Every mother knows how tough middle school friendships can be for young women. Dara Chadwick is a freelance journalist and writer who spent a year chronicling her Weight Loss Diary for Shape Magazine. That experience and her interviews and discussions with her readers led her to reflect on...

It's a hoax, folks. Sorry to be the spoiler of a feel good story--that of Rom Houben, the Belgian man who allegedly "woke up" from a 23-year long coma--but the hard truth must win out over hopeful emotions. Houben's "communications," his "statements" about how he's been aware all...

I’ve been speaking and writing about gratitude for almost ten years now – and I’m still amazed at how challenging it can be for me to focus on what I’m grateful for at times (especially when I’m feeling sorry for myself or complaining).  I’m also blown away by how powerful...

Thanksgiving is one of those few times in a year when families, even ones with which there is discord, come together. For some this is a joyous event, for others it is greatly loathed.

Ram Dass used to say that if you ever thought you were enlightened, go spend...

In November of 1980, I was the director of Juvenile Advocates, a legal advocacy program for incarcerated teens located in Morgantown, West Virginia. My job consisted of monitoring the treatment of juveniles who were locked up in county jails, detention centers and what were known then, as reform schools.Perhaps the...

Would you rather eat mindfully this Thanksgiving instead of overeat? We often approach Thanksgiving with the misguided belief that eating large quantities of delicious food will give us a lot of pleasure.

Unfortunately, food is only pleasurable up until a point. It is a challenge, for all of us, to...

The holiday season promises fun, love and good times with family and friends. It's a time where we can look forward with glee and high expectations to those shining moments of unconditional love and relaxation.

Stop!

Is that what your holiday season is like? Do you look forward to it...

Without question, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

It is my favorite because it may be our only holiday that does not require a victim for our commemoration -- no one is conquered, no one subjugated, and no one is assassinated. Thanksgiving is a holiday that is...

I love the Thanksgiving holiday. I love cooking great food, sharing tall tales with loved ones, and having nothing but big fun. I always use this day to reflect on where I am personally and professionally. And once again, I have so much to be thankful for.

After being misdiagnosed...

Thanksgiving is our most celebrated American holiday. It's our day to connect with each other and to strengthen our gratitude muscles as we gather to celebrate bounty and eat together. It's a time when the legacy of family ritual is repeated and remembered. We feel belonging and our hearts open....

It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. – Charles Darwin

Last week, as I was driving a carload of middle-schoolers to a movie, the kids started talking about their teachers.  I couldn’t help overhearing, “ ....

Every Thanksgiving, we humans are faced with worries as big as the feast. Will we survive another visit from our in-laws? Will the Detroit Lions stop breaking our hearts and win a game on Thanksgiving? One thing that should not be on our mind, however, is whether our pets are...

While the world spends so much time complaining about what is wrong I am reminded at this time to focus on what I have to be grateful for:

All those involved in the military that risk their lives to protect this country.

The honest police forces around the country that...

"My life is one learning experience after another; by the end of the week I should be a genius."

"I failed!" One of the exercises I like to do in my seminars and trainings with leaders in the business world or the non-profit world is have everyone stand up, throw...

Our son, Adam, just finished his second season of Pop Warner football. He's 10 years old and loves the game and playing with his team. Ron and I enjoy his involvement, too. We love cheering him on, and Ron, who is also the assistant coach for the team, gives him...

The final line in my book about life balance for physicians is "Balance is knowing that today is a good day to die; that you have lived fully, lovingly, and without remorse." Since I wrote this many years ago, I have taught this notion that today should be a good...

As I write, I am crammed into a middle seat in economy class, headed across the country. Two flights and a six-hour drive later, we will finally reach our destination...Thanksgiving dinner with the in-laws.

Yup, its that time of year again. This week millions of Americans will take to...

I spent a fascinating day yesterday in China. Or as close to being in China as I am likely to come in the foreseeable future. I am speaking of Flushing, Queens, New York City's newest and perhaps largest China Town. My tourist day began with a sumptuous dim sum feast...

We all know the bullish case for 2010 (an upswing in the economy). And we all know the bearish case (a double-dip recession), both of which I recently wrote about. Aside, though, from the bulls and bears, what about the stars? What do they have to say about the new...