If you’re in your seventh decade of life or beyond, no doubt you have experienced some plot twists. Whether illness, divorce, death or an otherwise unexpected curve ball that life threw at you. In my conversations with hundreds of people who have lost a spouse…

It’s likely that by your sixth decade, you’ve experienced at least one life event that shook you to the core. It was perhaps significant enough to divide life into two parts: the before and the after. It sent you reeling. Perhaps you’ve lost a spouse…

In my conversations with women who were widowed suddenly, I sometimes ask, “What do you wish you had known?” One of the most common answers is, “That the people who said they would be there for me would, in fact, not be there for me…

If this December you are feeling anything but merry and bright, it’s perfectly okay. There is no requirement to be “in the spirit,” or peaceful or joyful. And by all means, if you don’t feel like it, don’t deck the halls or hang the stockings with care…

As a life coach for widows, I often talk with people who are using gratitude against themselves. Self-inflicted, forced gratitude is how many people attempt to kick themselves into a better emotional state. It isn’t effective…

Think about the person who frustrates you the most. Perhaps it’s a family member, colleague, neighbor, or friend. Maybe you find yourself thinking, They just don’t seem to get it, or their behavior is completely unacceptable. Wouldn’t it be nice…

With six or more decades of life under our belt, we have lived long enough to gain new identities and release old ones. In some cases, identity is established based on our phase of life. We were first a daughter, then a student, perhaps a wife…

My husband and I were out of state, celebrating our wedding anniversary when his heart stopped beating. I was 39 years old and suddenly, despite my best efforts, I was a widow. I had no clue how I was going to navigate this unfamiliar territory…

Imagine that I said to you, “I hate your purple hair. It looks terrible on you.” Assuming that your hair is any color except purple, you might wonder about my eyesight but aside from that, you wouldn’t give the comment a second thought…

Human brains are hard-wired in primitive ways and have just one goal – survival. They achieve the goal of keeping us alive in three primary ways: by prompting us to stay safe, seek pleasure, and be efficient. Before humans were established…