September 2025

In everything from high-performing workplaces and healthy relationships, compassion isn’t a bonus; it’s a baseline. It’s what builds trust before strategy, creates space for honest conversations and turns stress into solidarity. Compassion lets people feel safe to take risks, admit mistakes and support each other without fear of judgment. When we lead with heart, we

If adult friendships feel harder than they used to, you’re not imagining it. Veronica Lichtenstein, a licensed mental health counselor, explains that friendships in college thrive on three key factors: proximity, shared life stages and available energy. “Dorm life, classes and late-night pizza runs create endless opportunities for connection. But adulthood dismantles this ecosystem,” Lichtenstein

It started with a suitcase that my firstborn and I wheeled into the children’s section at the library. We filled it with a mountain of picture books, then returned home to read them snuggled on the couch or at bedtime.  Certain books became so ingrained that we memorized every picture and phrase, like the Maisy