Blog
TGIF | Finding Forgiveness at the Holidays
As the holidays approach, forgiveness often becomes a central, yet challenging, theme—especially in the wake of divisive times and personal conflicts. In this article, we explore what forgiveness truly means and how it differs from reconciliation. Drawing inspiration from psychologist Dr. Thema Bryant, we learn that forgiveness is about releasing ourselves from the pain of what’s outside our control, not about excusing behavior or forcing reconciliation. By cultivating curiosity and compassion, we can accept others as imperfect humans, just as we allow ourselves room to grow and evolve.
TGIF | Supporting Grief During the Holiday Season
The holiday season often brings expectations of joy and connection, but for those experiencing grief, it can be an emotional minefield. Navigating loss during this time invites us to reimagine what joy and connection look like in the absence of loved ones. Grief challenges us to confront the rawness of our humanity while offering opportunities for reflection and growth. It reminds us that life and death are intertwined, and love transcends time and space, enduring in quieter, more contemplative ways.
Finding moments of peace and joy amid grief doesn’t mean suppressing pain—it means honoring it and allowing space for glimmers of light. Whether through a cherished memory, a favorite tradition, or a moment of connection, these small glimpses of beauty coexist with sorrow, teaching us that life is still worth living. This holiday season, let’s embrace the full spectrum of our emotions with gentleness, holding space for ourselves and others. Grief is love transformed, and in its presence, we find a deeper connection to the essence of being human.
TGIF | Resetting Isn’t Just Possible—It’s Essential
Resetting the nervous system is an essential practice for managing life’s stresses and fostering resilience. Stress often manifests subtly, leaving us feeling stuck in survival modes like fight, flight, or freeze. These patterns can stem from unmet needs for connection and safety, leading to beliefs and coping mechanisms that disconnect us from our true selves. A reset involves calming the nervous system, shifting from overdrive to a state of ease and growth. Tools like somatic therapies, nature walks, journaling, and social connections can help release unhelpful narratives and restore balance. By prioritizing resets, we transition from merely surviving to thriving.
TGIF | Practicing What I Can Control: Joy is Our Revolution
In this week’s TGIF, Kerry addresses the collective anxiety and emotional dysregulation many are currently experiencing. She contrasts "fear mode," a state of nervous system activation driven by stress and a lack of safety, with "heart mode," a grounded and open state associated with love, compassion, and intentionality. Kerry highlights the importance of letting go of the illusion of control and surrendering to the present moment. Joy is not found in external achievements or certainty but in mindfulness and the deliberate choice to focus on gratitude and love.
TGIF | The Power of Pendulation: Navigating Intense Emotions with Mindfulness
In this week’s TGIF, Kerry shares about the concept of pendulation. A somatic approach for navigating intense emotions and trauma that allows one to expand their resilience and capacity for feeling big emotions and returning to a grounded, calm center.
TGIF | Awakening to Purpose: A Personal Story and an Invitation to Transform
In this week’s TGIF, Kerry shares the story, the journey, the inspiration, the lessons and the profound healing breakthroughs that led to the conception of our premier offering, The Intensive Reset (formerly The Elevated Reset).
TGIF | Finding Peace in Chaos: How to Ground Yourself and Help Others During Uncertain Times
As we approach a major election, the world feels unstable, tenuous, and chaotic. Many of us feel restless and anxious about the future. In this week’s TGIF, Kerry explores how we can cultivate personal peace, even amidst uncertainty, and use that peace to support those around us. Stay with us…I think you’ll be able to take bigger breaths by the end.
TGIF | How to Heal Yourself Through Feeling More of the Good
In this week’s TGIF, Kerry shares about the intrinsic balance of pleasure and discomfort that come with true healing. “Pleasure is necessary for our growth and healing journeys. Sometimes, we can get so caught up in the grief, pain, and suffering of our experiences that we even denounce pleasure, like we’re not worthy of it or it feels too out of reach.”
TGIF | The Universal Struggle of Knowing Ourselves
"The significant learning was this: if we keep chasing a version of ourselves that we think will finally be enough to matter, we’ll miss letting ourselves and others enjoy who we already are."
In this week's TGIF, Kerry shares the story and unfortunately common experience of identity, who we are, and how (or whether) we allow others to see our true selves.
TGIF | The Importance of Authenticity in Adult Friendships
A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to travel back home to Chicago for my high school reunion. Initially, I did not want to go, and I physically contracted at the idea of it. “Why go back to a place where judgments ruled? Why subject myself to the opinions of people that really don’t matter to me?” were the anxious thoughts running through my head.
And yet, I attended. When I got out of my head and decided on the intentions of connection and joy, I reprogrammed my own expectations. And here’s the thing that surprised me: I didn’t want the night to end.
TGIF | The Power of Co-Regulation
“Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?” In this week's TGIF, Kerry revisits the topic of co-regulation. As parents, leaders, teachers, partners, friends, or simply just as humans - understanding that your energy is truly contagious and how to regulate is a powerful tool that impacts our greater communities. Remember that regulated does not always mean calm, it means resilient
TGIF | Respecting Our Differences
This week's TGIF is inspired by the beautiful and wise lesson from an Irishman:
"See, in life, you’ll encounter this often. We may be looking at the same thing, but what we perceive and then interpret as fact can be quite different. We cannot judge another’s experience or opinions until we see through their lens.”
TGIF | The Key to Health is in Your Nervous System
This week, my friend Dr. Aarti Soorya talked to our team about her holistic health and well-being perspectives. As the founder of Reset Brain and Body, most of what she shared was not new to me; instead, she validated everything Reset is built upon. I told the team - this is our why - this is a call to remember why we exist and operate in the mental health field the way we do. It was inspiring and educational and a great way to spend time together. So today, I want to refresh you, too, on why mental health is, in fact, all about nervous system health.
Finding Presence: A Guide to Showing Up in Your Life
This week, I was reminded of the art of showing up in our lives. Re-reading a familiar book and discussing themes with clients was a gentle nudge to activate presence in my life. Over the weekend, we traveled to Lake Michigan to visit family. There were so many moments of awe: meeting my nephew for the first time, catching the sunrise over the water on a run, capturing my son’s reaction as the sunset, and listening to my other son’s reactions with the boom of each firework. It’s so easy to miss these moments as we’re stuck in the day-to-day of our lives.
But we don’t need a vacation or holiday to notice the glimmers, the special moments of each day. We need to reorient how we show up in this life.
TGIF | Back to School Blues: Navigating Parental Guilt and Finding Joy
Back to school brings mixed feelings. I am grateful to have my kids in a loving community with supportive teachers and peers. I feel relief that the house is yet again quiet from 8am - 3pm, no longer working from a guest bed with the sound machine on to muffle the sounds of boys wrestling and demanding snacks. I also feel pressure to be present and “on” in a new and profound way from 3:30 pm - 8 pm as my kids are now gone most of the day.
The truth is, there’s a twinge right under the fatigue and relief and gratitude of, you guessed it - a story of guilt.
TGIF | Conquering Rejection Sensitivity: A Guide to Resilience for Anyone and Women with ADHD
Most people are susceptible to fears of rejection. When I work with clients, drilling down our thoughts often leads them to conclude that, at the core, they are afraid of being unloveable, alone, and abandoned. Threats of rejection trigger these deep fears.
Interestingly, for women and girls, rejection fear is heightened when you throw in an ADHD brain. Called Rejection Sensitivity, women with ADHD have more of it due to a mix of brain chemistry, emotional challenges, and past experiences.
The thing is, people with ADHD often struggle to regulate their emotions, so even small social interactions can feel intensely personal. This sensitivity can be traced back to childhood experiences of rejection, like bullying or harsh criticism, which condition the brain to expect rejection and react strongly to it.
TGIF | How Simone Biles and the Olympics Highlight the Vital Connection Between Mental Health and Peak Performance
This year marked the first time in many that I intentionally sat down to watch the Olympic Games. The thrill of the women's soccer matches, track and field events turned our living room into a stadium, and then there was "breaking," a fresh addition to the games.
But where the U.S. truly shined—exemplifying resilience, compassion, empowerment, and awe-inspiring talent—was in gymnastics. Let's pause for a moment honor the GOAT, Simone Biles, and what she's taught the world as a springboard to dive deeper into the importance of mental health in physical health.
TGIF | ADHD and Women: A Unique Perspective
Have you ever felt like your brain works at a different speed than everyone else? Like you're constantly juggling thoughts, tasks, and emotions, often feeling overwhelmed or misunderstood? Eek, hand raised...
Welp, you're not alone. Today, let's talk about ADHD in women.
TGIF | Reconnecting with Yourself: How Somatic Therapy Can Heal Your Attachment Wounds
In this week’s TGIF, Kerry shares how somatic therapy and body-based interventions can be supportive resources for healing attachment wounds. Attachment wounds can show up in all sorts of ways – difficulty trusting others, fear of intimacy, or a constant feeling of being on guard. But the good news: these wounds can heal.
TGIF | Embracing Mistakes: Building Compassion Through Tolerance and Trust
Have you ever made a mistake? I certainly have, and I want to share two significant experiences from my career in human resources over a decade ago. These moments taught me invaluable lessons about tolerance, grace, and the power of embracing our imperfections.