Welcome to the Blog
Resources and Tools for Healing and Expansion
Understanding the Difference Between Healthy Guilt, Toxic Guilt, and Shame — And How to Heal
Toxic guilt and shame can quietly erode self-worth, keep you trapped in cycles of overthinking, and damage relationships. Discover how to identify these harmful patterns, release the weight of false responsibility, and create space for healing, resilience, and self-compassion.
“Why Can’t They See What They’re Doing?” Understanding People Who Lack Emotional Intelligence
What happens when the people you love, lack emotional intelligence? Learn how to spot the signs of emotional immaturity, why some people never apologize or self-reflect, and how to protect your peace when empathy is missing. A must read guide for healing from toxic family, dynamics, emotionally unavailable, parents, and one-sided relationships.
How Big of a Deal Is This, Really? A Tool for Gaining Perspective When Life Feels Overwhelming
Learn how to gain clarity and emotional balance by using a simple perspective tool that helps you assess what you’re going through on a scale from 1 to 100. This powerful framework helps you shift out of overwhelm, reduce anxiety, and respond with greater insight. A must-read for anyone navigating life’s challenges and looking to stay grounded.
Loving Someone Who’s Emotionally Immature: When to Stay, When to Let Go, and How to Protect Your Peace
Loving someone who is emotionally immature often means feeling unseen, blamed, or chronically disappointed. This blog explores the subtle signs of emotional immaturity, why it’s not your job to fix them, and how to protect your energy without abandoning yourself. Whether it's a partner, parent, or friend, understanding these dynamics is the first step toward clarity, boundaries, and healing.
The Silent Saboteur: How Emotional Immaturity Undermines Relationships
Most people associate emotional immaturity with obvious behaviors—tantrums, avoidance, or acting out. But the truth is, emotional immaturity often hides in plain sight. It can show up as chronic defensiveness, a refusal to take accountability, or an inability to tolerate emotional discomfort. It’s not about intelligence, age, or even good intentions. Emotionally immature people can be kind, accomplished, and deeply caring—and still leave relational damage in their wake.
The cost of staying in relationship with emotional immaturity—whether in family, friendship, or partnership—is often invisible at first. But over time, it chips away at your self-trust, your clarity, and your sense of peace. You start questioning yourself, walking on eggshells, or taking responsibility for things that were never yours to carry.
In this post, we’ll explore what emotional immaturity really is (and what it’s not), how it shows up in relationships, and why recognizing it is one of the most empowering things you can do for your own well-being.
The Courage to Change the Pattern: What Emotional Maturity Really Requires
Emotional immaturity can quietly destroy relationships, leaving you, confused, exhausted, and doubting yourself. Learn how to recognize the signs and understand the difference between emotional immaturity and narcissism and grow into your own emotional integrity.
When Life Changes Your Plans: A Lesson in Surrender, Flexibility, and Mindset
I was all set to head out west for the summer like I do every year—until my dog Sophie tore her other ACL just one week before I was supposed to leave. Suddenly, all my plans were up in the air. What followed was an unexpected lesson in surrender, nervous system regulation, and the mental health power of flexibility. Sometimes, the most important work we can do is learning to trust the detour—and let life unfold exactly as it’s meant to.
Rebuilding Yourself – Healing in the Aftermath of Parental Alienation
Parental alienation leaves many parents grieving a child who’s still alive—but unreachable. In this blog, learn how to rebuild your life, reclaim your identity, and begin healing even when reconciliation isn’t possible. Discover how to walk with grief, protect your peace, and live fully again—on your own terms.
The Shame No One Talks About – Grieving a Living Child
Grieving the loss of a child who is still alive—due to parental alienation or estrangement—is one of the most painful and invisible forms of grief a parent can experience. In this post, learn how ambiguous grief impacts alienated and estranged parents, why shame makes healing harder, and what steps you can take to find peace, even without reconciliation. If your child has cut you off and you’re left grieving in silence, this article is for you.
Estrangement vs. Parental Alienation – Knowing the Difference Can Save You
Is your child’s rejection the result of estrangement—or parental alienation? Knowing the difference can change everything. In this blog, you’ll learn how to recognize the signs of alienation, how it differs from estrangement due to past trauma, and why so many parents are left confused, blamed, and unsupported. If your child cut you off suddenly or turned against you without clear cause, this article will help you find clarity, validation, and the right kind of support.
When Therapy Makes It Worse – Why Most Therapists Don’t Understand Parental Alienation
If you’ve turned to therapy for help with parental alienation and left feeling worse, you’re not alone. Most therapists aren’t trained to recognize this complex dynamic—and in many cases, they unintentionally reinforce it. In this post, we explore why traditional therapy often misses the mark, what to look for in an informed therapist, and how to get the support you truly need as a targeted or alienated parent.
What Parental Alienation Is—and What It Isn’t
Parental alienation is a deeply misunderstood dynamic where a child rejects a loving parent due to manipulation or influence from the other parent. In this blog, learn the real signs of parental alienation, how it differs from justified estrangement, and what every parent needs to know when their child turns against them without cause. If you’re asking, “Why won’t my child talk to me?”—this may help you find clarity and support.
When Love Isn’t Enough – Understanding Parental Alienation
If your child has suddenly turned against you, won’t speak to you, or treats you like the enemy without cause, you may be experiencing parental alienation. This misunderstood and emotionally devastating experience can leave loving parents feeling erased, blamed, and heartbroken. In this post, learn what parental alienation really is, how to recognize the warning signs, and why so many therapists and courts fail to understand it. If you're searching for help as an alienated or estranged parent, you're not alone—and there is support.
Healing the Mother Wound: Becoming the Wise Woman You Needed
Many women carry a hidden ache known as the mother wound—pain from unmet needs, emotional absence, or inherited patterns. In this post, you’ll learn how to begin healing through re-mothering, inner child work, and reconnecting with the wise woman within. This is your invitation to reclaim your wholeness, your voice, and your power.
Letting Go and Reclaiming Yourself: Navigating the Emotional Transition of Launching Adult Children
Launching adult children is one of the most profound life transitions a mother can face. Beyond the empty nest lies a deeply personal journey of grief, identity shifts, and rediscovering purpose after parenting. This post explores what both mothers and adult children experience in this phase—and how reclaiming your life after children leave home is not only possible, but powerful. If you're navigating this transition, you're not alone—and support can make all the difference.
How to Heal from a Shame Spiral: 5 Steps to Start Reclaiming Yourself
Struggling with low self-worth, self-blame, or constant inner criticism? You might be caught in a shame spiral—a powerful emotional loop that can leave you feeling isolated, overwhelmed, and stuck. In this transformational blog, trauma-informed therapist and holistic healing expert River Phoenix, MS, LCPC, LMHC, breaks down the truth about shame, how to recognize it in your body and mind, and—most importantly—how to heal it. Learn the five essential steps to stop a shame spiral, access powerful journal prompts for healing toxic shame, and discover how to reclaim your voice, rebuild your self-trust, and reconnect with your true worth. If you’re ready to begin emotional healing from shame, this is where the journey back to yourself begins.
The Art of Working with Emotions: Feel Deeply, Think Clearly
Learn how to work with emotions without being ruled by them. Discover practical tools for emotional regulation, clarity, and healing.