“Owning our story and loving ourselves through that process is the bravest thing that we’ll ever do.” Brene Brown The Power of Personal Stories Growing up, my life was a tapestry of stories. There’s my birth story, marked by an early arrival induced by necessity, as my family prepared for a new chapter in Corpus…
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.” — Lauren DeStefano Well, hell’s bells! In two days, on October 3rd, I will turn 60. The big 6-0. How do I feel? Blessed. Grateful. Nostalgic….
I’m a S-U-C-K-E-R for fall. It’s the best season. The charm of fall isn’t just because my birthday lands on October 3rd (a celebration that extends throughout the month), but it encompasses various other delights. It marks the return to school, the kick-off of football season, cozy campfires with s’mores, the comfort of sweater weather,…
Lately, I’ve been questioning my purpose, my identity, and the meaning of life. I grew up in the 60s and 70s where the adults in my life smoked pot, drank alcohol, partied, and contemplated the meaning of life. I thought the days of dropping LSD, meditating, living in communes, and having deep existential conversations had stopped….
My heart is mushy and open. I love this about myself, but it comes at the cost of my energy, identity, and self-care. For decades, I thought I was giving, giving, giving because I cared. Really what I was doing was being a “good girl” at the expense of myself. I learned, and am still…
I might have been born a serious child since there was some serious shit going on in my parents’ lives. My mom was 19 and Dad was 22 when they married. They got married on December 22, 1962, and moved to Pensacola for my dad’s Navy pilot/officer training. In January 1963, they found out Mom…
Do you remember the song, “One (Is the Loneliest Number)” by Three Dog Night? Since it’s release in 1969 when I was 6 years old, it has dogged me. The lyrics include “one is the loneliest number you’ll ever do, even worse than two, yeah.” Early in my life, I was told how to act…
One of my LinkedIn sisters asked me what was the biggest challenge to being an entrepreneur. I said, “Me.” Yes, even though I am the Doctor of Disruption and I’m encouraging all of us to tell our stories, I have a shit ton of self-doubt. Questions like, “who the hell do I think I am”…
Dr. Z, why are you talking about suicide? Because someone has to. I’ve lost people to suicide including a high school boyfriend, one of my best friends, and a cousin. Yet, no one, those closest to them, said it was suicide. My aunt said her daughter died of alcoholism, which is more acceptable in an…
I am a feminist. Dr. Z, duh, it’s obvious through your writing and posts that you’re all about women’s equal rights and opportunities. But did you know I don’t hate men? Hmmm. I love the men in my life and others who support women’s rights. Listen, there are men and women who don’t believe in…