Susan Cain’s 2012 book, Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking, has gained huge popular acclaim and received attention from everyone from business leaders and psychologists to teachers, university presidents, and political activists. American culture is dominated by the “extrovert ideal” and yet without introverts, where would we be? We [read more]
The Pleasure of Your Company: Get Your Groove Back
“She entered her house and turned back to me for one last kiss, and to say, ‘I can’t imagine a better way to spend a Sunday than with you. Thank you for today.’” That’s the way my client, Nathaniel, ended his “perfect day” narrative. His story, written as “homework” between one of our sessions and [read more]
Red Flags: When a First Date Is a Last Date
Yay! You’ve made a connection on Match, Our Time, Bumble, or eHarmony. You are ready to meet. So much of that first date is going to be about the “indefinable” – the stuff you can’t really put into words. But believe me, there are some very good words to describe a terrific first date, from [read more]
Avoid “Bad Date Syndrome:” Easy Steps for Turning Bad to Good
You’ve been chatting online for over a week with someone who seems pretty great so far. It’s time to meet face to face. You make a plan to meet for coffee at a trendy coffee spot, put on the sweater that perfectly complements your eyes, and head out full of hope and expectations. Maybe it’s [read more]
Reset Your Dating Mojo in 10 Easy Steps
Feeling frustrated with dating? Are you bored, and see dating more as “rigmarole” than tons of fun? If you are disenchanted with the process of dating—it’s time to recalibrate your mojo. Don’t be like Ava, a client of mine who got “date rage” whenever things went “too slow” for her. Remember dating is a p [read more]
Hot or Not? How Important is Physical Chemistry?
When Tim and Marlene went through a rough patch in their marriage they were both worried they might not make it. They had grown apart in some ways, and had different ideas about what came next for them, now that the kids were grown. But they tell the story about how it was their chemistry [read more]
6 Great Reasons to Date An Outdoor Enthusiast
My friend Jill is a city girl through and through, born and raised in Chicago. But when she was a graduate student at Carnegie Mellon she fell in love with a nature buff who spent lots of time hiking, canoeing, cross country skiing. When they first met, Don lived in the boonies an hour from [read more]
Permission to Feel and a Chance to Heal: 5 Tips for Healing After a Breakup
Do you know… Someone like Norman? Within two weeks of his live-in girlfriend’s leaving him, he was making a profile on eHarmony. He said he wanted to “move on” and prove to himself (and his ex) that he’d be okay. He was not okay. At least not yet. Someone like Janelle? When her relationship ended [read more]