Love, Ice Cream, & My Final Conversation with My Mom

Love, Ice Cream, & My Final Conversation with My Mom

Ten days before she died, we shared one last long conversation filled with laughter, tears, tenderness, and the words that mattered most.

Today, my mom would have turned 82. But she passed away earlier this year, on February 8. On Thursday, January 29, I stayed up late typing up a conversation I’d had with her that night because it felt so meaningful and important.

She’d been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in mid-November and was receiving hospice care at home. Brain swelling and seizures had affected her ability to move and communicate. I didn’t know that night would be our last extended conversation—the last time she would be able to speak in full sentences, albeit short and slow ones.

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What Beach Volleyball Teaches Me about Love

What Beach Volleyball Teaches Me about Love

The sand was just warming under my feet last Saturday morning, the ocean breeze cutting across the beach as I walked toward my usual court. I’ve played beach volleyball with the same group (mostly men, a few women) for more than fifteen years. We only play two-on-two (no fours or sixes), and it’s one of my favorite parts of the week. Frustratingly, my skill level changes from week to week, and it took me years to realize that when I focus on just two things—especially when a serve is coming in—everything flows better. Those two things are…

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World Sexual Health Day is Today!

World Sexual Health Day is Today!

Happy World Sexual Health Day! 🎉 This year’s theme, Positive Relationships, is a powerful reminder that sexual health goes beyond just the physical aspect. Sexual health isn't just about avoiding illness but about building healthy relationships based on trust, communication, respect, compassion, and emotional connection...

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5 Tips to Cultivate More Sexual Desire

5 Tips to Cultivate More Sexual Desire

Why does desire often fade in long-term relationships? What gets in the way of feeling sexual desire towards your partner in a long-term relationship or marriage (even when you still find them attractive)? And what are tips to cultivate more sexual desire? I sat down (over Zoom) with Sarah Regan at mindbodygreen to talk through all of these questions and get into the nitty gritty of sexual desire….

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Can Compassion towards Yourself Make You a Better Relationship Partner?

 Can Compassion towards Yourself Make You a Better Relationship Partner?

Is it possible that practicing self-compassion in your relationship is related to both you AND your partner being more satisfied with your relationship?

On Valentine’s Day, I zoomed into the studios at Good Day Chicago to speak about a new research study on this topic…

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