What Makes a Good Female Friendship I was asked to write an article about friendship by someone near and dear to me, a woman who seeks to grow as a human being and as the best version of herself she can be. Our focus is on the empowerment of good-hearted women, those are the women who always seek first to look after others. They usually choose what’s best for someone else before considering their own needs. They seek to improve the world for everyone around them. And while

Unconditional love. It’s one of those ideas most of us absorbed long before we ever had the emotional maturity to question it. As kids stepping into adolescence - when we first started noticing attraction, curiosity and the spark of romance - we were handed this shiny, magical concept like it was the holy grail of relationships. Movies fed it to us, books romanticized it, and we bought into it because it seems so perfect, doesn’t it? Adults repeated it like the gospel, as

Why Good-Hearted People Must Rewrite Their Entire Relationship With the Concept of “Deserve.” Perhaps some of you can relate to the following experience of thinking the universe has it “out for you”, like I did when this happened: I’m sitting in the waiting room for a doctor’s appointment, and I’m playing a game of poker on my phone. It’s a great time-killer I enjoy, and I’m currently on a run of winning 5 million imaginary dollars. As I’m playing, I’m starting to wonder, “Wh

Are you a person that second guesses many things you do, if not nearly everything you consider doing? Do you feel the need to get input from friends about decisions you contemplate? When you make a decision without input, whether small or large, do you hold your breath emotionally and hope (or pray) that you are making the right call? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you likely have self-doubt and perhaps low self-esteem – and it’s probably not news to you.

Do you know your love language? Do you know your partner's? Chances are, if you're reading this, you do. What you probably don't know is that the same framework that can deepen your relationship can just as easily damage it if it isn't fully understood.

Teenagers don’t move through the world as half-formed adults or oversized children. They move through the world as new identities under construction, carrying the emotional rulebook they learned in childhood while trying to build a self that feels real, safe, and worthy. Their intensity isn’t immaturity—it’s the natural collision between who they were taught to be and who they’re trying to become. This article blends what research shows about the teenage brain with the emotio

Infidelity is a question that has lived in the minds of millions: Can we recover? The partner who strayed asks it quietly in their own guilt. The partner who was betrayed asks it through shock, grief, and disbelief. And once the truth is revealed between them, the question echoes again—this time with urgency, fear, and a desperate need for clarity. As you read this, you may naturally associate infidelity with romantic relationships. Most people do. But infidelity, at its core

I was once asked, “Why do people do what they do?” I thought he was joking, so to double-check my assessment, I replied, “Are you serious?” He assured me he was. My only response was, “How much time do you have?” It wasn’t the first time I’d been asked a question like that—not by a long shot. But it may have been the first time someone asked it with such sweeping sincerity, expecting a simple, solid, authentic answer to something that touches every corner of human behavior. A

Introduction Every one of us carries an internal system designed to keep us safe. It’s ancient, efficient, and deeply loyal. It watches for danger, scans for threats, and reacts faster than our conscious mind can interpret what’s happening. This system is not “bad.” It’s not broken. It’s not a flaw in our character. It’s simply doing what it was built to do: protect us. But here’s the paradox. The same self-protection mechanisms that once kept us safe can become the very patt

Power dynamics show up in every relationship we have — romantic, professional, familial, and even casual. Most people don’t realize how often they’re participating in a subtle (or not‑so‑subtle) struggle for emotional position. But if you’ve ever been in a relationship where it felt like the two of you were constantly jockeying for the lead, you know exactly what this looks like. It can feel like a childhood game of tug‑of‑war: a constant back‑and-forth, each person pulling f

Healthy boundaries are one of those concepts everyone agrees are important, yet few people feel naturally confident practicing, especially good-hearted people who might have learned earlier in life that they are supposed to consider the desires of others and sometimes even defer to them. The idea of boundaries sounds simple: know your limits, communicate them clearly, and protect your emotional well-being. The idea not only sounds simple but also natural, normal, and almost

Years ago, a popular comedian—probably George Carlin, though I might be mistaken—joked with his audience, “Do you know why adults always ask kids what they want to be when they grow up? It’s because they’re looking for ideas!” That question and answer always got a laugh, but it also made me think. I don’t remember exactly when I first heard it, but after laughing, I realized there’s some truth in that joke. Adults aren’t really asking kids for options; maybe many of us don’t

In today's fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in the chaos of daily life and lose sight of our true potential. Personal discovery and performance coaching can be a powerful tool in helping individuals navigate through emotional obstacles, achieve their goals, and ultimately unlock their inner capabilities. Captive Coaching is a leading provider of such services, offering a unique and comprehensive approach to personal development. With a proven track record of 10-15

Is guilt always a sign you’ve done something wrong? This article takes a raw, eye-opening look at promises, relationships, and the weight we carry when things fall apart—inviting you to rethink what you owe others... and yourself.

A number of years ago a buddy of mine was turning 40. His wife gathered his dearest friends and arranged a night on the town for us to share with her husband. She contracted a limo to take us around Washington, DC, we went to a great dinner, out for drinks – the whole “sha-bang”. After many stops and probably as many drinks, a couple of the guys thought it would be fun to stop into a lesbian bar. I wasn’t sure why but it seemed to some of the guys to be an expected novelty.

As the story goes, there was a little girl watching her mother prepare the food on Easter morning. She’d help where she could but watched intently everything her mother did. When it came time for her mother to prepare the Easter Ham, the little girl noticed that her mother bore down and cut a good-sized portion off the end of the ham. The mother then placed the ham in a pan and put it in the oven. The little girl was perplexed by this and so she asked her mother, “Mom, wh

We are in the most tenuous times the recent generations have seen. We KNOW there’s a problem if former grand wizard of the Ku Klux Klan thinks the majority of America is now “with him” and is running for US Senate. We don’t need to love everyone – that’s a farce of possibility; it’s be great but really, what are the odds of that ever happening? So what can we do? Exactly, what can each of us do to help make America and what it could be and far greater than our forefathers a

Today we celebrate the life of one of the great men the world has known in Martin Luther King, Jr.; A man considered to be a hero among African Americans as well as those supportive of the Civil Rights movement of the 50’s and 60’s. A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated the life and passing of another great man, Nelson Mandela. Mandela and Dr. King shared many similar views. These sentiments are needed everywhere: Between men and women, Christian and Muslim, gay and straight

Ever wonder why your goals, benchmarks or resolutions aren’t met? What if there were a way to discover if you were likely to achieve them? We’re once again at the beginning of another year, a time when people tend to be more introspective. People think about what they want to accomplish in the upcoming year, they think about what they accomplished this past year, and they think about what they haven’t accomplished – over and over again. As a Personal and Professional Achiev

For those who protect us: Bravery isn’t fearlessness; its moving forward and doing what needs to be done, in spite of the fear – thank you, and we all wish you safety. For those who give of themselves to better our world: to know you are the real role models. For the leaders of the world: to realize that real leaders don’t have to lead, nor are those who must have followers. A leader is one who knows where to go and how to get there and wants to bring you along. For the