Just this month I heard from a mom who saw me speak at the Braveheart’s Virtual Summit. Her question was both real and heartfelt. She inspired me to share a few thoughts that I believe might be helpful to many of us, and especially our kids. (more…)
I don’t know about you, but when it comes to Thanksgiving it’s incredibly difficult to know what to do with “what was” and “what will be” when betrayal is dangling in the mix. Forcing a smile with Conner’s family was really tough. Pretending (more…)
After publishing my blog "The Morning Glory Story" I heard back from several women who commented on their own Morning Glory stories. These are great stories and, much like parables, are aimed at sharing truth. I thought I’d share (more…)
It was a hot, clammy day in Austin, Texas, 103 degrees to be exact. As we pulled into the parking lot our driver said, “You’d best take your make-up ladies ‘less you plan on coming back to a dripping pool of lipstick soup." I’d been asked to speak at a singles women’s event called (more…)
One of my earliest childhood memories was sitting in my back yard watching snails slowly glide across the cobblestone path toward our flower patch. Even if I didn’t get up early enough to see them skid by, they were sure to leave a shiny twisted trail of hardened goo to let me know (more…)
I don't think a day goes by that I don’t have to step into one situation or another – big or small, when I don’t have to find my FEARLESS. Think about it. When things are happening around us that cause us to feel unsafe, fear is a normal emotion. So, what am I talking about? If I’m afraid, is FEARLESS even possible? What does it mean to be FEARLESS? We have it in us. I see it in you. The ancient Hebrew word for women, is ezer which comes from two root words, one meaning “to rescue, to save,” and the other meaning “to be strong,” or “fierce strength.” Crazy, right? In fact, the word ezer is most often used in the context of a…
Recently I had one of our Brave One partners ask a question about her husband’s porn use. More specifically and painfully the extent that he went to cover-up for his behavior. As I was responding to her question I thought it would make a good blog topic as so many of us have situations that are very similar. (more…)
I am having a very difficult time in my marriage. I'm a strong-willed person and keep trying to fight to make our marriage work. But one little disappointment or flash memory and I go into a downward spiral and just want the torment to end, and just end our relationship. My husband has always had an issue with porn, at times he would try to work on it, others he would be very open about it. He has had two affairs, one of them was for a few months and he was emotionally involved then decided to end it to save our marriage. That is the only step he took, I hardly see any effort from him towards making us better. We have four young kids and I feel it is mostly…
So here it is, the day we’ve all been waiting for. Intimate Deception: Healing the Wounds of Sexual Betrayal has arrived and you’ve been at the center of every grounding-breaking step. You are so worth it! Three weeks ago I sequestered myself away, saw no one, wore the same stinky sweats and lived with uncombed bedhead for three days. My purpose was to reach out to 100 People of Influence with hand written notes asking if they’d be interested in hearing about our stories of pain, resiliency of character and hope. The intimate deception that’s happening in our homes, pews, and workplaces needs a voice; it needs to be taken seriously, and stopped. I can’t believe I had the courage to reach out to these incredible folks. They are brave…
Don't be surprised when Valentine’s Day comes around if you find yourself in the middle of a heart-breaking dilemma. How do we bravely navigate this day of love after betrayal? “He gave me a card and signed it, Love Dave. What am I supposed to do with that when I caught him looking at porn three weeks ago?” “The day came and went – we both just tried to ignore it. I cried myself to sleep that night.” “My teenage daughters asked - 'Dad are you going to get mom flowers?” “I feel so alone. I hated getting groceries this week. I couldn’t get away from all the heart-filled decorations, which just reminded me of where we are right now. I don't’ know what to do. Should I fake it?"…
