How to Communicate Your Needs: Family Looking Up Podcast
I recently sat down with the ladies of "Family Looking Up" to discuss how women's assertiveness can help our families. The conversation included clearing up misconceptions about assertiveness (such as the false idea that it equates to being aggressive or selfish) and also how women can view their own needs as being equal to that of their children and their partner. If you're interested in learning more about how to improve your communication style, practicing self-compassion, and saying no without guilt, take a listen!
Self-Care Helps Your Relationships: Good Things Utah
So often in relationships, we are aware of the other person's needs and work to fulfill them. While this is a wonderful trait, it can lead to burnout if we chronically neglect ourselves. Here are some self-care tips that actually help strengthen our relationships with others:
How To Cope As A Solo Parent: Studio 5
We often hear of the challenges that single parents have, but another group sometimes get overlooked: solo parents are those who are not divorced or widowed but carry a very large portion of the family load because their spouse is often away. Whether it's due to military service, religious commitments, or irregular work hours, many parents (women in particular) find themselves shouldering the bulk of the home and family responsibilities. Here are some strategies to cope as a solo parent:
How To Get Along With In-Laws: Good Things Utah
Marriage is a wonderful change, but it certainly brings some challenges, not just for the couple involved, but also for the in-law relationship dynamic. Here are my top 3 tips for daughter-in-laws and mother-in-laws:
How to Achieve Emotional Intelligence in Marriage: Good Things Utah
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize emotion and to use it to improve your life and your relationships. It is truly one of the most important skills you can develop as a human being, and yet it's not something we seem to talk about very often. Here are some ways to work to achieve Emotional Intelligence in your marriage.
The Three Communication Styles: Good Things Utah
One of the biggest problems in marriage is poor communication. There's so much emotional history and baggage, and both people have thoughts, feelings, and need that can cloud the situation, so it's easy to miss each other. It's important to understand three distinct communication styles and how they can hinder or help our ability to connect with each other.
Avoiding Unrighteous Dominion: Mormon Marriages Podcast
I recently sat down with Nate and Angilyn Bagley to discuss issues relating to unrighteous dominion in marriages. This phrase comes from the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 121:9 that reads, "[w]e have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority...they will begin to recognize unrighteous dominion."
A Healer's Healing Journey: Mormon Matters Podcast
I sat down with my friend and host of Mormon Matters podcast, Dan Wotherspoon for a one-on-one interview about my own life and faith journey. Talk about vulnerable. I often talk about specific topics as an "expert" but rarely interview solely about my own life and faith process.Here's a snippet of how Dan Wotherspoon describes this episode: "She has faced heartbreak and sadness, loss of a sense of her own place within the universe and God’s plan, difficulties navigating career and family and church and all it’s pre-prescribed roles for women, and much more. All of these, however, have been essential in her becoming such an effective therapist and insightful and sought-after teacher and speaker. In this in-depth interview about her life and careers, and her family and church lives, as well, Julie allows us a glimpse into her own journey with faith and Mormonism and how, through many difficulties, she has come to the grounding she has found—a sense of calling to this particular life among these particular people. As you listen, I know that you’ll be moved by her story, her emotion, her courage, and her emergence as a healer extraordinaire."
4 Ways To Manage Smartphones & Family Relationships: Good Things Utah
Smartphones are here to stay, and they can be a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends, work in our careers, and keep up on what's going on in the world. However, in some ways they are becoming a huge problem for so many families. Kids and adults are so connected to our phones that we often become disconnected from each other! Here are some tips to manage tech overload and scale back:
Protecting Our Loved Ones in Ecclesiastical Situations: Mormon Matters Podcast
I had the opportunity to share my thoughts on a recent episode of the "Mormon Matters" podcast; I joined other LDS therapists to talk about ways that we can ensure ourselves and our families are protected in ecclesiastical situations. With the #MeToo movement and other instances of high-profiled men abusing their position of power to take advantage of vulnerable people, it's time we take a look at the dynamics of how all of this applies to Mormonism. The purpose of our discussion was not to instill paranoia or fear that dominates our thoughts, but instead to empower Mormon families to be smart and safe in how they approach ecclesiastical settings.
Answering Your Questions About Balancing Marriage & Motherhood: Good Things Utah
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with my friends at "Good Things Utah" and answer some viewer questions that dealt with balancing a woman's marriage with her motherhood responsibilities. Here are some questions (and my responses to them):
How to Have A Tough Conversation: Good Things Utah
If you have any kind of close relationship, you've almost certainly experienced needing to have a tough conversation. Maybe it's about children, in-laws, unmet expectations, but when concerns arise (and they do), you need to talk about it. But when emotions are high and there's a lot at stake, things can quickly get derailed. Inspired by my research, personal experiences, and my years as a clinician, I've developed an acronym that can be used as a tool to navigate these difficult discussions. It's called "OSCAR."
4 Tips To Successfully Co-Parent After A Divorce: Good Things Utah
Divorces are traumatic, painful, and messy; there are so many raw emotions to work through, but if children are involved, the most important priority for two adults is to work to make sure that their kids are well taken care of. Here are four tips to successfully co-parent following a divorce:
4 Common Marriage Myths: Good Things Utah
Marriage is one of the most important relationships, but it can also be one of the most confusing! There are so many false beliefs perpetuating about what a good marriage really looks like. And while we may know in our minds that other couples have struggles as well, it's not always something we talk about. Here are 4 common marriage myths:
4 Easy Ways To Strengthen Your Marriage: Good Things Utah
When we think of strengthening our marriage relationship, it's easy to think of big, dramatic actions, like going to therapy or buying expensive gifts for our spouse, but renowned marriage researcher Dr. John Gottman says that it's actually the little things that make all the difference. Here are 4 easy ways to improve your marriage:
Turning Envy Into Admiration: Studio 5
Social media makes it so that a lot of us regularly experience feelings of envy, resentment, and even shame, but by learning to reframe these emotions into admiration, you can be happier and even get closer to what you want.