Ana Gasteyer told on Amy Poehler's podcast Good Hang that I haven't been able to shake — about playing Elphaba in Wicked, obsessing over every performance, and then hearing twenty recordings that all sounded nearly identical.  I share why perfectionism isn't your highest self trying to help you — it's fear wearing a lab coat.  We'll explore why the gap...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the emails I keep writing to my podcast producer Shantale — and how her consistent, unflappable kindness is teaching me more about grace than any book ever could.  I share why I can be hard on people when they don't meet my expectations, and what it's like to be on the receiving end of someone who meets your shame with warmth instead of judgment.  We'll explor...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the phone call I got from a friend in the middle of a breakup — and why the most important question I asked her was the one she hadn't thought to ask herself: "What do you want?"  I share what fawning actually is, why it's one of the most overlooked trauma responses, and how it shows up in our relationships when things get painful.  We'll explore why wanting s...

In today's episode, I'm talking about something a healer used to say to me all the time — "healers are humans" — and why the way we unconsciously elevate people is one of the most common ways we give our power away.  I share why this isn't just about spiritual teachers — it's about anyone we compare our insides to, from Instagram influencers to the friend who always seems to have it together.  We'...

In today's episode, I'm talking about an article that shook me — and what the Epstein files, the silence of the wellness industry, and the courage of one doctor who refused to stay quiet mean for every one of us on a spiritual path.  I share why the silence of 21 major wellness influencers with 250 million combined followers isn't neutrality — it's complicity — and why I believe Lissa Rankin's art...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened at my dog's daycare that taught me about the space between impulse and action. I share how I got self-righteous about a pass extension, and then a snowstorm showed me how wrong I was.  We'll explore why the pause is everything - and how to find the grace to not react when we're agitated. Question to carry into your day: Where in your life are you...

In today's episode, I'm talking about the text my bff Lauren's mom sent me from a dinner in Florida that called out my lack of social media presence — and the realization I had in my therapist's office the same week that changed how I think about promotion.  I share why I've been hiding from visibility and how Tosha Silver's concept of "offering" completely reframes what it means to put yourself o...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what I learned from watching moped drivers navigate the wild, chaotic streets of the Marrakesh Medina — and why their secret isn't skill or speed, it's full commitment.  I share how standing on the sidewalk analyzing your life is not the same as living it, and what Marsha Linehan's DBT concept of "participation" can teach us about getting out of our heads.  We...

In today's episode, I'm talking about a voice memo my friend sent me in the middle of eclipse season — and why I couldn't sugarcoat my answer when she asked me when the change would stop.  I share why change is the only constant we have, and why the shedding isn't the problem — it's actually the point.  We'll explore why the ego wants stability but the soul wants to keep moving — and how to be in...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened when we got hit with another massive blizzard — and why twenty inches of snow didn't scare me the way it did the first time.  I share how going from terrified to annoyed is actually a huge upgrade, and why the first cut really is the deepest.  We'll explore why being seasoned doesn't mean being fearless — it means the fear doesn't run the show an...

In today's episode, I'm sharing a new mantra that's getting me through one of the hardest winters I can remember: THE SNOW WILL MELT.  I share the moment I finally got outside to walk my dog and saw grass peeking through the snow - and why those little patches of green changed everything.  We'll explore why hard seasons feel permanent but never are - and what it really means to endure. Question to...

In today's episode, I'm telling you about Kimberly - the stranger on a plane who became a friend after I thought my flight was ruined.  I share how the thing I thought was the worst part of my trip turned out to be one of the best.  We'll explore why the universe's plan is often better than ours - if we're open enough to receive it. Question to carry into your day: What are you resisting right now...

In today's episode, I'm talking about what happened when I got back from Morocco - and why new experiences might be exactly what your soul is hungry for.  I share how my travel bestie, Betsy and I made no plans and let the whole trip be a mystery - and how that's exactly what Julia Cameron suggests we do in The Artist's Way to fill our creative wells.  We'll explore why sometimes we're not tired f...