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Many Thanksgivings ago one of my co-celebrants requested salmon for their meal. At the time, I joined in the gentle mocking of this person for their heretical main dish choice. (I have since learned that seafood was probably served at the first Thanksgiving AND apologized to the person for the mocking.) While in day-to-day living […]

To quote the PSA from my childhood, reading is fun(damental)! Below are five of the Department of Practical Sunshine’s “fundamental books” including a brief synopsis of why they’re ongoing favorites.* While a “top five” list may seem trite, these books have earned a permanent place in the DPS library and therefore feel worthy of sharing. […]

One of my standard “coachingisms” is Don’t Believe Everything You Think. Our brains like us to believe that our thoughts are an accurate reflection of what is happening when in truth we are always adding our own filter, context, and meaning. Sometimes this is helpful as we need our interpretive brain to keep us functioning […]

Many of my coaching clients come to me during a point of transition. Sometimes the transition has been forced upon them because of a shift in their personal or professional life. Others initiated the change themselves but then lose sight of why they made the change or have become overwhelmed or unmotivated. Whether by choice […]

The following is one of my journal entries from approximately 2013. It took another 7 years before I actually put these plans into action and launched the Department of Practical Sunshine in October, 2020. One could ask, “What took you so long?” and the answers would come fast and furious: fear, wanting all of my […]

I saw the littles from a block away, zooming from corner to corner on their push bikes and scooters. As I approached, I saw that there were two adults stationed in the center of the intersection, monitoring the kiddos and watching for cars. I crossed the street and soon after I heard one of the […]

Here at the Department of Practical Sunshine, we were hoping that September would arrive and everything would be easy-breezy lemon-squeezy. Crisp autumn air, omnipresent school buses, dahlias overflowing from people’s gardens and way too much talk about pumpkin spice everything. Easy-breezy is now feeling like a bit of a stretch. As much as we try […]

Some call August the “Sunday of the Year.” Just as Sundays may evoke feelings of missed opportunities, doldrums or dread about what’s to come, August—signaling the end of summer, change in weather, moving out of vacation season and into shorter days—may be its yearly equivalent. The malaise that people may feel before beginning their week […]

There is no shortage of tools we can use to gain clarity when we’re feeling stuck. Brain dumps, flipping the script, or doing a “pros/cons” list are all helpful, but none of them work all of the time in every situation. One approach that has a lot of broad applications but doesn’t seem to get […]