Blog Posts / Newsletters

Teens (13-17) are the loneliest age group in the world in 2026. Parents feel powerless to help their kids with friendships, and most don’t realize the power they do have to fight loneliness within the four walls of their own homes. As parents, we have the opportunity (and responsibility) to build connection and a sense of belonging within the family unit. It starts with the family “tribe.”

As parents of college kids, we have to stop putting our relationships on pause until they do what's needed (behavior change, undone tasks, or unmet expectations).

There's a way to make sure everyone gets their expectations met for family vacations, even you!

Our neighborhood network is an unrealized piece of the family well-being puzzle, and it has dissolved over the years. Bringing it back by organizing micro-local neighborhood gatherings is important for us to have resilient families, both parents and children.

There are lots of family road trips happening this weekend and all summer, which is GREAT, as they are an easy opportunity to build connection and prevent loneliness in our own families, especially with our tweens and teens!

This week is Loneliness Awareness Week and it’s time to talk about loneliness – what it is/isn’t, the unhelpful and baseless stigma that it holds, and, of course, what we can do about it.

We are only just beginning to realize that human connection needs to be a priority in our daily lives. Our next step, right alongside that, is to understand play as a priority, not just as an opportunity for connection, but as critical to the well-being of children, teens, and adults.

Madness. It’s not just for March anymore – it’s for May too. “May-cember,” as it’s now referred to, is jam-packed with joyful but schedule-disrupting and time-consuming end-of-school-year concerts, field/sports days, graduations, and celebrations.

I’ve heard from so many of you that you absolutely love the idea of getting together with your neighbors, but you haven’t organized a block party (micro-local neighborhood gathering) yet. It’s important to get curious about what’s getting in the way of you hosting one, so you can know you’re not alone in what’s holding you back, but that these are hurdles that you can absolutely overcome.

In the end, it is our relationships that mean the most in our lives, but our burnout-guaranteed pace of life and digital exhaustion get in the way of us making time for clubs, activities, and even our friends. This perpetual busyness and lack of participation in clubs and groups is not only impacting our mortality, but threatening our democracy.

In honor of America’s 250th birthday, Block Party USA, my tool to help families and our nation, is launching American Summer — a nationwide call to revive the forgotten tradition of neighborhood block parties, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend, with a special focus on July 3rd, 4th, and America’s Potluck on July 5th.

Despite the name, Block Party USA is not just about block parties. Our focus is micro-local neighborhood gatherings (you can see how that would be a little too wordy for a website name 😉). These neighborhood gatherings take all different forms.

Many people don’t realize that eating disorders are the second most deadly mental illnesses, only after opioid addiction.

One of my favorite, and most effective, principles in parent coaching is this: “Where you give your attention is what you will see more of.” And it’s a strategy that every single person in this country needs right now, parent or not.

One of my absolute favorite, beautiful things is watching adults' eyes light up after I've told them about the mission of Block Party USA. Joyful memories are suddenly unlocked, their eyes sparkle, their faces soften, and with a big smile, they begin to tell me about the block parties of their childhood. It's powerful.

Dear Friends, Like most of you, I am well aware of the impact of phones disrupting my attention and connection , and the ease at which I get “sucked in.” So I immediately loved the idea of OFF February, an inaugural global campaign to eliminate the distraction and temptation of social media apps on our phones for the 28 days of February, but my body had an entirely different reaction. As OFF Movement founder, Diego Hidalgo, and I talked through the campaign, the reality hit

Dear Friends, As this year is just beginning, I want to share something more personal. The last 15 months of my life have been way too full of challenges and loss. When I bewilderedly asked my therapist if this was “normal,” her humorous reply, “This is not where you want to be on the bell curve of life,” was deeply validating. I am grateful for the perspective and wisdom I’ve gained through the pain, even when I wouldn’t have chosen the path that brought it. Much that h

Dear Friends, Happy New Year! Truly happy. This year, 2026, and the 250th anniversary of America , has me full of hope. As I reflect on what made our independence possible in the first place, I keep coming back to this: our interdependence on one another . We did not get here alone, and we will not move forward alone. Now is the time to act with intention. To make our relationships, not our tasks or our technology, the priority. Like our forefathers, we must be brave. Be

Dear Friends, In today’s newsletter, I’m talking about college kids coming home, tips for having the holiday you want, and talking to strangers. Feel free to skip to the sections that you're most interested in. Strategy with College Kids Home You’ve been SO looking forward to having your college kid come home for Thanksgiving, but things feel off or worse. We feel disappointed and sometimes hurt by them “sleeping the day away” or making plans with friends. Between our kids'

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends Some of you may know that block parties have been a passion project of mine since introducing them...

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, Happy August! This month, I will hold weekly Block Party USA Zooms as it’s PRIME block party...

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, You don’t need me to tell you that it’s not going well in the U.S. If we continue on this...

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, I hope that your summer is off to a wonderful start. Summer can be a welcome change from the...

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, May is mental health awareness month for a reason! The already ridiculous pace of life somehow...

We need to do better folks. Words matter. Especially true when they come from wise, educated, well revered expert authors — and...

Dear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, How’s it going, really? I’ve been talking with a lot of parents who are feeling exhausted and...

D ear Clients, Colleagues, and Friends, Happy Valentine’s Day! The day of love - and not just with a romantic partner. Today is about...

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends, Before you log off for the year (which I hope you can do!), have a quick read because I get it....

A teen, your child, dying by suicide is every parent’s worst nightmare. It’s inconceivable, yet not an entirely “unfounded” fear, given our current stats of 22% of all high school students and 30% of all female high school students had seriously considered suicide within the past year. Only second to that horror is learning about another family’s teen in your town, or a neighboring town, dying by suicide. It’s hard to know what to do as a parent. Do we tell our kids? The tru

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends, How is it going? Has the back to school honeymoon worn off yet? For your child/ren and for you?...

(hint: Have You Ever Apologized to Your Child?) There is a current trend on TikTok of parents “teaching” their toddlers and young...

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends, Although not surprised, I am over the moon to witness the incredible response and coverage of...

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends, It’s hard to stay in the moment when Halloween and Christmas are in the stores , southern friends...

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends, Happy May! April was a wonderful whirlwind of travel so this update includes two months worth of...

Dear Clients, Colleagues and Friends, Happy Spring! I hope this finds your March more lamb than lion, and from what I’m hearing, I’m not...

February – the month of love. This February, I want to mix it up a bit as I encourage you to trying something new and focus on loving...

I recently learned that it’s “NOvember” — which means you can say NO to more things to prioritize your well-being. Go ahead and give...

“March in New England” offers us two important lessons to help ease our pandemic pain and struggle.

Feel like you’ve hit a wall? Or better described - the floor? You are not alone. We. Are. Struggling. The past week and a half, I’ve been...

If You Must Have Resolutions - Choose Sanity I’m sitting in the dentist’s chair and I’m trying to breathe deeply (but not too deeply) ...

Anger is a normal human emotion that gets a bad rap. It is often seen as something to suppress as it can get expressed in destructive...

When you ask your child(ren) to unload groceries, empty the dishwasher or any other household chore, chose your words very carefully....

I feel so incredibly strongly that someday we will look back as parents and educators and realize how lockdown drills and active shooter...

The Body Talk. The Coronavirus pandemic has caused our kids to miss out on so many milestones and rights of passage. For our town’s fifth...

The coronavirus (COVID-19), a new viral strain marked by symptoms like fever, cough and shortness of breath, was declared a pandemic by...