Pain made itself at home in my body sometime in my forties. Every doctor I visited gave a diagnosis from the point of view of their specialty, yet no one could agree on the source. Fifteen years of deliberate work taught me that letting go of the search for a “fix” was the first step toward living with more ease.

Why ‘The Parent Test’ is More Than Just a Reality Show? Parenting is the hardest job in the world, but why do we insist on striving for perfection when "Good Enough" is an achievement in itself?

Recently, I explored Bronnie Ware’s insight, “I wish I had let myself be happier.” Most of us misunderstand this, thinking happiness must be chased. In truth, we must practice allowance—being present, releasing worry, dogma, and toxic productivity—to make happiness real and avoid future regrets.

Are you in the middle of or considering making a life transition? Truthfully, it’s a combination of art and science. Here are 8 steps to get you from information-gathering to action.

How often do you blame yourself for making a mistake you believe you shouldn’t have made? How often do you catch yourself saying or simply thinking some version of, “I was stupid…I should have known better…I can’t believe I let that happen to me!”? If in reflection you realize that you do this often or at least more than you’d like to, I have some good news and some less than good but certainly not bad news.

Years ago, I resisted saying “love you” at the end of conversations, thinking it unnecessary. A lesson from an ex-boyfriend changed that. By speaking love openly to kids, friends, and colleagues, I discovered how expressing care authentically can deepen connection, expand the heart, and invite others to do the same.

Freedom has been my most significant life value even before I had the words to define it. My earliest and fondest memories are of roaming in our magical garden in Iran and feeling free to do and be whatever I wanted. That was my 5-year-old mind’s definition of freedom.

You don’t need my coaching. And that may be why you are my ideal client, and I, your ideal coach. There is a paradox inherent to the business model I’ve chosen. I choose to coach people who are emotionally and psychologically well, high performing by all regular human standards, and financially comfortable. They are extraordinary for a plethora of reasons, although they may not see that so clearly themselves.

A dear client asked me how I define success at the end of a day that felt like anything but successful—I had failed to finish a 50-mile race I trained for with great commitment. One of the mind traps that gets in the way of being successful is confusing success with results. Money, grades, and titles are results. Failure, as heartbreaking as it can be, is not the opposite of success. Failure is literally what success is made of.

Worry is nothing less or more than a habit. It’s complex only insofar as our individual tendency towards it, but otherwise it’s pretty simple and, ultimately, a decision. Worry is self indulgence masquerading as concern and love for others. Worry is letting our mind indulge in thoughts and scenarios we have no control over.

I used to give easy answers about coaching. "Therapy explores your past. Coaching creates your future." But that's incomplete. The real answer lives in the nuances—those subtle, complex truths that can't fit in an Instagram post. After almost 3 decades in fashion, I'd never ask a client to buy without trying it on first. Yet the coaching industry expects exactly that. Don't fall for credentials and certifications. Instead, find a coach willing to have real conversations with you first.

It’s that time of the year; whether consciously or not, we are all taking stock of the year that passed and thinking about the one ahead. You may or may not decide to set goals for the new year, but if you do, consider making them goals that change who you are rather than just what you do.

Coaching young adults has a tricky aspect to it. Even though I’m coaching young adults, their parents also need to change their beliefs and behaviors if they want their children to succeed. Recently, a friend with children close in age to mine asked how I exert my authority over them. “I have no authority,” I replied.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about scarcity and how it shows up in our lives. I was prompted when the host on this podcast asked me why many high-level female leaders are reluctant to help other women rise the corporate ladder. My response was that these leaders have a Scarcity Mindset, the belief that success is a zero-sum game.

Recently, someone close to me said in a moment of quiet reflection: "Sometimes you just gotta slow down to count your blessings." And I thought, "He’s got it all wrong!" The truth is we ought to constantly be in the flow and appreciation of our blessings—and only rarely slow down to compassionately acknowledge our hardships.

When someone asks me what I do, I tell them I help people create regret-free lives. This wasn't the goal I set out with when I started coaching, but over time, I've learned that regret is a deep-seated fear for many, particularly those entering the second half of their lives. Forget about all the things we did that turned out to be mistakes. Here, I'm talking about regretting the things we didn't do.

People who come to coaching often fall into two categories: those who don't know what their next career move should be and those with a job who want to switch to something else. Coaching the first group involves diving into core life values and uncovering life purposes. The second group ironically requires the opposite—being slowed down to shift perspective around existing work while systematically building their future careers.

“If only I had clarity, I know I have what it takes to accomplish any goal!”
“If only I had the courage to pursue my dreams… but, alas, I’m just not brave!”
“If I just had the confidence to try… write… build… say… I know I would succeed!”

These are words I hear often from my clients, regardless of age or background. They express the universal desire for the three “C’s”—Clarity, Courage, and Confidence—that so many people hope to gain from Professional Coaching.

I know it's meant as a compliment, but it irks me when someone says, "You're lucky to have a high pain tolerance." They usually follow it up with a story about their own natural, even genetic, low pain tolerance. I've spent decades learning and practicing to become more tolerant of discomfort and pain. Professionally, it's what I help my clients do, as well.

Most of us are remarkably efficient. We've become masterful at multitasking—getting more done while spending less time. But efficiency and effectiveness are not the same. Efficiency is how. Effectiveness is what. High efficiency does not equal high impact. In fact, the most audacious, relentless and focused people I know don't look like multitasking wizards. They look relaxed. And they consider doing better over doing more a no-brainer.