Articles

Life Coaching and Counseling
Coffee Connection

25 Tips for Strengthening Relationships

Here's the ULTIMATE guide for building relationships. 25 practical tools for strengthening your connections at home and work.

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Young couple in cafe

50 Fun Relationship-Building Questions

Here's a list of 50 of my favorite relationship building questions. Use this tool to build relationships at work, home, and with your friends. They work well for team meetings and family events. Enjoy!

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Overwhelmed

12 Tools for Regulating Your Emotions

What situations trigger you emotionally? Be prepared to handle these situations different differently, in a positive fashion. Here are 12 ways to regulate your emotions when triggered.

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Young Professionals Having Meeting in Glass Office

3 Foolproof Ways to Motivate Your Team

Over the past 20 years as a family therapist, trainer, and coach, I've helped over 2,000 families and over 200 companies improve their work culture. There are similarities between the healthiest companies and families. Here are three traits they have in common.

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Curious man

My 20 Favorite Questions to Ask Clients

Human connection heals! As you prepare for interactions with your family, friends & co-workers, here are some questions that can strengthen bonds.

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Decision Making

How to Make Good Decisions

I've wasted countless hours in turmoil over decisions. Indecision has hurt my career and cost me financially. I've frustrated family and friends because I couldn't make up my mind. Few things stress me out more than major choices, and few things bring me as much relief as getting decisions made.

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Happiness

30 Happiness Building Actions

There's a lack of happiness and no shortage of stress and anxiety in the world today. People who take care of their mental health do things differently. They engage in actions that are distinct from those who struggle.

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Man With a Vision

Clarifying a Vision for Your Future

We are 100 times more motivated moving towards what we want, than away from what we don't want. Create a picture of what you want! Our goals lead you toward your vision, or they're not the right goals.

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Why You Must Face Your Past

I want my clients to live full and free lives. I don't want the past holding them back. Frequently I challenge clients to process, and come to terms with, past trauma. Their future, and mine, depends on us facing our demons.

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Vulnerability

Taking Decisive & Consistent Action

If we don't risk getting hurt emotionally, we hinder our ability to feel good emotionally. Emotional vulnerability is a lifelong struggle and crucial to being emotionally healthy. We grow from experiencing failure, rejection & embarrassment and realizing we can handle it. 

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Grateful Woman

25 Gratitude Building Questions

We all have seasons in our lives when it's very hard to be positive. I can easily view myself as the victim. Gratitude is one of the only things that can end my pity party. 

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Dating Marriage

12 Dating & Marriage Building Activities

A healthy marriage takes effort, but it’s well worth it, especially when you count the costs of divorce (financial, emotional, etc.). Here are 12 activities that can take your marriage from average to extraordinary.

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Without hope

Fear vs Hope Cycle

Everyone struggles with fear & anxiety at different points. Sometimes it's triggered by trauma. Sometimes a lack of sleep can sleep causes it. You can take specific actions to change your perspective from fear to hope.

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A Simple & Powerful Stress Coping Tool

Clients frequently ask for help in coping with stress. Most people can identify the source of their tension (e.g. parenting, relationships, the economy, money, job, health, COVID, etc.), but often CANNOT figure out how to stop the worry.

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Stressed Out Young Woman

Overcoming Anxiety & Depression

Anxiety focuses on what can go wrong. It zeroes in on the worst outcome coming true and bad things happening again. Hope focuses on what can go right, and the opportunity in every circumstance.

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Adam's First Sky Dive. Growing my self-confidence.

18 Ways to Build Self-Confidence

I went skydiving in 2019. I did it partly to face a fear I had for over 20 years. Skydiving can be a self-confidence builder. Here are 18 even better ways to build your self-confidence.

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Stop Procrastinating & Get Things Done

Clients share with me frustrations about not getting things done. They almost always know what they need to do, but they don't do it. Here are 4 strategies I use to help myself and clients overcome procrastination.

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Grateful woman

How to Be Grateful When Life Is Hard

EaIt's easy to find things to worry about and dread. Being grateful is much harder, yet ironically, our gratitude usually significantly more grounded in reality than our anxieties. So many things in life are outside our control, but one thing you can directly influence is your perspective.

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Woman Reading Book in Bookstore

25 Books That Have Changed My Life

I've read a lot of books and a special few have inspired me deeply. Some books have changed, and possibly saved, my life. I want to share them with you.

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New Friendship

15 Ways Adults Can Make New Friends

I’m often asked by clients for advice on how to make new friends. Many people are lonely. Here are the 15 suggestions to help you expand your support network and increase your connections.

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Anxiety on flight

3 Keys to Lowering Anxiety

Anxiety robs us of enjoying life. It's the great thief of our time. You should view it as your biggest enemy. Stop letting fear get the best of you.

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Vulnerability

Kickstart Your Self Confidence

History is filled with examples of people who ended up successful who started with nothing and others who overcame the most challenging of circumstances. What you'll find is that you CAN improve your self-confidence if you work at it. 

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Finding Clarity

Why I Started Decide Your Legacy

Decide Your Legacy was created to help people find transformational clarity and face their biggest fears. At times, due to my own insecurities, I've played it safe and steered away from this purpose, yet I always end up back at where I started.  

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Life Coach

How to Select a Great Life Coach (or Counselor)

The success you experience in coaching depends, in part, on the quality of the professional you hire. Here are some qualities I look for in a coach. Hopefully this list will help you make the best choice possible.

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