Akoshia Yoba

With so much talk about the importance of having passion in relationships, a recent conversation inspired me to consider what passion means to me. This is what I came up with as a working definition: Passion is the rocket fuel of life; it is the energetic driving force behind anything...

Recently while reconnecting with an old college buddy, we found ourselves on the topic of relationships. He has been married over 20 years and has engaged in extramarital affairs the entire time. I told him I have a habit of declining the advances of married men because morality aside, I...

One day as I sat attempting to regroup from the day's activities, my daughter wanted to talk. Exhausted from a long day's work and in need of some serious breathing space, I requested an extended moment of silence.

She would have none of it, telling me...

"What a jerk! I cannot believe they did that! What a backstabber!"

How many times have we had a charged reaction to someone's behavior? According to the Jungian psychology of the emotional shadow, any charged reaction we have to another person's behavior is really about our self.

As children...

"Love embraces what is... fear pushes it away."

These words were the premise of a workshop I recently attended at New York City's Open Center titled: "Love or Fear: Toward a Love-Based Martial Art." Led by longtime martial artist and teacher Rick Barrett, I embarked on a fascinating journey,...

I was recently speaking with a teen aged girl who said: "I adore my father but I would never date anyone like him. He treats me like a princess, but I don't like the way he treats women."

I was blown away by her ability to so succinctly articulate the...

It is a perfect summer day; 80 degrees and clear blue skies dotted with cotton-candy-clouds. Gentle breezes carry the unmistakable scent of the ocean. If I closed my eyes, I'd think we were approaching Martha's Vineyard. Instead, I see the sunlight glinting off the barbed wire that is everywhere.

Rikers...

How can we practice philanthropy, in a climate of ongoing discussions about national budget deficits, dismal unemployment statistics and forecasts of global economic uncertainty?

In general it seems that people are feeling like they have little to share with the less fortunate; some because they are experiencing a decline in...