Setting unrealistic expectations sets us up for disappointment. And, there are few things more unrealistic than expecting the people in our lives that are closest to us to be our everything. One person can’t, and shouldn’t, be the best listener we know, the wisest one that we go to first with all life challenges, the smartest one that we learn the most from, the best person for fashion and beauty advice, the one that makes…

Many of us are very good with being intentional about things like our workouts, our nutrition, and even our recovery. We go into a sprint interval workout knowing exactly, down to the second, where we want our splits to be. We start our day knowing exactly how many grams of macronutrients we will eat by bedtime. And, we go to sleep at a predetermined time because we know that our watch will give us feedback…

It’s really hard to understand what people are experiencing, or help them anticipate what something might feel like, if you haven’t been through it yourself. My normal training routine has been shaken up this week from swapping classes to coach and hosting some injuries that require me to modify workouts that the rest of our classes are doing. I covered Ben’s 8:30 class on Tuesday which meant I hadn’t done or seen the workout go…

I play this little game with myself where I try to keep a constant, rotating list of the 5 Most ”Beautiful” Women in my life. Luckily, I have an endless pool of incredibly impressive options floating around me all of the time. So, this “game” keeps me busy. I love it because it is a constant reminder for me of what “beauty” is really all about. I’m not going to lie and say that it…

The other day, Maya brought up a recent book she was reading, Tribe. She explained how it addresses the loss of strong connections that war veterans experience when they return to civilian life. While this is a great generalization of what the book really encompasses, I couldn’t help but wonder what drew her to this topic. “Maya, I’m really impressed that you chose a book that doesn’t directly have anything to do with you.” “Everything has…

Maybe I’m a hopeless optimist, because I’m definitely a hopeless romantic, but I prefer to think of people as mostly good: trying to be good friends, trying to be good spouses, trying to be good co-workers, trying to be good neighbors, trying to be good parents. Sometimes the effect isn’t what was intended, but most people are trying to be good…and, trying to find happiness. But, it’s hard, right? It’s hard to know what the…

If you’ve ever been to a party at my house, you know the drill: don’t overthink it, just show up. Our guests’ job: Wear whatever you want. Bring something to share, or bring nothing at all. Open door policy: bring whoever will help you relax and have a good time. Show up when you can, leave when you’re ready. Be respectful of our neighbors with parking. Be open and eager to meet people that you…