Do you find that your plans usually don't work? Do you end up "winging it" after a while - with mixed results? Has life convinced you that planning is pointless? Realistic expectations.  A key to mental, emotional, physical health and...planning.  Is that a surprising claim?  Think about it; at the root of every disappointment, heartache and failure you've experienced is...[ read more ]

Are you an enthusiastic goal setter but consistently find yourself losing track? Did you forgo new year resolutions because they "never work"? Do you feel obligated to set goals but have no energy to get into it? Tune in for #realtalk on boosting your effectiveness when it comes to setting goals.  We are coming off a month of reflection as...[ read more ]

Have you ever considered viewing your life through the lens of seasons? How would that change your planning, your rhythms, your expectations? The entire globe functions off the concept of seasons.  Even those living in tropical or icy climates still function around the idea of seasons as agriculture, tourism, and daylight change with seasonal predictability.  Living in Florida, we experience...[ read more ]

Ever wondered what grief looks like a decade later? Do you wish you had a window into the future after a major loss? Fourteen years since the worst day of my life.  Fourteen years since the fourteenth of October.  I've often had folks marvel at how I made it through.  How have you built the life you have now?  I...[ read more ]

Did you know that almost exactly a year ago, the US Surgeon General issued a public health advisory about the impact of modern stresses on parents' mental health?! These advisories have been issued on the dangers of smoking, gun violence and loneliness so we are talking serious health concern here!  The report describes parents as, "completely overwhelmed", "so stressed they...[ read more ]

  Frustrated that you can't seem to balance work demands with your personal life? Wondering how your job affects your mental health? Before we get into the details of our personal work-life relationships, let's look at the bigger picture.  Every society has a philosophy about human rights and work.  The continuum stretches from having to earn every scrap of dignity...[ read more ]

Do you consistently find yourself in the fall asking where summer went? Do you often need a vacation to recover from your vacation? Summer…ahhh yes…time for a deep breath. Maybe you envision your toes in the sand and waves crashing in the background or maybe a trip into the mountains. Summer is typically a time where people travel, schedules change,...[ read more ]

When a crisis/trauma/loss is ongoing, how do I grieve in the midst of it? What emotional health tools can I access when the situation is not yet resolved? We talk a lot about grief work here at Phenix.  We firmly believe that the work of grief is absolutely necessary to mental and emotional health and necessary to the business of...[ read more ]

Do you feel like you just don’t think of great solutions in the moment?   Do you find yourself thinking after the fact, “why didn’t I try ‘xyz’ instead”?  Choices.  Sounds so simple doesn’t it? Hey you’ve got options man…Choose! Some of us may freeze under the duress of choice. Others may struggle to find choices within a situation and those...[ read more ]

Power surge - that's my fancy name for hot flashes... via GIPHY In all seriousness though, what I love about my Gen X group is our absolute refusal to take this life transition lying down.  Previous generations suffered in silence, rarely discussing it with peers and certainly not with the generation behind.  What we are finding however is a medical...[ read more ]