What’s Under Resistance?
In my work with kids, I often talk about motivation. Today I’d like to explore a common saboteur of motivation—fear—and how it can show up for kids (and us) in surprising ways.
When Your Child Seems Unmotivated
The other day I heard myself telling my 13-year-old that she “lacked motivation” to do something productive over break. And actually, this conversation didn’t begin over break. Uh-oh, I thought to myself, This is not the voice I want my daughter to internalize.
Speaking with Your Heart
At first I wasn’t sure how to show up. I didn’t want to overwhelm him with compassion, but a casual response felt inappropriate. Then I remembered a children’s play I had created called Snuggles Stayed Close…
The Waiting Room
The other day my daughter and I were waiting nervously in the waiting room of the oral surgeon’s office. We were frazzled from arriving late, and Maya was fretting about the anesthesia that would be administered for her imminent wisdom tooth extraction. With nothing to do but wait, I decided to…
Complicated Gratitude
As the Thanksgiving holiday approaches, I have been reflecting on gratitude. Gratitude is essential… and yet it can be complicated. Sometimes it almost feels wrong to be grateful in a world that has so much suffering.
How to Help Good Things Stick: A Playful Mindfulness Activity for Kids
A kid-friendly mindfulness lesson that uses a paper person, masking tape, and glitter glue to show how our brains hold onto the hard stuff and let good moments slip away. Includes steps you can use at home or school to help kids take in the good and grow the Sunny habit.
Finding the Spark Together: How Kids Turned Learning Into a Quest
Even the best ideas need a little magic. When the kids I was teaching started testing the workbook themselves, they found what was missing: adventure. What began as lessons became a quest—complete with a map, sixteen lands, and a dolphin named Doodles whose surprise birthday sparked joy
When Children Taught Me How to See: Why Pictures Teach What Words Cannot
Sometimes pictures teach what words cannot. In this story, kids (including my daughter, Maya) showed me how movement, imagination, and even a tiny ant named Anty could make learning mindfulness joyful. The lesson they taught me:
When Kids Told Me the Comics Sounded Too “Teachy”: Co-Creating Real Voices in the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids
How do you teach self-compassion without it feeling like a lesson? In this behind-the-scenes story, I share how kids helped me turn research-based ideas into authentic, laugh-out-loud
The Day Kids Made Me Write a Quiz: Origins of the Mindfulness and Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids
What helps kids actually want to learn mindfulness and self-compassion? When I first began creating the Mindfulness & Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids, six playful kid co-creators showed me the answer: curiosity, humor, and play.