Interrupting the Shame-Spiral

Interrupting the Shame-Spiral

If you've ever tried meditating, you may share this experience I've had of realizing I’m lost in thought, and then immediately giving myself a proverbial slap on the wrist: Why can't you focus? You're supposed to be meditating! Man, you're so bad at this. You're never going to achieve inner peace.

Going around this little shame-filled merry-go-round again and again does not exactly make meditation a serene or appealing activity.

My Essay in the New York Times

My Essay in the New York Times

f you haven't yet, check out my essay published in The New York Times last week: "Death was a Theory, Until I Became A Mother." I am so incredibly grateful to share this work with such a large audience.

The essay reflects on how even my doctorate in existential philosophy did not prepare me for the reckoning with death that I experienced as a mother. But, I left a lot out of that piece. The essay makes no acknowledgement of my race, class, sexuality, physical ability, nationality, etc. and all the privileges my social positions afford, many of which will serve to insulate my child from death and danger. Parents of impoverished and/or black and brown children have to reckon with mortal risks that are significantly higher for their children than for my own.

Learning to Receive

Learning to Receive

The "Good Mom" never seems to need anything, least of all help. She effortlessly and endlessly serves her family 24/7 with a serene smile on her face while she prepares Pinterest-worthy holiday crafts. This "Good Mom" makes us mere mortals feel bad when we have, oh, I don't know, basic human needs—and even worse when those needs aren't being met and we require...help.

2020 has taught many of us what it feels like to need help. But, it has also us how much we rely on each other, how interconnected we all are.

A simple shift to help post-election anxiety

A simple shift to help post-election anxiety

I've found something that has helped me manage election and post-election anxiety about the state of our nation. When I find myself spinning catastrophic stories or seething with anger, I take a cue from Kristin Neff's work on self-compassion. I pause, take a breath, and say to myself:

"I'm really in pain about this right now."

Then, I note that the reason I'm in pain is because I care.

The Coach's Circle Podcast

The Coach's Circle Podcast

I recently had a great conversation with Brandon Baker on his podcast The Coach’s Circle.

In Episode 18, I talk with Brandon about the path that lead me to do the work that I do as a philosophical coach. I talk about my educational background in philosophy and desire to share philosophy with others. I share how my experience of early motherhood really shaped my work and led me to want to help others grapple with the existential crisis of parenthood.

The Existential Crisis of Parenthood: A Free Practical Philosophy Class

The Existential Crisis of Parenthood: A Free Practical Philosophy Class

Each month, I offer a free Practical Philosophy online class. The September 2020 class was called, “The Existential Crisis of Parenthood.” There are plenty of classes to learn how to swaddle a baby or how to discipline a toddler, but virtually none to honor and discuss the identity-shifting, earth-shaking experience of becoming a parent.

Make Your Purpose: A Free Practical Philosophy Class

Make Your Purpose: A Free Practical Philosophy Class

If you missed Make Your Purpose: A Free Practical Philosophy Class, I’m sharing the complete video here. In this class we discuss:

  • What it means to live an inherently purposeless life

  • Why some people seem to have a strong sense of purpose while others don't

  • How to develop a sense of deep meaning and purpose in your own life

  • How to be grateful for even the most awful life experiences, and see them as connected to your purpose

Choosing Hope: A Practical Philosophy Class

Choosing Hope: A Practical Philosophy Class

If you weren’t able to attend, I’m sharing the complete video from Choosing Hope: A Practical Philosophy Class. This class teaches you how and why to choose hope, even when the world is terrible. We covered:

  • The difference between optimism and hope

  • Hope as a decision and a virtue—not a feeling

  • How to cultivate hope as a habit

  • Why to hope, even when success is not guaranteed, or even likely

    One attendee received live coaching during class, and others asked great questions during our Q & A. Take a look:

How I'm Learning to Stop Performing Anti-Racism and Start Living It

How I'm Learning to Stop Performing Anti-Racism and Start Living It

As a white person who grew up in suburbia, I felt pretty proud of myself for being at the 2014 police brutality protests in New York City. I’d sat in my living room watching a video of a white police officer choking Eric Garner to death in broad daylight. I watched his mother weep on television, and I—after years of teaching philosophy at one of the most racially diverse schools in the country, where I had come to love so many of my students of color—shook and wept on my couch. Overwhelmed with a need to do something, I walked out into the night to march with others who were as outraged as I was.

I’d come a long way in my own racial justice awakening. Not only did I feel like maybe marching in the streets would change something, I felt visible as a Black ally. I passionately posted photos and videos of the protests on social media, along with quotes from activists of color, with all the appropriate hashtags. I felt like I could say, “I’m one of the good ones.”

$10 Group Philosophical Coaching, In Response to COVID-19 dc

$10 Group Philosophical Coaching, In Response to COVID-19 dc

I've had a strong urge to do something to help during this COVID-19 crisis. I know that we all need someone who can hold us while we fall apart, especially when we're all trying to be strong for everyone else around us. Normally, my philosophical coaching is $135/session, but I've decided to offer group coaching for $10/session. These group coaching sessions are for:

YOU, if you feel burdened by major shifts in your day-to-day life, and want to figure out how to manage this long emergency

YOU, if you feel totally overwhelmed, and want to get some clarity and calm

YOU, if are concerned about the future of our communities, our nation, and our world, and want to see them protect, provide, and flourish

YOU, if you feel the weight of this existential threat, and want to gather with others to hold it with you

YOU, if you are unsure how to move forward, and want focus for next steps to help create a better future

$10-$30 Philosophical Coaching, in response to COVID-19

$10-$30 Philosophical Coaching, in response to COVID-19

I've had a strong urge to do something to help during this COVID-19 crisis. I know that we all need someone who can hold us while we fall apart, especially when we're all trying to be strong for everyone else around us. We need to think through what this is doing to society, to relationships, to ourselves. Normally, my philosophical coaching is $135/session, but I've decided that, starting today, during the next 30 days, I'm offering individual coaching for $30/session and group coaching for $10/session.

What to do with Coronavirus Fear: A Surprising Take

What to do with Coronavirus Fear: A Surprising Take

This is a scary time. In the midst of this coronavirus crisis, so many of us feel powerless, overwhelmed, and overcome by anxiety. We CAN weather this storm with our heads and hearts intact, (and it will pass eventually), if we learn to shift our relationship to fear.

What does that mean? It means that we must come to welcome this fear as a peak human experience. Yes, that's right. Peak.

'Think Hard' Episode #58: Mushy Consistency

'Think Hard' Episode #58: Mushy Consistency

Is consistency important? Should we have more allowance for nuance and evolution in our thoughts? What are the risks of remaining inconsistent or, conversely, of being too rigid in our thinking?

In Mushy Consistency, episode #58 of my podcast Think Hard, my co-host José and I discuss having consistency in our ideas and beliefs. Take a listen!